Breakwater is a residential and industrial suburb of Geelong, 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...

, located on the Barwon River

Barwon River (Victoria)

The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of Victoria, Australia, runs through Winchelsea and the city of Geelong, where it is joined by the Moorabool River, and enters the sea at Barwon Heads after passing through Lake Connewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula...

, 4 km south-south-east of the Geelong central business district

Central business district

A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...

. Breakwater is also home to the Geelong Racing Club, Geelong Racecourse

Geelong Racecourse

The Geelong Racecourse is a major regional horse racing venue in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The current racecourse dates to 1908. The annual Geelong Cup is held at the course every October, as well as a number of other race meets through the year.-History:...

 and the Geelong Showgrounds

Geelong Showgrounds

The Geelong Showgrounds in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, are the home of the Royal Geelong Show, an agricultural show held every year since 1855. The current showgrounds are located in the suburb of Breakwater....

.

History

The name Breakwater originated from a rock ford constructed across the Barwon River by Geelong's first Police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 magistrate

Magistrate

A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...

, Captain Foster Fyans

Foster Fyans

Foster Fyans , soldier, penal administrator and public servant, was acting commandant of the second convict settlement at Norfolk Island, the first police magistrate at Geelong, and commissioner of crown lands for the Portland Bay pastoral district in the Port Phillip District of New South...

, in 1837. The ford stopped the inflow of salt water to the fresh water river, supplying the town with fresh river water.

A Post Office opened on 1 January 1867 and closed in 1982.

Land between the industrial area and the river is prone to flooding. From 1913 - 1916, the Geelong Water and Sewerage Trust

Barwon Water

Barwon Water is a government owned statutory authority that controls much of the water system in Geelong, Victoria, Australia including the reservoirs, and the sewerage and drainage system that services the city and surrounding districts...

built a 750-metre long sewer aqueduct across the Barwon River to an ocean discharge point at Black Rock. It was retired after 80 years of service due to its poor structural condition which was beyond economic repair.

External links

• Australian Places - Breakwater