Colac
KEY ATTRACTIONS
- Lake Colac
- Botanical Gardens
- Markets • Horse Racing
- Old Beechy Line Rail Trail
- Shopping • Cafes & Restaurants
- Bird hide and Sanctuary
- Walking Trails
LOCATION
Colac is about 75 kilometres west of Geelong on the Princes Highway.
FAST FACTS
Population: 10,182
Area: 15.2 sq km
Council: Colac Otway Shire
NAME ORIGINS
The name Colac probably derives from the local aboriginal tribe that lived in the area called the Coladjin Aborigines.
Colac, country charm and spectacular sights.
This bustling inland town is the retail and commercial centre for most of the surrounding rural areas, yet still has an understated, charm about it. Colac is also the gateway to the Great Otway National Park.
More about Colac
The Princes Highway runs through the centre of Colac but don’t let this busy shopping area deceive you. Just three blocks north, Lake Colac stretches out toward the horizon, rimmed by high trees and parkland. The largest natural fresh water lake in Victoria is a venue for sailing, fishing, water skiing and swimming in Summer. The raised volcanic rim is a perfect viewing platform. The Botanic Gardens, designed by William Guilfoyle, were established in 1910 on the shores of Lake Colac. Colac is surrounded by lakes and the best place to view them is from Red Rock lookout, just north of town. This volcanic panoroma is internationally significant for the scope and variety of forms, soils and rocks. The lakes are joined by wetlands that are home to platypus and fleets of native birds. Streams from the Otways and this variety of lakes mean Colac is one of the best inland fishing bases in the country.The Floating Islands, just west of Colac, are a more intimate volcanic landscape, situated in the waters of a primeval crater. A walking trail takes in these extraordinary, treed, floating islands of soil and vegetable matter. Colac is one hour from everywhere – from the goldfields of Ballarat, from the mighty rainforest and waterfalls in the Otways, and from the coast between Lorne and Apollo Bay. And every route takes you through beautiful and diverse countryside. Colac is also on the train route to Warrnambool - a great place to watch whales in Winter. A steam train runs a return trip on Saturday. The Colac country festival and agricultural shows are in November.
A brief history
The plains around Colac were once subjected to intense volcanic activity which formed the craters, floating islands and lakes which are a striking feature of this region. A series of skirmishes with the local “Colijan” clan of the Wathaurong Aboriginal tribe occurred between 1835 and 1837, not long after Batman landed to claim Port Phillip for white settlers. Colac became a focus for the crop and sheep farming in the district with a store established as early as 1842 but its progress hinged on two other industries. Local historian, Dawn Peel, notes that Colac was “fortuitously placed economically”. It was situated between the timber of the Otways, the dairy farms of the lower slopes, and the sheep farms of the plains to the west and the north. In addition, it was on the Princes Highway, the earliest route through to the western districts.The height of the timber industry in the Otways was between 1870 and 1920, when a vast network of tramways was built through the ranges to the south of Colac to transport logs to mills. The rich volcanic soil which fostered root crops and timber in the nineteenth century and the dairy industry throughout Colac’s history has recently been discovered by food growers and wineries.