The townships of both Lara and little
river came into existence in the 1850s after the Melbourne -
Geelong railway was established, the freeway we know today
was little more then a bush track that possibly took hours
to travel upon. a hotel, called The Travelers Rest, was
established at little river to service the passing
travelers.
Once the railway line was announced a subdivision of
farmland for house lots was announced, the name of this new
township which was near the river was to be called Rothwell.
but seeing that the train ran closer to little river it is
this area that slowly developed.
Photo: Avalon Airport on Lara's fringe is home to the
bi-annual Australian International Airshow which is held during summer
on odd years.
Horrific bush fires in 1969 caused
massive devastation to the Lara area, including the tragic loss
of twenty five lives and more than forty homes
Both Names Little River and Rothwell were commonly used until 1886 when the whole area's
name was changed to Little River by the 1920s the township
of Rothwell ceased to exist.
The area of Lara was no more than a few farms until the
railway line and station was established, several subdivisions
were then announced.
The area was originally named Kennedy's
Creek but was also given several different names including
Duck Ponds, Hovel's Creek, Cheddar, Swindon and Lara Lake.
The population grew to a few hundred by 1890 and several
facilities like schools and churches were built but town water
did not extend to the town until 1947.
LARA
