Wallington was named after Wallington in Hertfordshire, which is in the England not far from London. European settlement dates back to to the 1850s when landholder, Fairfax Fenwick subdivided his property where much of the area known as Wallington now stands. Before the European’s the Wautharong people lived in the area and hunted in the near by Lake Connewarre which is rich with native bird life and fish.
Back when the only form of transportation was on horse back or horse and cart Wallington was a popular stop over for people on their way to Queenscliff or Ocean Grove. There was two hotels and local produce was very popular including the now famous Wallington juicy strawberries.
With the popularity of the motorcar in the 1920’s Wallington many people passed the area without stopping and the township was left basically as a farming district with lots of market gardens, which went on to flourish producing beautiful apples, strawberries and other produce which grow in the rich fertile and relatively deep soil.
Over the last few decades Wallington is back on the visitors radar, the annual Strawberry Fair attracts thousands every March and the collection of family fun parks do a roaring trade especially during school holidays and over the summer months. Over the past decade or two several wineries have popped up making many a good drop of wine and land around the area is in high demand with people wanting to move to a more rural setting trying their hand at smaller farmlets, many having a go at organic produce or specialty animals like llamas or interesting breeds of animals. The orchards and the beautiful strawberries are still there and the area still has a wonderful rural charm with fresh air and a friendly community.
Wallington is considered a bit of a hidden treasure in the greater Geelong region, and It’s no wonder there the holiday houses, farm stays and luxury bed and breakfasts do so well and have very high occupancy rates- Wallington is a great place away from it all and so close to many of the regions hot spots like the beautiful beaches and costal roads.
