Lara

History

Lara and its surrounding land was occupied for tens of thousands of years before European colonisation by the Wadawurrung people. The explorers Hume and Hovell arrived at Lara on 16 December 1824, believing that they had reached Westernport Bay. The area was originally named Kennedy's Creek, but by the time the railway through the town was opened in 1857 (along with the local railway station), it was known as Duck Ponds. Several residential subdivisions were then announced, including one in the area now known as Lara Lake, the "Cheddar" estate to its west, and the "Swindon" estate to the south-east of the modern town centre. The station was renamed Lara in 1875; the Post Office, having been renamed Hovell's Creek in 1872, was finally renamed Lara in 1884. The population had grown to a few hundred by 1890, and several facilities such as schools and churches were built, although a water supply was not provided until 1947. In January 1969, 17 people were killed in a bushfire which ravaged Lara. Most of the victims were trapped in or near their cars by a fast-moving grass fire, while travelling on the Princes Highway. Several scenes from the 1979 feature film, Mad Max, were shot on location around Lara, as well as several scenes from the ABC mockumentary, We Can Be Heroes: Finding The Australian of the Year, in which the town carried the fictional name "Dunt". The town's history is being preserved at the Lara Museum and Historical Centre on the corner of Forest and Canterbury roads. It is housed in an historic property, formerly the Lake Bank Hotel (circa 1860), which was renovated by local businessman, Lino Bisinella, and handed over in 2013 to the community group which runs the museum, Lara Heritage and Historical Society Inc. Lara contains a number of heritage…

Geography

Hovell's Creek runs through Lara and ends at Limeburners Bay, a small inlet of Corio Bay. Owing to the poor soils and low runoff inherent in Australian streams, along with the fact the region is the driest in southern Victoria because of the Otway Ranges’ rain shadow (receiving about per year), the creek is ephemeral and is not useful as a water source. Granite peaks known as the You Yangs, 4 kilometres north of Lara, rise dramatically to a height of 352m and can be seen from most areas of Geelong.

Most-observed species

• Australian Magpie

  Gymnorhina tibicen (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  19,984
• Little Raven

  Corvus mellori Mathews, 1912 · Aves
  18,273
• Magpie-lark

  Grallina cyanoleuca (Latham, 1802) · Aves
  15,871
• Superb Fairywren

  Malurus cyaneus (Ellis, 1782) · Aves
  15,579
• Black Swan

  Cygnus atratus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  14,909
• Welcome Swallow

  Hirundo neoxena Gould, 1842 · Aves
  14,787
• Red Wattlebird

  Anthochaera carunculata (Shaw, 1790) · Aves
  14,428
• Chestnut Teal

  Anas castanea (Eyton, 1838) · Aves
  14,346

Most recent

• M 3.8 — 2023-05-28
  5 km W of Mickleham, Australia
• M 2.9 — 2021-11-05
  4 km S of Rosebud, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2015-03-10
  3 km NNE of Pakenham, Australia
• M 3.6 — 2014-12-03
  4 km SW of Pakenham, Australia
• M 2.8 — 2014-01-13
  1 km SSE of Lilydale, Australia
• M 3.1 — 2013-05-01
  7 km NW of Clifton Springs, Australia