Aireys Inlet

History

In the early 19th century, before British settlement, the escaped convict William Buckley lived here in a primitive hut eating fish, shellfish, wild raspberries and sugar ants. Aireys Inlet was known to the Aboriginals of the time as Managwhawz. The town takes its current name from John Moore Cole Airey, who settled in the area in 1842.

The Post Office opened on 1 April 1893.

Population

At the , Aireys Inlet had a population of 979. 79.7% of people were born in Australia and 88.3% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 62.3% and Catholic 13.8%.

Geography

Fairhaven, Moggs Creek, and Eastern View are in the same postal area as Aireys Inlet.

Climate

Aireys Inlet possesses an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with tepid, relatively dry summers and mild, wetter winters. Average maxima vary from 23.1 C in January and February to 13.4 C in July while average minima fluctuate between 14.7 C in February and 7.3 C in July. Mean precipitation is moderately low (averaging 618.1 mm per annum), but rainfall is frequent, as Aireys Inlet receives 152.1 precipitation days annually (with a maximum frequency of rain in winter). Extreme temperatures have ranged from 45.3 C on 7 February 2009 to 0.0 C on 28 July 1990.

|Jan record high C = 43.5 |Feb record high C = 45.3 |Mar record high C = 40.7 |Apr record high C = 34.6 |May record high C = 27.8 |Jun record high C = 21.1 |Jul record high C = 20.6 |Aug record high C = 25.4 |Sep record high C = 31.5 |Oct record high C = 36.6 |Nov record high C = 38.9 |Dec record high C = 44.7 |Jan record low C = 6.8 |Feb record low C = 7.5 |Mar record low C = 6.7 |Apr record low C = 4.4 |May record low C = 3.9 |Jun record low C = 1.3 |Jul record low C = 0.0 |Aug record low C = 2.2 |Sep record low C = 2.6 |Oct record low C = 2.0 |Nov record low C = 4.5 |Dec record low C = 6.1 |Jan dew point C = 12.7 |Feb dew point C = 13.3 |Mar dew point C = 12.0 |Apr dew point C = 10.1 |May dew point C = 9.5 |Jun dew point C = 8.1 |Jul dew point C = 7.2 |Aug dew point C = 7.1 |Sep dew point C = 7.6 |Oct dew point C = 8.2 |Nov dew point C = 10.1 |Dec dew point C = 11.1

Beaches and coastline

While the coastline at adjacent Fairhaven is a long uninterrupted sand beach, the coast at Aireys Inlet is a series of rock shelves, interrupted by sandy swimming beaches, most of which are relatively secluded. Each beach has its own character, a result of differing lengths, orientation and nearby rock formations. Beaches include Sandy Gully, Steppy Beach and Sunnymeade.

School

Aireys Inlet has one school, Aireys Inlet Primary School (P-6), which until the end of 2016 was a campus of the then Lorne-Aireys Inlet P-12 College.

Sport

• Australian football: The Aireys Inlet Eels Football Club competes in the AFL Barwon junior competition.
• Tennis: The Aireys Inlet and District Tennis Club competes in the Geelong Tennis Association.

Literature and media

During the early 1950s the Australian crime author Arthur Upfield lived at Aireys Inlet. His novel The New Shoe (1951) is based on the township and the lighthouse. Some of the novel's characters drew on local identities.

Many scenes from the children's television series Round the Twist were filmed at or around the area of the Split Point Lighthouse.

In 2005 the Bollywood movie Salaam Namaste was produced in Melbourne with many scenes being shot around Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven and Anglesea.

At low tide it is possible to walk (or scramble) around all these rocks and beaches, making it possible to walk along the beach, all the way from Eastern View - the historical start of the Great Ocean Road, all the way to Anglesea.

Much like Anglesea, Aireys Inlet is served by Surf Coast Times, a local newspaper for the Surf Coast published weekly on Fridays. Television services are received via a translator in Anglesea, carrying the Melbourne channels, although TV coverage from the translator is very low. Radio services are received on AM and FM from Melbourne and Geelong.

1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires

Main article: Ash Wednesday fires

Aireys Inlet was devastated by the infamous 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in which a large number of houses were burnt down. However, after a brief lull, interest in the area resumed and has been steadily climbing since. Properties, especially those with an ocean view, are becoming increasingly sought after, some going for greater than A$1 million.

Heritage listed sites

Aireys Inlet has a number of heritage listed sites, including:

• Great Ocean Road
• Split Point Lightstation Complex

Notable people

• John Airey, the town's founder, for whom it was named
• William Buckley, British convict who lived in the area before the town's origin

References

References

1. {{Census 2021 AUS
2. Kennedy, B: ''Australian Place Names'', page 2. ABC Books, 2006
3. Phoenix Auctions History. "Post Office List".
4. {{Census 2021 AUS
5. "Aireys Inlet Climate (1990-2024)".
6. (June 2005). "Bollywood on the Surf Coast". Surf Coast Tourism.
7. [http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/result_detail/14228 "Great Ocean Road (H2261)"]. ''[[Victorian Heritage Register]].'' [[Heritage Victoria]]. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
8. [http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/result_detail/4943 "Split Point Lightstation Complex (H2270)"]. ''[[Victorian Heritage Register]].'' [[Heritage Victoria]]. Retrieved 2014-03-23.