Winchelsea Shire

Winchelsea Shire (1864-1994) extended along the southern coastline west of Melbourne from near Aireys Inlet to a few kilometres beyond Lorne. It extended inland beyond the Otway Ranges, northwards to the edge of Inverleigh and had an area of 1294 sq km. It was bisected by the Princes Highway and the West Coast railway, through the town of Winchelsea. Smaller towns included Birregurra and Deans Marsh.

When first formed, the shire’s access to Lorne was by a road across the Otways through Deans Marsh. The coastal Great Ocean Road was constructed during the 1920s.