Ocean Grove, Victoria

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Aerial view of Ocean Grove in 1946

Ocean Grove is a small seaside town in Victoria, Australia. Ocean Grove received its name from a town of the same name near Ocean Grove, New Jersey, in the United States.

[edit] History

During the 1870s the American Methodist church started a religious camp near New Jersey. The camp was so successful that the church decided to spread their camps overseas. Following a collaboration with the Victorian Methodists, a camp was set up near Point Lonsdale. By 1882 the need arose for the church to acquire a large area of land, so they could set up their Australian Ocean Grove.

The place they chose was situated on the Eastern side of the mouth of the Barwon River, overlooking Bass Strait. The town was later linked by a bridge to Barwon Heads on the other side of the river.

Many street names take on the names of important people in the old Methodist community, while the local youth camp was run by the Methodist church from the 1920s up until 1996.

[edit] Today

Now the largest town on the Bellarine Peninsula, it has one of the largest shopping centres of any of the Bellarine towns. The centre is only a few blocks from the beach, making it popular with tourists and locals alike. In 2005 a new shopping centre was built in the Collendina area, allowing the locals to shop at both Coles and Safeway supermarkets. Ocean Grove was featured in the 2006 film Kenny.