Blairgowrie, Victoria
| Blairgowrie Melbourne, Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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 Blairgowrie welcome sign | |||||||||||||||
  Blairgowrie | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°21′36″S 144°46′08″E / 38.36°S 144.769°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 2,313 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| • Density | 367.1/km2 (951/sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3942 | ||||||||||||||
| Area | 6.3 km2 (2.4 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Shire of Mornington Peninsula | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Nepean | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Flinders | ||||||||||||||
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Blairgowrie is a seaside town on the Mornington Peninsula, approximately 87 km south of Melbourne’s city centre, Victoria, Australia. Its local government area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.
History
Blairgowrie was named after the Burgh of Blairgowrie, the largest town in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. A post office was not opened until 1 November 1947.[2]
Rhys Isaac, Pulitzer-prize-winning author, died in Blairgowrie on 6 October 2010.
Today
Blairgowrie is located near the western tip of the Mornington Peninsula, between Sorrento and Rye, and is one of many popular holiday destinations for Melburnians along this narrow peninsula strip. It is bordered on the north by Port Phillip, and on the south by Bass Strait and a series of surf beaches interspersed with spectacular cliffs and rocky ledges. It is frequented by tourists in the summer months, and has been featured on numerous travel programs.
Blairgowrie Pier is the most popular shore dive site for recreational scuba diving inside Port Phillip. It was built as a safe boat harbour and marina by the Blairgowrie Yacht Squadron. Blairgowrie Pier is highly regarded for the more than a hundred different species of nudibranch that have been identified there. Each year from May through July thousands of spider crabs migrate along the ocean floor to the cool, shallow waters around Blairgowrie Pier. When the water temperature drops, the spider crabs moult their shells. While their new shells harden, they crowd together for protection from predators like stingrays, seals and sharks, sometimes forming stacks more than a metre high. You'll also find octopus, cuttlefish, seahorses, box fish, large stingrays, decorator crabs, stargazers, invertebrate, goat fish, blennies, and a whole lot of colour while diving Blairgowrie Pier.
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Blairgowrie (State)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 11 April 2008
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