Indented Head, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Indented Head is a small coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula
, east of Geelong, in the Australia
n state
of Victoria
. The town lies on the coast of the Port Phillip
bay between the towns of Portarlington
and St Leonards
.
in 1802 when he observed the shape of the Bellarine Peninsula coastline from the summit of Arthurs Seat
, across Port Phillip. For many years the name Indented Head was applied to the whole of the Bellarine Peninsula. Flinders was at that time in the process of completing the first circumnavigation of Australia, undertaken between December 1801 and June 1803, making a detailed survey of the coastline for the British government, sailing aboard the HMS Investigator.
In 1835, the Tasmanian colonist John Batman
set up his base camp for the land speculation company Port Phillip Association
at Indented Head while he returned to Tasmania
(then known as Van Diemen's Land
) to collect his family and additional provisions. He left the small base camp in the care of his ex-convict
servants William Todd
and Gumm and 5 Aboriginal members of his party whom John Batman
called Bullett, Bungett, Old Bull, Pigeon and Joe the Marine. Some of these Aborigines had been brought from Sydney
to Tasmania
by John Batman
. Large numbers of local Aborigines moved in and out of the small camp
at Indented Head and Todd's diary records extensive 'Corrobboring', 'singing' and shared hunting parties with local Aborigines that Todd himself but poorly understood and generally did not participate in. On 3 August 1835, after the small camp's imported food supplies ran low, William Todd recorded, "We have commenced eating Roots the same as the Natives do" - these were murnong or Yam Daisy roots (Microseris lanceolata
) which were a staple of the local Aboriginal diet and would have been collected by local Aboriginal women.
A monument marks the place (now in Batman Park) where he was believed to have landed. The escaped convict William Buckley
made contact with the men at Batman's camp in July 1835. Buckley had been living with the local Wautharong
aboriginals for over thirty years since his escape from an early settlement near Sorrento
in 1803.
Camping
grounds were established along the Indented Head foreshore during the 1920s but it was many years before a permanent population was established, the Post Office opening in 1947.
The area is still a popular family holiday destination and facilities include a sailing club, a boat ramp, jetty, and numerous sandy beaches. The shoreline also hosts a number of historical boat sheds.
The retired Port Phillip paddle steamer
, Ozone
, was sunk at Indented Head in 1925 to form a breakwater
. The wreck remains a distinctive landmark visible offshore from the main beach. One of the Ozone's anchors has also been incorporated into a monument located on the cliff-top beside the Taylor Reserve camping ground.
Bellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula separates Port Phillip from Bass Strait...
, east of Geelong, in the 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...
n state
States and territories of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a union of six states and various territories. The Australian mainland is made up of five states and three territories, with the sixth state of Tasmania being made up of islands. In addition there are six island territories, known as external territories, and a...
of 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....
. The town lies on the coast of the Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
bay between the towns of Portarlington
Portarlington, Victoria
Portarlington is a historic coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, 27km from the city of Geelong, in the state of Victoria, Australia. The gently rising hills behind the town feature vineyards and olive groves, overlooking Port Phillip Bay. Portarlington is a popular family holiday...
and St Leonards
St Leonards, Victoria
St Leonards is a coastal township near Geelong, Victoria, Australia, at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula and the northern end of Swan Bay...
.
History
Indented Head was named by the explorer Matthew FlindersMatthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
in 1802 when he observed the shape of the Bellarine Peninsula coastline from the summit of Arthurs Seat
Arthurs Seat, Victoria
Arthurs Seat is a hill and locality on the Mornington Peninsula, within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula, about 75 km south east of Melbourne, Australia....
, across Port Phillip. For many years the name Indented Head was applied to the whole of the Bellarine Peninsula. Flinders was at that time in the process of completing the first circumnavigation of Australia, undertaken between December 1801 and June 1803, making a detailed survey of the coastline for the British government, sailing aboard the HMS Investigator.
Cross-cultural interaction at Indented Head
John Batman
John Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
set up his base camp for the land speculation company Port Phillip Association
Port Phillip Association
The Port Phillip Association was formally formed in June 1835 to settle land in what would become Melbourne, which the association believed had been acquired by John Batman for the association from Wurundjeri elders after he had obtained their marks to a document, which came to be known as...
at Indented Head while he returned to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
(then known as Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land
Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
) to collect his family and additional provisions. He left the small base camp in the care of his ex-convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
servants William Todd
William Todd
William Todd was an American soldier and politician from Pennsylvania.-Early life:Todd was born in Somerset County New Jersey in 1739, to Irish Immigrants Robert Todd and his second wife Elizabeth...
and Gumm and 5 Aboriginal members of his party whom John Batman
John Batman
John Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
called Bullett, Bungett, Old Bull, Pigeon and Joe the Marine. Some of these Aborigines had been brought from Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
to Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
by John Batman
John Batman
John Batman was an Australian grazier, businessman and explorer who is best known for his role in the founding of a settlement which became Melbourne and the colony of Victoria.-Life:...
. Large numbers of local Aborigines moved in and out of the small camp
Camp
-Outdoor accommodation and recreation:* Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site* Summer camp, typically organized for groups of children or youth* A term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to describe a cottage...
at Indented Head and Todd's diary records extensive 'Corrobboring', 'singing' and shared hunting parties with local Aborigines that Todd himself but poorly understood and generally did not participate in. On 3 August 1835, after the small camp's imported food supplies ran low, William Todd recorded, "We have commenced eating Roots the same as the Natives do" - these were murnong or Yam Daisy roots (Microseris lanceolata
Microseris lanceolata
Microseris lanceolata is a perennial herb also known as murnong and yam daisy.It is found in many forms in Australia and on the island of Tasmania, the Tasmanian form being markedly smaller than the mainland Australian form.-Biological descriptions:A variable species, it has the form of a tufted...
) which were a staple of the local Aboriginal diet and would have been collected by local Aboriginal women.
A monument marks the place (now in Batman Park) where he was believed to have landed. The escaped convict William Buckley
William Buckley (convict)
William Buckley was an English convict who was transported to Australia, escaped, was given up for dead and lived in an Aboriginal community for many years....
made contact with the men at Batman's camp in July 1835. Buckley had been living with the local Wautharong
Wautharong
Wathaurong, also called the Wada wurrung, are an Indigenous Australian tribe living in the area near Melbourne, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. They are part of the Kulin alliance. The Wathaurong language was spoken by 25 clans south of the Werribee River and the Bellarine Peninsula to Streatham...
aboriginals for over thirty years since his escape from an early settlement near Sorrento
Sorrento, Victoria
Sorrento is a township in Victoria, Australia, located on the shores of Port Phillip on the Mornington Peninsula, about one and a half hours south of Melbourne...
in 1803.
Camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
grounds were established along the Indented Head foreshore during the 1920s but it was many years before a permanent population was established, the Post Office opening in 1947.
The retired Port Phillip paddle steamer
Paddle steamer
A paddle steamer is a steamship or riverboat, powered by a steam engine, using paddle wheels to propel it through the water. In antiquity, Paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were wheelers driven by animals or humans...
, Ozone
Ozone (paddle steamer)
The Ozone was a ship built in 1886 near Glasgow, in Scotland. She could exceed 17 kts and is regarded as one of the finest paddle steamers ever built....
, was sunk at Indented Head in 1925 to form a breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
. The wreck remains a distinctive landmark visible offshore from the main beach. One of the Ozone's anchors has also been incorporated into a monument located on the cliff-top beside the Taylor Reserve camping ground.