Picture a weathered gum tree its branches reaching towards the sky. This is Foxey’s Hangout a place steeped in history and local legend. It sits at the corner of Balnarring and Tubbarubba Roads on the Mornington Peninsula. For decades this spot was known as Foxey’s Hangout a name born from a unique rivalry.
In the late 1930s two trappers Phillip Jack Johnson and Lou Connell made this tree their unofficial scoreboard. They were friendly rivals competing to catch the most foxes. Each day they’d hang their bounty from the tree’s branches. Another local Garry Downward a neighbor would check and judge the day’s catch.
The annual competition generated excitement. The winner was celebrated each year. Foxey’s Hangout became a local landmark. Jack Johnson a Tasmanian who arrived in 1936 continued the tradition until his tragic death in 1946.
Even after Johnson’s passing friends kept the tradition alive. They continued hanging their catches though the practice eventually faded. Today only metal and wooden fox profiles adorn the branches where real foxes once hung.
The old gum tree itself is gone but its story lives on. Foxey’s Hangout stands as a testament to the unique history of the Mornington Peninsula. It remains a symbol of friendly competition and a reminder of the people who made it famous. The spirit of Foxey’s Hangout the playful rivalry and local tradition is something you’ll feel as you stand at this historical corner. You’re standing where a local legend began a tale woven into the very fabric of the peninsula.