First published, Port Fairy, Vic. : The Gazette Office, 1896. Re-published with a foreword and annotations by J.W. Powling and edited by C.E. Sayers, 1973.

William Earle’s short essay is one of the few historical studies that have been made of Port Fairy, one of the earliest of Victoria’s coastal towns. It was published in 1896, and very few copies are known to exist now, a reprint was long overdue. There is a growing interest in the old seaport town, and its many charms of old buildings, stone cottages, rugged coastline and pleasant beaches; its fishing fleet and peaceful river. The National Trust of Victoria is increasingly attracted to its many historical and antiquarian features; the preservation and restoration of so many calls for action.

CONTENTS:
Acknowledgments vii. The author ix. Foreword xi. Preface xvii. Port Fairy, Victoria p1. Local government p7. The Harbour p47. Parliamentary representatives p54. The Mechanics’ Institute p55. Hospital and Benevolent Asylum p55. The churches p56. Friendly societies p57. Steamship companies p57. Agricultural and Pastoral Association p59. The Savings Bank p60. The militia p61. The trade of the port p61. Newspapers p62. General p63. The Aborigines p67. Addenda p70. Annotations p73. Index p89.

SURNAMES / FAMILY NAMES from the index:
Allan. Appleton. Archer. Archibald. Armstrong. Atkinson. Barkly. Barrett. Barrow. Bartlett. Bateman. Bayly. Beaver. Best. Bland. Billing. Bostock. Bowen. Braim. Brown. Browne. Bruce. Burnie. Campbell. Carmichael. Castwood. Connolly. Coode. Corbett. Cowtan. Cox. Dawson. Deakin. De Little. Donnelly. Doran. Dunlop. Earle. Elliott. Emery. Fairbain. Finn. Flannery. Flower. Forster. Frizzel. Gibb. Gibson. Goldie. Good. Gorie. Grant. Green. Griffith. Hanley. Haynes. Heatley. Hedges. Holden. Hosking. Howes. Huntly. Hutton. Ireland. Irvine. Irwin. Jackson. Jenkins. Kell. Kelly. Kent. Kingk. Knight. Lane. Lee. Leviston. Loch. Lydiard. Macgregor. MacKnight. McDaniell. McGill. McKinnon. McIntosh. Madden. Mandeville. Mason. Meagher. Mills. Mott. Mueller (Baron von). Neylon. Nicholson. O’Loghlen. O’Reilly. O’Shanassy. Osborne. Pearson. Phillips. Philmore. Philpin. Pickerd. Powling. Rawlinson. Ritchie. Rosebrook. Ruffle. Russell. Rutledge. Saunders. Scott. Shinnick. Slattery. Speed. Stack. Stewart. Struth. Sumner. Talbot. Taylor. Thomas. Trew. Tyers. Urquhart. Vale. Wales. Wall. Wallace. Wedge. Weston. Wheeler. Whitehead. Wild. Willshire. Wilson. Wishart. Witton. Woodward. Youl.

FULL INDEX available on library computers: Electronic resources \ indexes \ Port Fairy

FROM THE INDEX (Placenames, institutions, etc.):
Aboriginals (Aborigines), Port Fairy Tribe. ‘Alert’ schooner, wreck of. Auctioneers, early. Australasian Bank. Australian Natives Association (ANA). ‘Avery’s paddock’. ‘Balmoral’ schooner, wreck of. Bank of Victoria. Banner of Belfast newspaper. Belfast Agricultural and Pastoral Association and officials. Belfast Benefit Society. Belfast District Road Board. Belfast and Koroit Steam Navigation Company. Belfast Gazette newspaper. The Belfast Lough. Belfast Municipal District. Belfast, name changed to Port Fairy. The Black Swamp. Boiling Down Works. Bootahpool Road. Borough of Belfast proclaimed and first councillors. Botanic Gardens. British Hotel. ‘Brothers’ ship. By-laws. The Caledonia. Caledonia Hotel. ‘Casino’ steamship. ‘Cause celebre’. ‘Champion’ and ‘Ladybird’ steamships collide. Court House, first. Cricket Club. Defence forces. ‘Diana’ brig, wreck of. The Duck Holes. ‘Dundee’ woolship. ‘Eliza’ brig, wreck of. ‘Eliza Goddard’ goes ashore. ‘Essendon’ brig, beached. ‘The Fairy’ cutter. Farmers’ Inn. ‘Flinders’ the steamship. Free Library, lecture hall. Freemasons’ Lodge. Friendly societies. Gasworks. Griffith Island. Harbour. Henty steamships. Hibernian Hotel. Hospital and Benevolent Asylum. ‘Inellan’ barque ashore. Julia Percy Island. ‘Julia Percy’ steamship. ‘Juliet’ schooner, on the sands. Killarney, favourite aboriginal camping ground. ‘Lady Mary Pelham’ brig, wreck of. La Trobe Library. Launceston Examiner newspaper. Little Knoll. ‘Lord of the Isles’ sailing ship. ‘Lydia’, wreck of. Mahogany Ship. ‘Manchester’ paddle steamer. ‘Margaret’ schooner, driven ashore. Martin’s Point. ‘Mary Ann’ barque, wreck of. ‘Mary Grant’ brig, ashore but re-floated. Mechanics’ Institute building, started, officials. Members of Parliament, early. Merrijig Inn, the old. Mills’ Reef. Moyne river. Moyne Steam Flour Mills. Norfolk Island pines planted. Oddfellows Loyal Prince Alfred Lodge. ‘Orwell’ schooner. ‘Pearl’ schooner, beached. Port Fairy Bay, bearings of. Port Fairy Gazette newspaper. Port Fairy Historical Society. Port Fairy Racing Club. Port Fairy Trawling Company. Portland, envy about Port Fairy. Post Office. Potatoes, record export of. Presbyterian Church. Public baths and Sabbath bathing. Punyunpkil, native name of Port Fairy. Rabbit Island. Railway. Road tolls. Roman Catholic Church. Rosebrook Butter Factory. Royal Hotel. Sackville Street, great fire in. Salvation Army. Savings Bank. ‘Sarah Ann’ cutter, wreck of. ‘Sarah Louise’, wreck of. The first school and Plunket Wilson. Seacombe House. Shire Offices, fire at. ‘Sir John Byng’, wreck of. ‘Socrates’ brig, wreck of. St John’s Church. ‘Squatter’ schooner, wreck of. Star of the West Hotel. Steam Packet Wharf. Sugar beet growing. ‘Swift’ schooner, wreck of. ‘Sydney Griffiths’ wool ship. ‘Thistle’ schooner, wreck of. ‘Thomas’ cutter, wreck of. Town Hall. Town lighting. Trade of the port, summarised. ‘Triton’ barque, beached. Union Hotel. Villiers and Heytesbury Agricultural Society and officials. Volunteer Company (militia).