VICPort & river
Port Fairy
A sheltered harbour brought whalers and merchants.
1835Whaling station established
WHAT STARTED IT
A bay-whaling station at the mouth of the Moyne River helped establish the colonial settlement. The sheltered port then served the surrounding pastoral and farming country.
WHAT SUSTAINED IT
The town was known as Belfast for part of the nineteenth century. Shipping, fishing and rural trade left a streetscape of cottages and commercial buildings.
TURNING POINTS
1835Commercial whaling develops at the harbour.
1844The township of Belfast has three inns, two smithies, a newly working mill and about 200 farmers.
1887The name Port Fairy is restored.
2016Port Fairy held the fortieth edition of its folk festival, by then a major fixture in the town’s visitor economy.
WHAT IT DOES NOW
A fishing, residential and tourism town with a well-preserved centre. Its harbour and working boats remain a direct link with its maritime beginnings.