Editing Moolap, Victoria

{{More citations needed|date=February 2008}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox Australian place | type = suburb
| name     = Moolap
| city     = Geelong
| state    = vic
| image    = Cheetham_Saltworks.jpg
| caption  = [[Salt pan (evaporation)|Salt pan]]s at the Cheetham Saltworks.
| lga      = [[City of Greater Geelong]]
| local_map = yes
| zoom     = 12
| postcode = 3224
| pop      = 1,373
| pop_year = {{CensusAU|2016}}
| pop_footnotes = <ref name=ABS2016>{{Census 2016 AUS | id = SSC21725 | name = Moolap (State Suburb) | accessdate = 2017-11-16 | quick = on}}</ref>
| area     = 
| stategov = [[Electoral district of Geelong|Geelong]]
| fedgov   = [[Division of Corangamite|Corangamite]]
| near-nw  = [[Newcomb, Victoria|Newcomb]]
| near-n   = ''[[Corio Bay]]''
| near-ne  = ''[[Port Phillip]]''
| near-w   = [[Whittington, Victoria|Whittington]] and [[St Albans Park, Victoria|St Albans Park]]
| near-e   = [[Leopold, Victoria|Leopold]]
| near-sw  = [[Charlemont, Victoria|Charlemont]]
| near-s   = [[Armstrong Creek, Victoria|Armstrong Creek]] and [[Connewarre, Victoria|Connewarre]]
| near-se  = [[Leopold, Victoria|Leopold]]
| dist1    = 
| location1= 
}}
'''Moolap''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ˈ|ʊ|l|æ|p}}) is a residential and industrial suburb of [[Geelong]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], [[Australia]]. The name Moolap is derived from an [[Indigenous Australians|Aboriginal]] word for nearby Point Henry, moo-laa, thought to mean 'men gathering to go fishing'.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Artist's Footsteps |url=https://www.artistsfootsteps.com/html/vcctibbits_geelong.htm |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=www.artistsfootsteps.com}}</ref>

Moolap is located in the [[City of Greater Geelong]]. At the [[2016 Australian census|2016 census]] Moolap had a population of 1,373.<ref name=ABS2016/>

==History==
Among the first settlers in the area, in the early 1850s, was politician [[Horatio Wills]] and his family, including son [[Tom Wills]], star cricketer and founder of [[Australian rules football]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Sayers |first=C. E. |title=Horatio Spencer Howe Wills (1811–1861) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wills-horatio-spencer-howe-2799 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=2023-12-17 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}}</ref>

The first Moolap Post Office opened on 1 May 1864 and closed in 1890. A Point Henry Post Office opened on 1 January 1867 which was replaced by Moolap Railway Station in 1887 and by Moolap in 1893. This latter office closed in 1962. A  Geelong East office open since 1871 was renamed Moolap West in 1921 and closed in 1951.<ref name = "a">{{Citation | last = Phoenix Auctions History | title = Post Office List | url = http://www.phoenixauctions.com.au/cgi-bin/wsPhoenix.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&filter=*Moolap* | access-date = 6 April 2021 }}</ref>

In 1888, Richard Cheetham established his saltworks at Moolap - an industry which survived more than 100 years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cheetham Salt {{!}} Cheetham Salt History Timeline |url=https://www.cheethamsalt.com.au/ |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=www.cheethamsalt.com.au |language=en}}</ref> The [[Cheetham Saltworks, Moolap|Cheetham Saltworks]] site, located on Portarlington and Point Henry Roads, is listed on the [[Victorian Heritage Register]].<ref>[http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/places/result_detail/4820 "Cheetham Saltworks (H1157)"]. ''[[Victorian Heritage Register]].'' [[Heritage Victoria]]. Retrieved 2014-03-26.</ref>

==Timeline==
Some events in the history of Moolap:

Pre-European Settlement the area inhabited by Bengalat balug (Clan) of the Wathaurong Tribe

First European explorers were Lieutenant John Murray (January 1802) and Captain Matthew Flinders (April 1802)<ref>{{Citation |last=Parsons |first=Vivienne |title=John Murray (c. 1775–1807) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/murray-john-2496 |work=Australian Dictionary of Biography |access-date=2023-12-17 |place=Canberra |publisher=National Centre of Biography, Australian National University |language=en}}</ref>

1803 to 1835  -  William Buckley the first European living in the area<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sharp |first=Scott |url=https://jillongpocket.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/the-best-of-the-jillong-pocket.pdf |title=The early history of Geelong, told in easy-to-read short stories. |pages=12, 13}}</ref>

1854  -  Whitehorse Hotel operating on the corner of Queenscliff Road and Whitehorse Road

1855  -  Moolap Inn operating on the corner of Moolap Station Road and Bellarine Highway

1855  -  Parsonage built on a site near the present State School

1858  -  United Methodists Free Church chapel built

1871  -  Moolap State School No. 1143 opened

1882  -  16 occupiers using Moolap address

1888  -  Cheetham Saltworks established

== Point Henry ==
Point Henry is an industrial [[peninsula]] of Geelong, located approximately 5&nbsp;km east of the Geelong central business district. Only one sealed road leads to Point Henry, being Point Henry Road which leaves the Portarlington Road at Moolap and travels to the [[Alcoa of Australia|Alcoa]] [[Point Henry smelter|Point Henry aluminium smelter]] and smaller surrounding industries. A small weather station is also located on the peninsula. Point Henry is named after [[Henry Reed (merchant)|Henry Reed]]'s boat Henry.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zades.com.au/gandd/index.php/bellpen/towns2/phenry|title=Point Henry|website=zades.com.au|language=en-gb|access-date=2018-02-27}}</ref>

== Census population ==
* 1921 - 319
* 1947 - 651
* 1991 - 565
* 1996 - 568
* 2001 - 554

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Geelong_suburbs}}

{{coord|38|11|S|144|26|E|region:AU_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Suburbs of Geelong]]


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