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Beech Forest, VIC
Beech Forest http://www.aussietowns.com.au/town/beech-forest-vic
Beech Forest is a tiny township which achieved its moment of national fame in 1983 when a 61-year-old local potato farmer, Cliff Young, became an iconic figure of endurance when he won a non-stop race from Sydney to Melbourne known as the Sydney to Melbourne Ultramarathon.
The town has become part of an excellent, circular day trip from Apollo Bay which takes in Cape Otway, the tiny settlement of Lavers, the Otway Ranges and Otway Fly Treetop Adventures, before reaching Beech Forest and then returning through the Otways to Skene Creek north of Apollo Bay.
There is also an excellent and challenging bicycle track - the Old Beechy Rail Track - from Beech Forest to Colac.
Today Beech Forest has become a popular retreat for people wanting an alternative lifestyle. It is popular with artists, organic farmers and those who want to live in the bush away from tourists and crowds.
Location
Beech Forest, a small town on the edge of the Otway Ranges, is located 197 km south-west of Melbourne via Colac and 37 km north of Apollo Bay on a very windy road.
Origin of Name
The town was named after the beech myrtle trees which are common in the area.
History
* Prior to the arrival of Europeans the Beech Forest area was inhabited by Ganubadud Aborigines.
* The Otway Ranges and the area around Beech Forest wasn't settled by Europeans until the 1880s.
* The first land in the district was selected in 1884.
* The first pub was built in 1888. There is a local myth that J.W. Gardner, who built the Ditchley Park Hotel, reputedly constructed the 14-room building using the timber from a single giant mountain ash.
* Through the 1890s Beech Forest became a major timber centre. At one time there were reputedly 29 timber mills in the district.
* In 1902 a narrow gauge railway from Colac reached the town.
* In 1911 the Beech Forest railway was extended to Crowes. At the time it was the longest narrow gauge railway in Victoria. The railway provided transport for local timber and huge stands of beech myrtle, blackwood and Mountain ash were cut down.
* After World War I the town became a major centre for potato production.
* In 1919 a bushfire destroyed the town. It was rebuilt to the east of the original site.
* The railway through Beech Forest closed in 1962.
* Today it is surrounded by pine plantations which sustain the local timber industry.