St Leonards – A brief history

Like much of the Geelong and Bellarine Peninsula the Wautharong people lived in the area well before Europeans discovered this part of the world. Explorer Matthew Flinders landed in the Indented Heads area in 1802 and named the whole peninsula Indented Head.

John Batman the founder of Melbourne and his party lived in the area for a short time whilst looking for an ideal location for what what to become Melbourne. He is said to have landed in Indented Head but moved more towards St Leonards as there was fresh water available. Today a stone memorial in parkland along the Esplanade near Indented Head commemorates his stay.

Around the 1840’s St Leonards a few people settled around St Leonards and they were believed to be of Chinese origin for the rich fishing in the area but many of them moved to seek their fortune in the gold rush during the 1850s After the gold rush people started coming back to the region for the fishing and farming, wheat was a popular crop in the area.

By 1920’s with the service by paddle steamers to nearby towns and the start motorised transport the area received a bit of growth and became popular as a camping destination which it has remained till this day with large campsites along the foreshore.

St Leonards was given its name from St Leonards Station a pastoral farm in the area which was named after a town bearing the same name in Sussex, England. Firewood became a major source of income for the towns, and today other than a few hectares of native timber close to Ocean Grove their is no original bushlands on the entire peninsula.

The area around Indented Head and St Leonards gained major exposure during the late 1990’s with the ABC Television SeaChange which was used the landscape and many of the buildings. Crowded House also used the beach along the foreshore for one of their videos gaining world wide exposure.

Today St Leonards and Indented Heads are seaside getaways for the hundreds who visit the area in the Summer and the countess retirees or people who want to have their own sea change- escape the hustle and bustle of the cities and enjoy the tranquilly and fresh sea breezes that these two townships have to offer. So many people visit down this way, relax and just don’t want to leave- it’s just so hard to believe there is such a place so close.