Bass, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Bass is a small rural town 113 kilometres (70 mi) south-east of Melbourne
via the South Gippsland
and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire
of Gippsland
, Victoria
, Australia
. At the 2006 census
, Bass and the surrounding area had a population of 937.
The town is named after George Bass
who explored and named Western Port
bay in 1798 in a small whaling boat and sailed some distance up the Bass river. A memorial to George Bass stands in the George Bass Park. In 1835 a Scottish immigrant from Kirkudbright Scotland named Samuel Anderson sailed up the Bass River and with a partner Robert Massie established the third permanent settlement in Victoria.Samuel had arrived in Hobart in 1830 aboard the Lang and took up a position as bookkeeper at Circular Head with Van Diemen's Land Company before setting out for Western Port in September 1835. Samuel's brothers Hugh and Thomas joined him at Bass where they established a successful farming venture.
The Anderson graves and some of their descendants are located in the San Remo Cemetery. Descendents of Thomas Anderson, the only brother to marry, remain in the area to this day. In the magazine Ancestor vol 3 No 4 1963 a chart shows the royal descent of the Reverend Herbert Potter and his wife Mary Anderson of San Remo from Edward III King of England.
The township of Bass was surveyed and settled in the early 1860s, the Post Office opening on 1 June 1862.
Located near the town is Wildlife Wonderland, which features the Giant Earthworm Museum. This building allows tourists to crawl through a magnified replica of a worm burrow and a simulated worm's stomach. Displays and educational material on the Giant Gippsland earthworm
, which can grow up to 3 metres in length, and other natural history of Gippsland are also featured.
The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Kilcunda
has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Alberton Football League
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
via the South Gippsland
South Gippsland Highway
The South Gippsland Highway is a partially divided highway in Victoria, Australia which connects the city of Melbourne with the South Gippsland region of Victoria, ending in the town of Sale...
and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire
Bass Coast Shire
Bass Coast Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-eastern part of the state, less than 90 minutes from Melbourne, and includes the popular tourist destination, Phillip Island...
of Gippsland
Gippsland
Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. It begins immediately east of the suburbs of Melbourne and stretches to the New South Wales border, lying between the Great Dividing Range to the north and Bass Strait to the south...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Bass and the surrounding area had a population of 937.
The town is named after George Bass
George Bass
George Bass was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia.-Early years:He was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George Bass, and a local beauty named Sarah Nee Newman. His father died in 1777 when Bass was 6...
who explored and named Western Port
Western Port
Western Port, is sometimes called "Western Port Bay", is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in Victoria. Geographically, it is dominated by the two large islands; French Island and Phillip Island. Contrary to its name, it lies to...
bay in 1798 in a small whaling boat and sailed some distance up the Bass river. A memorial to George Bass stands in the George Bass Park. In 1835 a Scottish immigrant from Kirkudbright Scotland named Samuel Anderson sailed up the Bass River and with a partner Robert Massie established the third permanent settlement in Victoria.Samuel had arrived in Hobart in 1830 aboard the Lang and took up a position as bookkeeper at Circular Head with Van Diemen's Land Company before setting out for Western Port in September 1835. Samuel's brothers Hugh and Thomas joined him at Bass where they established a successful farming venture.
The Anderson graves and some of their descendants are located in the San Remo Cemetery. Descendents of Thomas Anderson, the only brother to marry, remain in the area to this day. In the magazine Ancestor vol 3 No 4 1963 a chart shows the royal descent of the Reverend Herbert Potter and his wife Mary Anderson of San Remo from Edward III King of England.
The township of Bass was surveyed and settled in the early 1860s, the Post Office opening on 1 June 1862.
Located near the town is Wildlife Wonderland, which features the Giant Earthworm Museum. This building allows tourists to crawl through a magnified replica of a worm burrow and a simulated worm's stomach. Displays and educational material on the Giant Gippsland earthworm
Giant Gippsland earthworm
The giant Gippsland earthworm, Megascolides australis, is one of Australia's 1,000 native earthworm species. These Giant earthworms average 1 meter long and 2 cm in diameter and can reach 3 m in length...
, which can grow up to 3 metres in length, and other natural history of Gippsland are also featured.
The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Kilcunda
Kilcunda, Victoria
Kilcunda is a seaside town in Victoria. It is located 117 km southeast from Melbourne on the Bass Highway in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Situated along the rugged coastline between Phillip Island and Wonthaggi, Kilcunda is well known for its popular fishing, surfing...
has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Alberton Football League
Alberton Football League
The Alberton Football League is an Australian rules football league covering the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia.-History:The Alberton Football League was formed in 1946, replacing the earlier Alberton Football Association, and comprised eight clubs—Carrajung, Devon, Foster, Ramblers,...
.