Lake Bolac
In the Western District plains area,& this small town on the Glenelg Hwy is by a 1460-ha freshwater lake that has sandy beaches around a 20km shoreline and is good for fishing,& boating and swimming. During Easter: yachting Regatta.
Is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Glenelg Highway, 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Ballarat, in the Rural City of Ararat. At the 2006 census, Lake Bolac and the surrounding area had a population of 470. The town is on the shores of Lake Bolac, a freshwater lake popular with fishers. Lake Bolac Post Office opened on 1 November 1864.
Lake Bolac has a Prep to year 12 school. There is a caravan park on the lake that is popular in summer with holidaying families.
The football team is combined with nearby town Wickliffe known as the Magpies and plays in the Mininera & District Football League.
Golfers play at the course of the Lake Bolac Golf Club on Mortlake Road.
2006 Tornado
At roughly 11pm on January 19th 2006, Lake Bolac was hit by what has been described as a “mini-twister”. Power lines were torn down, several buildings suffered mild to severe damage, more than 100 trees were uprooted, and eight grain silos were either damaged or destroyed. A ute’s windscreen was smashed by a falling tree at the caravan park, and a grain silo was lifted off the ground and was found 3km away. It is estimated 400 residents lost power due to the tornado. The damage bill was estimated at two million dollars.
Lake Bolac Eel Festival
-
Lake Bolac Eel Festival
Venue
- Lake Bolac Boatshed and foreshore
- Address
- Frontage Rd
Lake Bolac VIC 3351
The Lake Bolac Eel Festival is a community Art and Music Festival held each autumn on the banks of Lake Bolac in south-western Victoria, and inspired by the fact that Lake Bolac was a traditional gathering place for indigenous people before white settlement.
“Lake Boloke is the most celebrated place in the Western District for the fine quality and abundance of its eels, and, when the autumn rains induce these fish to leave the lake and to go down the river to the sea, the Aborigines gather there from great distances” James Dawson, Australian Aborigines 1881.
The Festival is a gathering place for people who care for the environment and respect Aboriginal cultural heritage. This is reflected in the indigenous dancing and ceremony, the environmental forum, indigenous, environmental and historical displays, and the Healing Walk held prior to the Festival, all adding up to a unique Festival experience.
In 2010 the environmental forum “Brolgas and Wetlands” saw the launch of the Brolga Recovery Project. The Twilight Celebration “Brolga Dreaming” featured the world premiere of Anne Norman’s music for shakuhachi, violin, cello and voice along with a community choir, dancers and giant brolga puppets.
Music from the Festival Stage features a diversity of blues, roots and acoustic performance, with young and emerging musicians encouraged. Archie Roach headlined in 2010 supported by Loren, Neil Murray, Rory Faithfield and the Stiff Gins. Previous Festivals have featured Carus Thompson, Declan O’Rourke(Ireland) , Shane Howard, Liz Stringer, Rose Bygrave, Jordie Lane, The Little Stevies and Tonchi McIntosh.
This welcoming and family friendly festival has something for everyone, with plenty to see and do including the Art Exhibition, a Recycled Art/Sculpture Competition, workshops, roving entertainers, a climbing wall for the adventurous, a touch tank of live eels, plenty of children’s activities, and a craft and produce market.
Lake Bolac Hotel
Dating back to 1862 and built of bluestone, the Lake Bolac Hotel is located at the western end of town, on the Glenelg Highway.
Glenelg Gallery
The Glenelg Gallery is located on the Glenelg Highway, adjacent the Lake Bolac police station. The works of local artist Pat Veale are on sale most days, tel: (03) 5350 2309.
Wickliffe
12 km west of town along the Glenelg Highway is Wickliffe situated on the Hopkins River. On the right are some bluestone cottages and the Uniting Church which was built in 1861.
Here too is ‘Narrapumulap’, a gracious and beautiful French Gothic homestead built 1873-1878. The mansion’s dominant feature is a beautiful bluestone tower. Wrought iron gates open onto a carriageway surrounded by fine landscaped gardens.
Willaura
9 km due north of Wickliffe, on the right-hand side of the road to Willaura, is Greenvale homestead (1850s) where farmstay accommodation is available, tel: (03) 5354 1343.
18 km north at Willaura is the Willaura Hotel which dates from the first decade of the 20th century. Over the road is the railway station which is to be converted into a local history museum. The old-style bakehouse oven dates from the 19th century and is still in use for the production of comestibles. It can be viewed on request.
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