Bass is a small rural town 109 km south-east of Melbourne via the South Gippsland and Bass Highways, in the Bass Coast Shire of Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Jump to: navigation, search City of Melbourne Local Government Area State Victoria Lord Mayor John So (since 2001) Area 36 km² Population (2001) 57,960 Density 1,601/km² (1999) Greater Melbourne Subdivisions Local Government Areas Area 7,694 km² (1999) Population 2001 census (2nd in Australia) 3,555,321... The South Gippsland Highway is a highway in Victoria, Australia and connects the city of Melbourne with the South Gippsland region of Victoria. ... The Bass Highway is a highway in Victoria, Australia and branches off the South Gippsland Highway at the township of Lang Lang. ... Bass Coast Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. ... Gippsland is a large rural region in Victoria, Australia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Motto: Peace and Prosperity Nickname: Garden State Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Government Governor Premier Const. ...

The town is named after George Bass who explored and named Western Port bay in 1798 in a small whaling boat and sailed some distance up the Bass river. A memorial to George Bass stands in the George Bass Park. Jump to: navigation, search George Bass Dr George Bass, British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia (1771-1803), was born at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford Lincolnshire and was educated at Boston Grammar School. ... Western Port (also known as Western Port Bay) is an inlet on the southern coast of Australia from Bass Strait and the Pacific Ocean, adjacent and to the east of Port Phillip on which is sited Melbourne, the capital city of the state of Victoria. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Located near the town is Wildlife Wonderland, which features the Giant Earthworm Museum. This building allows tourists to crawl through a magnified replica of a worm burrow and a simulated worm's stomach. Displays and educative material on the Giant Gippsland Earthworm, which can grow up to 3 metres in length, and other natural history of Gippsland are also featured. Binomial name Megascolides australis McCoy, 1878 The Giant Gippsland Earthworm (Megascolides australis), is one of the most fascinating of Australia’s 1000 native earthworm species. ...