Port Fairy Consolidated School (School No. 6247; previously known as Belfast State School 1873-1887; Port Fairy State School 1887-1925; Port Fairy Higher Elementary School, 1925-1948; School No. 1188, 1873-c.1974)

Full description

Port Fairy Consolidated School is a coeducational primary school located in the coastal community of Port Fairy, in the Moyne Shire of South West Victoria.

The town was originally called Belfast, and the first schools in the region were largely private and supported by specific denominational groups. They included a Church of England School (Common School No. 62), established in 1856, and a Wesleyan School (Common School No. 83), established in 1857; both schools were closed and absorbed into the new Belfast State School No. 1188 in 1873.

The school first ran in the former premises of the Church of England school, leased at a half-yearly rental of £15; when the Wesleyan School closed, its premises was also rented. Attendance rapidly increased from 154 pupils to more than 250.

Plans for a stone building to accommodate 500 children on a site of two acres of Crown Land were prepared the same year, and after two calls for tenders the contract let for £3,470. Stone for the building was quarried on the site. Labour disputes delayed completion, however permission was granted to move the school into the new building on 11th of November 1874, although it was not yet finished.
In 1887, a special Act of parliament renamed the town—and subsequently the school—Port Fairy.

Port Fairy State School became a Higher Elementary School in 1925 before closing in 1948. The same year, a move was made to consolidate a number of small country schools in the area into one large school. Port Fairy was chosen as the ‘Mother’ school and consolidated the closed schools of Orford (No. 1374), Rosebrook (No. 526), Moyne (No. 3677), Yambuk (No. 2458), and Toolong (No. 3595). On February 1st 1949 the school officially became the Port Fairy Consolidated School.

Until consolidation, the bluestone building remained substantially the same as when it was built in 1874. Major alterations and additions were made in the subsequent 14 years. Two school buildings from schools in Moyne and Dean were brought in and sited to the west of the main building. These were equipped for teaching sheetmetal and woodwork. A wing of five classrooms, a sick bay and two small storerooms were added. In 1961 a new woodwork room was built.

Further additions and modernisations have been made in the decades since. The school is now a mix of original bluestone buildings and modern teaching and learning spaces.  These include nine classrooms, a dedicated art studio, a STEM building, an instrumental music room, a fully equipped kitchen, a multi-purpose hall, and a café/kitchen area. Additionally, the grounds incorporate two large sporting ovals, two basketball courts, and multiple play areas. 

Sometime between 1973–1975 the school number was changed from 1188 to 6247.
This school is still in operation as of 2025.