Lorne Historical Society Timeline

Doug and Mary Stirling Cup biannual award for community service award in 2022 to Lorraine Griffiths for extensive dedication to foster-parenting. (Award delayed due to Covid pandemic)

June: 4-day re-emergence of wreck on main beach (map coordinates 38 32’ 7.368” S : 143 58’43.812” E) after severe easterly.

Friday February 12th – total 5-day state-wide lockdown. LOCKDOWN #3 begins after new UK Covid variant escapes from quarantine.

January… Lorne Ward in Surfcoast Shire extended to include Deans Marsh and Bambra.

Corona Virus (Covid-19) dates: Jan 19: A man arrives in Melbourne from Guangzhou, China, as Australia’s first confirmed coronavirus case. March 16: Victoria declares State of Emergency. LOCKDOWN #1 commences: Stay home; masks; Social distancing; hand sanitising; home schooling; home business; no leaving home except for essential services; no travel.…
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December 10th Lorne Care twentieth anniversary.

Regional Roads Victoria install Asphalt mix to 1.5 km section of Lorne Road, a mix saving the equivalent of 300,000 plastic bottles from landfill.

July 1st, Lorne Community Hospital becomes ‘Great Otway Road Health’. New CEO is Sandy Chamberlain.

June 10th … first ‘World Sausage Roll Championship’ held in Lorne at the Lorne Aquatic Club. Event won by Emily Miller and Ric Addison.  

November 25th … Lily Pond Walk  renamed commemorating Michael ‘Camel’ Callahan.

April 1st, Fiftieth anniversary of first committee meeting of the Lorne Historical Society.

Lorne Aireys Inlet P-12 College de-amalgamated. Lorne Campus renamed Lorne P-12 College.

December, Lorne Foodworks extensions and update completed.

Lorne Central Cafe opened at Cumberland building by Bryce Newcombe.

August 5th, Riverbank Cafe opened by Tess Morrisey/Jo Hughes.

December 25th, Lorne evacuated due to bushfire threat from the west. Fires destroyed 116 homes at Wye River.

November 4th, Lorne Historical Society website established.

June 30th, The Tea House, operated by Cam Rust, closed.

Opening of the Great Ocean Road Heritage Centre at Lorne Visitors Information Centre, November 26th.

March … Extensions to Lorne Visitor Centre.

Lorne Historical Society membership reaches 50 on March 14th.

Doug and Mary Stirling honoured with the inaugural award for community service in Lorne. The cup was named the Doug and Mary Stirling Community Award in their honour. Sponsored by the Lorne Lions Club.

Ivy Baldry Walk opened June 14th, by President Merv Rice.

November 25th, 80th anniversary of opening of the Great Ocean Road at Pacific Hotel.

October 26th, Clive Goldsworthy elected as  council representative for Lorne Ward of the Surf Coast Shire.

First combined service of the Anglican and United churches.

Last meeting of the Lorne Probus Club.

Great Ocean Road was Heritage Victoria listed.

Lorne Streetscape commenced.

Monday, 26th November: 75th Anniversary of the opening of the Great Ocean Road.

The Tramway Walking Track  from Lorne Pier to St. George River opened.

Hospital Auxiliary “Wishing Well” demolished. Replaced by the “Lions Wishing Well” in the following year (2007).

Re-opening of the Grand Pacific Hotel after a $2m. renovation.

World Surf Life Saving Games held in Geelong and Lorne.

Removal of the wooden groynes from the main beach to create a safe running track for the World Surf Life Saving Championships.

End of timeshare at the Cumberland Resort.

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee was formed to manage coastal crown land from Point Impossible to The Cumberland River. The Lorne Foreshore Committee of Management ceased to exist.

Boardwalk completed along main beach from William Street to Grove Road.

May: first meeting of the Combined Probus Club of Lorne.

Sunday 23rd November. New Bowling Club opened at Erskine House after being moved from the Lorne Common. It was opened by Mr. Stewart Stribling on behalf of Mr. Hector Stribling.  

Wednesday, 16th April, drug ship “Pong Su” came to Lorne.

New “Paddle Boat” kiosk opened.

April Cenotaph moved from beside the pool to up opposite the hardware store.

The first edition of the Lorne Independent was published in November.

New Police Station opened in Smith Street.

Monday 9th August, new sewage treatment plant opened, Deans Marsh Road, by Deputy Premier Pat McNamara.

Lorne Historical Society moved from 56 Mountjoy Parade to “Fig Tree” Community House, 16 Mountjoy Parade.

Friday 9th April, “Fig Tree” Community House opened by the Hon. Ian Smith and Surf Coast Mayor Julie Hansen.

The Western Coast Regional Board’s  Lorne Coastal Action Plan was published. It led to major changes on the foreshore. The land between the SLSC and the pool was to be used for passive recreation and water based activities only. The tennis courts, toilets, bowls club and car park were all…
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The original old butchers’ shop at 112 Mountjoy Parade, built by Dormans and later owned by Alsop brothers, also the adjoining building which had been used by Mr. George & Mrs. Ann Burton as a clothes shop and later the TAB, finally became the “Clothes Machine” shop. This was finally…
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The house named “Waverely” at 5 Deans Marsh Road, built by Staughton’s then owned by Mrs. Lascelles, then Miss Cecily Lascelles, and after her death Miss Hilda Lascelles who died in 1995. In 1996 it was bought by Mr. & Mrs. St John Sutton who converted it into studio apartments.…
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The front veranda of “Allenby” at 46 Mountjoy Parade was removed and a two-shop   development built on the site. One known as “Louttit Bakery” and the other “The Ovenhouse Café and Pizza Shop”.

First “Rock Above the Falls” concert.

The State Savings Bank became the Commonwealth Bank.

Babbington’s sawmill at Benwerrin closed.

The Cumberland Guest House was demolished. The  new Cumberland Timeshire Resort opened in 1989.

Senior Citizens building opened in Otway Street.

Lorne Surf Life Saving Club was extended.  

The Lorne Nursing Home was opened in February.

The Lorne Fisherman’s Cooperative was sold to a private enterprise, Lorne Fisheries( the Katos brothers Christos and Bill and Henry Love).

Wednesday 16th February “Ash Wednesday”. Fires devastated the coast with 76 houses destroyed in the Lorne area.

Six more units opened at the Lions Village.

Wednesday, 5th August, first edition of the Lorne Mercury. Last edition Thursday, 31st  March 1983.

The Lorne Higher Elementary School enrolled students in Years 11 and 12 for the first time.

Sunday, 11th May, the Uniting Church was classified by the National Trust.

The township of Lorne declared “AN AREA OF NATURAL BEAUTY and SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE”.

Lorne Telephone Exchange went automatic.

All bathing boxes were permanently removed from the Lorne beach.

The World Surfing Championships were held at Lorne and Bells Beach. The opening ceremony was in Lorne and many of the surfers were quartered here.

Tuesday, 26th November, Lorne School fire.

Lorne Opp. Shop purchased land for $5,000 at 98 Mountjoy Pde. to build their current premises.

Tuesday 5th March, Lorne Historical Society held its first Meeting.

Cenotaph moved to beside the Lorne Memorial Swimming Pool.

Lorne Memorial Swimming Pool opened in December as the “Lillian Beaurepaire Memorial Swimming Pool.”

Saturday, 15th July, Masonic Temple opened in Smith Street.

The first Lorne Opportunity Shop opened in late 1962, under the old Cumberland Hotel.

The Lorne Angling and Aquatic Club began. A boat ramp was built in 1962.

Saturday 10th June, Lorne Infant Welfare Centre and Kindergarten reopened in Smith Street.

Groyne on beach built to prevent soil erosion.

The Smith brothers opened the Wild Colonial  Club a dance and live music venue in the Beach Hall.

Friday 26th October, first Masonic Lodge meeting held in the RSL Hall.

Kindergarten went to Library hall, teacher Mrs Rita Carmichael, assistant: Mrs Les Watson.

Lorne Kindergarten opened in Library hall, corner Smith and William Streets.

Lorne acquired its first ambulance, using volunteer drivers.

During the 1950’s the Lorne Surf Club started.

Lorne Life Saving Club reformed after closing in 1939 due to World War 2.

The Lorne R.S.L. Sub-branch was formed.

13 Jan Black Friday Bushfire, 7 houses destroyed in North Lorne, Mills threatened.

Thursday 12th October, Lorne Red Cross re-organised.

The tollhouse building was moved to 4 Minapre Street Lorne, its present site.  

Old coach road replaced with the current alignment.

Deans Marsh – Lorne Road surveyed and declared a public road in 1929.

The freestone Cenotaph was first erected in the old library paddock, now in Mountjoy Parade.  

A power generating plant is built on the Erskine River near what is now the Tourist Information Centre.

Jura built for Clive Campbell. It was constructed with Knitlock which was patented by Sir Walter Burley Griffin in 1917.  

An Avenue of Honour, with Red Flowering gum trees, were planted in the Recreation Reserve (now Stribling Oval). Each tree had a brass plaque with the name of the soldier from Lorne who served in World War 1.

Lorne Picture Company, on the foreshore, began showing silent pictures.

First Red Cross meeting held.

Lorne State School extended.

Teachers residence cnstructed in Swiss Chalet style.

September, further extensions to the pier.

St. Cuthberts Presbyterian Church opened. In 1977 it became part of the Uniting Church.

Wymbooliel, State School No 3018, opened in 1890 with Head Teacher Thomas Fraser 1890-92; enrolment was 25 children and average attendance of 14. The school, situated 7 miles off the Lorne-Colac Road West of Benwerrin, was known locally as Flannigan’s School as it had been built of split palings with…
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Lorne Post Office opened.

The Lorne Water Scheme built. Water was reticulated to residents from a basin above the town.

First meeting of the Lorne Water Trust.

Friday March 20th, the American Ship the “Paul Jones” caught fire and sank 12 miles out to sea off Lorne. Captain and crew were rescued by the mail ship “Liguria”.  

Sunday, 14th November, All Saints Church of England opened. Built on the corner of Charles and Albert Streets.

The “FOAM” overturned and sank.

Richard Anderson arrived in Lorne to establish his brick-making business on the area now bounded by Otway Street, William Street, Polwarth Road and Clovelly Court. Initially he made bricks for the construction of the Grand Pacific Hotel.

Jesse Allen arrived to establish a market garden (now the site of the Kia-Ora Caravan Park) to supply fruit and vegetables for Erskine House.

Mr Sabine built Lorne’s second house, and he was followed by a temperance missionary named Hall who build a house called Walton Lodge located at the site that later became the Lorne Hotel.

Silk started the Louttit Bay sawmill (near the heath beds, Deans Marsh Road).

The “Sanctuary” on Erskine River first used for church services.

The three Mountjoy brothers acquire the cattle station at Lorne. They worked the property successfully as an adjunct to their farms before heavy loses, caused mainly by wild dogs, forced them to abandon it.

Schooner “Otway” driven ashore in gale force winds and wrecked.

J. Herd crossed the Otways and established a cattle station stretching from Grassy Creek to Cumberland River, covering about thirty square miles of rugged bushland. Later owners of this land were Messrs Asplin and Short.

Friday June 16th, Schooner “Osprey” wrecked in heavy seas.

Monday January 28th, William Firth Lindsay, aged 8, and his brother Joseph Southwell Lindsay aged 4, were buried and died in a sand cave collapse on the banks of the Erskine River, near the Swing Bridge, and later buried on the bank above the river. George Clissold recalled that in…
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The Cape Otway Lighthouse was built in 1848.

Assistant Surveyor G. D. Smythe surveyed the coast from Barwon Heads to Cape Otway, including the traditional lands of the GADUBANUD (meaning “King Parrot”) people, in the area now known as Lorne.