We found a motel with a reasonable rate and then a game of mini golf.
Port Fairy is quite a historical town. It was founded in 1839. When the Post Office was built in 1843 and land subdivided by an Irishman, he named it after his hometown Belfast. The location had been named Port Fairy previously after the ship that discovered the port. Many Irish people settled there in the early years. In the early years it was a whaling port. In later years fishing has been the main industry. In 1887, the name reverted to Port Fairy.
Today Port Fairy is still a fishing town, but this is not the major industry. The residential population is 2500, but at peak tourist times it reaches 10,000. During th folk music festival the population reaches 40,000. There may have been 4000 or 5000 there when we visited. Frankly, I find it a bit fake that so much of a town's industry is tourism. I did enjoy the place, it was pretty and had a historical flare. I would prefer to visit a historical place that is active in today's world. It just all felt a little pretentious.
But I still took enough photos to prove I enjoyed the place.
St Patrick's Catholic Church.
Lecture Hall.
An old pub, now the 'Comfort Inn.'
National Australia Bank.
The main street of Port Fairy. There is one supermarket, an IGA.
More accommodation.
Residential house.
Douglass Inn.
Many of the streets are lined with Norfolk Pines.
The wharf. A fishing traller to the left. Perhaps the recession is keeping it on the dock?
More accommodation, on the water front.
More accomodation. I bet these places are very expensive.
St Paul's Anglian Church.
2 comments:
It seems to me that the tourist industry is what gives us the insentive to keep using these buildings rather than tearing them down to rebuild in what ever style is currently deemed more efficient. I think that is why our historical towns are either transformed into modern cities or are tourist based. Sure glad some get left as they were.
Dont feel like retyping this so I am posting under the name I last used!
Ahhh... familiar sights. I've worked aound many of these buildings Paul. The Pt Fairy Folk Festival I now choose to see as an opportunity - tourism is always only a seasonal thing along this coast. I'm sorry I missed you but where I have been is awesome.
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