Portland

Overview

Portland is situated on Portland Bay 361 kilometres west of Melbourne and 75 kilometres east, by road, of the South Australian border. As the only deep-sea port between Adelaide and Port Phillip it is a major exporting centre for the produce of south-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia - principally wool, grains and secondary manufactures made in Portland itself. Other contributions to the local economy are made by an aluminium smelter (employing 700 people), the fertiliser industry, woolstores, and the fishing industry.

Portland Bay is ideal for boating, fishing and sailboarding and there are many fine surfing spots in the area. The district is also profuse with outstanding natural attractions.

History

The Portland district was once occupied by the Kerrup-Tjmara people who called the district 'Pulumbete' meaning 'Little Lake' (a reference to what is now called Fawthrop Lagoon). Although there were thousands of indigenous inhabitants in the 1830s the usual sorry tale surrounding white impact on Aboriginal communities meant that virtually none remained by 1885.

Sealers and whalers from Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) were among the first explorers of this coastline. Captain William Dutton established a shore-based whaling industry in Portland in 1829. Whales were hunted to the brink of extinction and the industry wound up after 1840.

The Kerryp-Tjmara Aboriginal people occupied the area around Portland for thousands of years. Lake Condah remains a sacred camping ground for the people. They had an elaborate system of fishing, using canals and traps around the lake. There also is evidence at Lake Condah that this was one of the few Aboriginal tribes to build stone and permanent houses.

Places of interest

Portland Foreshore
Portland Cable Tram
Botanical Gardens
Portland Arts Centre
WWII Memorial Lookout Tower
Point Danger
Fawthrop lagoon

Accommodation

Portland offers a full range of accommodation is on offer including hotels, motels, bed and breakfast and self catering.

Portland Visitor Information Centre
Lee Breakwater Road
PO Box 152, Portland, 3305
Phone: 1800 035 567 (Toll free) or 03 5523 2671
Fax: 03 5521 7287
Website: Portland and surrounds accommodation guide

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