The Celtic word for “flowing water” is weg, from which the Wye River dividing England and South Wales derives its name. But how do we connect a Welsh river with the little hamlet of Wye River on the great ocean road in Victoria? Well, that’s thanks to the brother Alex and Donald MacRae and their cousin Alex Maclennan. Their journey to Wye river began around 1882 after deciding to find suitable lands to farm and fish. The MacRaes settled in Separation Creek, establishing a farm they later named the Wye after the Welsh version. 

Situated 155km from Melbourne on the Otway coast, Wye River is a captivating corner in that you will not be disappointed. The highlight is a drink from the balcony of the Wye River pub overlooking the bay as the sun nestles down for another evening.

Aside from the picture-perfect watering hole, visitors are drawn to the area for its natural beauty, peace and balance between beach life and exploring the Wye river and the Australian bush.

But this idyllic seaside spot has a fascinating, unfortunate history, some visible today. One hundred forty years ago, the Otway forest was a source of excellent timber that the state needed to help develop infrastructure in its capital, Melbourne. But the same forest posed a problem, how could the early settlers reliably and efficiently connect Wye River with the outside world? 

The Harrington brothers had a solution. They set about installing a jetty in 1901 to allow ships from Melbourne to moor. The designs were flawed, and the Jetty didn’t reach the deep water required for vessels to moor, leading to the abandonment of the first version. 

Unfettered, the brothers, in 1904, built a second structure out across the rocks to enter deeper water. With the Jetty in place, Wye River could commercialise the abundance of timber in the region, and several mills were built to accommodate. However, these came and went as the economics proved difficult until industrialist Henry Jones of IXL Jam fame invested 30,000 pounds in 1919. He commissioned the building of a mill to process the mighty Ble Gums that were in high demand at South Wharf in Melbourne.   

The peak of this enterprise and, arguably, Wye River was 1920 after a complex set of bridges with tramlines were built to connect the mill and the Jetty. Sadly, the mill recessed in 1921 due to costs and shipping challenges due to the southern coast’s treacherous nature. But mother nature dealt the decisive blow with a massive flood in 1923 that wiped out the tramline bridges, and the mill never operated again.  

Unbelievably the Country roads board decided the cheapest way to demolish it was by using dynamite. The original mill manager’s house survives today and sits near the pub, with evidence of the two famed Jettys. The original posts sit just off the beach, and the second jetty timbers are visible on the rocks to the right of the bay. Arguably Wye River’s darkest day came on Christmas day 2015 when fires destroyed 98 homes; remarkably, no lives were lost.

History aside, this hamlet is a beautiful part of the South Coast. The traveller can stay at the local caravan parks, eat at the local pub, and enjoy excellent swimming, fishing, and bush walks alongside the Wye river.

Links:

https://seazen.com.au/walks-in-wye-river-and-separation-creek/

https://www.big4wyeriver.com.au/see-and-do

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wye_River,_Victoria