16 Facts About Bairnsdale

Bairnsdale is a city in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia in a region traditionally owned by the Tatungalung clan of the Gunaikurnai people.

Bairnsdale was first proclaimed a shire on 16 July 1868 and it was proclaimed as a city on 14 July 1990.

Bairnsdale had acted as a mine manager for the nearby Sons of Freedom mine.

Bairnsdale built the school, the old Shire Hall, the Wesleyan Church and parsonage, St John's Church, the old Bairnsdale Hospital and the Mechanic's Hall.

One of the most notable landmarks of Bairnsdale is the St Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Main Street known for its distinctively tall tower.

Related searches

Murals cover the walls and ceiling of St Mary's in Bairnsdale depicting saints, the trinity and scenes of hell, purgatory, heaven and the crucifixion.

Bairnsdale experienced growth in church numbers in the 1880s, many of them frequently recording packed congregations, particularly on special occasions.

Bairnsdale was succeeded by W G Hindley, under whom a new brick church was built and opened by Bishop Moorhouse on 24 June 1884.

Bairnsdale cemetery is located off Forge Creek road opposite the race course.

Bairnsdale named it such, in contrast to the other settlers Frederick Taylor and John M Loughnan who had taken up Lindenow—the reason being that Jones had left Sydney a poor man and he felt auspicious about his new life and hence felt his 'luck' was on the ascendancy.

Bairnsdale established a reputation as a marketing and trading centre for the large rural area of East Gippsland and this has been helped by the development of excellent road systems, a good railway service and to some extent steamer and air services.

Currently, Bairnsdale Cabs provides a local taxi service around the city.

Commonwealth Government gave high priority to developing new coastal airbases at Mallacoota and Bairnsdale to assist in protecting shipping lanes in Bass Strait.

Bairnsdale is home to the Bairnsdale Aquatic and Recreation Centre which is the largest indoor sports complex in country Victoria and contains 2 swimming pools, 3 basketball courts, several gym rooms and the Forge theatre.

Bairnsdale is an excellent mountain biking destination with Mt Taylor downhill and cross-country trails only 10 minutes' drive north, Colqhoun park 15 minutes east and Mt Nowa Nowa only a 35-minute drive.

One of the largest employers within the Bairnsdale area is Patties Foods which started from humble beginnings in 1966 from a local bakery in Lakes Entrance.