Bittern, Victoria

Bittern is a town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 61 km (38 mi) south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Bittern recorded a population of 4,276 at the 2021 census.^[1]

Bittern Victoria
Bittern General Store
Bittern
Coordinates	38.339°S 145.175°E / -38.339; 145.175
Population	4,276 (2021 census)[1]
• Density	120.11/km2 (311.1/sq mi)
Postcode(s)	3918
Area	35.6 km2 (13.7 sq mi)
Location	82 km (51 mi) from Melbourne 5 km (3 mi) from Hastings
LGA(s)	Shire of Mornington Peninsula
State electorate(s)	Hastings
Federal division(s)	Flinders
Localities around Bittern: Tuerong Hastings Western Port Balnarring Bittern Western Port Somers HMAS Cerberus Crib Point

Bittern is part of an urban enclave on Western Port comprising Bittern, Hastings, Crib Point, Somerville, and Tyabb.

Bittern is named after the shy wetland bird, the Australasian bittern, which reflects the town's location amongst significant areas of native bushland and dense coastal vegetation.^[2]

History

The town was part of the Coolart pastoral run of the 1860s. Bittern Post Office opened on 5 January 1891.^[3] The railway opened for Bittern in 1889 and small scale commercial development began during the early 1900s. ^[4]

Notable buildings

The town has a primary school, Bittern Primary School, and a small basketball and netball stadium known as Graham Myers Sports Stadium or Bittern Memorial Stadium, which features an indoor court used for basketball, netball or floorball and four outside courts used for netball.^[5] There is also a small oval located outside the stadium.

Transport

Bittern is served by Bittern railway station on the Stony Point line and by the 782 bus route operated by Ventura Bus Lines between Frankston and Flinders.^[6]

See also

• Shire of Hastings – Bittern was previously within this former local government area.