Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the guideline of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a intensely wooded headland) where he and his team lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff little by little became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to budge to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enlargened by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to dudes licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which witnessed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also eyed Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his assets, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her spouse collapses.
A fine story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the tour. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Embark of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has good character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers superb views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was drowned off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the amazing Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most strongly defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land brunt, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Instruction and Staff College, tho’ this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km open up of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous opens up of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the boys involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four boys aboard the Goorangi were killed. The astounding ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will come back to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a petite cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per journey, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour tour operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Trio from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This sophisticated features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Venture Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Trio km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantaneously see Venture Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, hopping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Escapade Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Escapade Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty-nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a petite artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few guys were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact tho’ access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a announced sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the instruction of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a intensely wooded headland) where he and his squad lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff little by little became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to budge to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enlargened by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to fellows licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which eyed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also spotted Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his assets, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her hubby collapses.
A good story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the excursion. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Begin of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has excellent character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers excellent views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was buried off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the awesome Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most powerfully defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land onslaught, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Instruction and Staff College, however this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km spread of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous opens up of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the dudes involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four dudes aboard the Goorangi were killed. The exceptional ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will comeback to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a puny cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per tour, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour tour operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Trio from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This complicated features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Escapade Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Three km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantaneously see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, hopping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Venture Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Escapade Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty-nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Venture Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a puny artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few guys were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact tho’ access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a announced sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the directive of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a strenuously wooded headland) where he and his team lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff step by step became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to budge to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enhanced by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to guys licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which witnessed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also eyed Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried despoiled Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his assets, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her spouse collapses.
A fine story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the journey. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Commence of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has superb character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers good views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was drowned off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the awesome Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most strenuously defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land attack, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Instruction and Staff College, tho’ this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km open up of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous spreads of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the dudes involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four fellows aboard the Goorangi were killed. The extraordinaire ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will comeback to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a petite cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per excursion, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour excursion operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Trio from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This elaborate features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Venture Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Escapade Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Three km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantly see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Venture Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Escapade Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a puny artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few guys were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact tho’ access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a proclaimed sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but uncommonly do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the guideline of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a strenuously wooded headland) where he and his squad lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff little by little became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to budge to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enlargened by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to fellows licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which witnessed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also spotted Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his assets, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her hubby collapses.
A fine story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the tour. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Commence of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has superb character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers excellent views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was drowned off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the exceptional Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most intensely defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land onslaught, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Directive and Staff College, tho’ this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km spread of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous spreads of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the studs involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four fellows aboard the Goorangi were killed. The epic ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will comeback to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a puny cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per tour, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour journey operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Three from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This sophisticated features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Escapade Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Three km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantaneously see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Venture Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Venture Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a puny artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few guys were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact however access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a proclaimed sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the instruction of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a strenuously wooded headland) where he and his squad lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff step by step became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to stir to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enlargened by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to guys licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which eyed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also spotted Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried despoiled Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his figure, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her spouse collapses.
A excellent story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the journey. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Commence of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has fine character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers excellent views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was submerged off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the astounding Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most strongly defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land brunt, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Instruction and Staff College, tho’ this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km spread of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous spreads of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the studs involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four studs aboard the Goorangi were killed. The awesome ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will comeback to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a puny cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per excursion, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour journey operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Three from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This sophisticated features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Venture Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Three km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantly see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, hopping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Escapade Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Escapade Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a petite artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few dudes were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact tho’ access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a proclaimed sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but uncommonly do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the guideline of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a powerfully wooded headland) where he and his team lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff little by little became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to budge to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enhanced by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to studs licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which eyed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also eyed Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his figure, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her hubby collapses.
A excellent story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the journey. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Begin of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has good character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers superb views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was submerged off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the extraordinaire Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most strongly defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land attack, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Guideline and Staff College, however this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km spread of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous opens up of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the dudes involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four fellows aboard the Goorangi were killed. The epic ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will come back to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a puny cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per excursion, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour tour operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Three from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This elaborate features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Escapade Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Trio km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantly see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Venture Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Venture Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a puny artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few fellows were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact however access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a announced sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but uncommonly do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the directive of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a intensely wooded headland) where he and his squad lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff little by little became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to stir to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enlargened by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to fellows licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which witnessed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also spotted Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried despoiled Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his figure, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her hubby collapses.
A excellent story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the tour. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Commence of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has superb character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers excellent views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was submerged off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the epic Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most powerfully defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land onslaught, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Instruction and Staff College, tho’ this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km spread of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous spreads of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the guys involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four studs aboard the Goorangi were killed. The incredible ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will come back to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a petite cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per journey, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour tour operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Three from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This sophisticated features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Escapade Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Trio km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantly see Venture Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Escapade Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Venture Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty-nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a petite artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few studs were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact however access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a announced sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but uncommonly do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the directive of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a powerfully wooded headland) where he and his team lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff step by step became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to budge to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enhanced by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to fellows licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which eyed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also eyed Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his assets, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her hubby collapses.
A fine story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the journey. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were liquidated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Begin of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has superb character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers excellent views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was buried off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the outstanding Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most strongly defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land onslaught, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Directive and Staff College, tho’ this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km open up of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous opens up of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the boys involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four guys aboard the Goorangi were killed. The outstanding ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will comeback to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a petite cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per excursion, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour tour operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Three from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five come back) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This elaborate features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Venture Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Three km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantly see Venture Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Escapade Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Venture Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty-nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Venture Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a petite artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few guys were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact however access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a announced sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the directive of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a strenuously wooded headland) where he and his team lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff little by little became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to stir to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enhanced by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to guys licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which witnessed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also spotted Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his figure, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her spouse collapses.
A good story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the excursion. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were eliminated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Begin of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has superb character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers superb views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was submerged off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the extraordinaire Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most powerfully defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land onslaught, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Directive and Staff College, however this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km open up of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous opens up of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the studs involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four boys aboard the Goorangi were killed. The outstanding ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will come back to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a petite cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per journey, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour excursion operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Three from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five come back) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This elaborate features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Venture Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Three km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantaneously see Venture Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, hopping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Venture Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Escapade Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty-nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a puny artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few studs were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact tho’ access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a proclaimed sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the instruction of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a strongly wooded headland) where he and his squad lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff little by little became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to stir to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enhanced by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to fellows licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which spotted Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also spotted Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his figure, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her hubby collapses.
A fine story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the excursion. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were eliminated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Embark of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has superb character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers excellent views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was drowned off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the incredible Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most powerfully defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land onslaught, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Directive and Staff College, however this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km spread of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous opens up of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the studs involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four fellows aboard the Goorangi were killed. The exceptional ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will come back to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a puny cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per tour, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour journey operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Three from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This sophisticated features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Escapade Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Trio km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantaneously see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Venture Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Venture Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Escapade Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a petite artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few studs were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact however access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a proclaimed sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the guideline of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a powerfully wooded headland) where he and his squad lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff step by step became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to budge to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enhanced by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to boys licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which spotted Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also eyed Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried robbed Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his assets, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her spouse collapses.
A good story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the tour. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were eliminated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Embark of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has superb character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers excellent views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was submerged off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the awesome Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most strenuously defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land brunt, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Instruction and Staff College, tho’ this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km open up of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous spreads of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the studs involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four dudes aboard the Goorangi were killed. The astounding ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will come back to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a petite cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per excursion, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour tour operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Trio from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This elaborate features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Venture Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Venture Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Trio km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantaneously see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Venture Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Escapade Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Venture Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a petite artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few boys were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact tho’ access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a announced sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do
Queenscliff is one of those delightful seaside resorts which is both a popular beachside destination and a sophisticated retreat characterised by elegant hotels, guesthouses, galleries, some substantial public buildings, chic restaurants, cafes, a fine golf course, ferries, broad streets faced by terraced houses and both bay and surf beaches. In Australia most beach resorts are either very sophisticated (Palm Beach, Noosa) or very popular (Surfers Paradise) but infrequently do they combine the two. At the same time Queenscliff is, and always has been, a working town with modest 19th-century stone and timber fisherman’s cottages, a working wharf, boatbuilders and anglers galore. In the case of Queenscliff the combination is unusual and makes the town both distinctive and special.
Queenscliff is located on an isthmus at the south-eastern peak of the Bellarine Peninsula. It sits just inwards the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one hundred three km south of Melbourne and thirty km from Geelong at an elevation of fifteen metres. On one side is Swan Bay and, on the other, Shortland Bluff overlooks the channels leading into Port Phillip Bay. Fishing and tourism are the main sources of income. The borough of Queenscliff (which includes part of Point Lonsdale) has a current population of some 3419.
See Also
The area was originally inhabited by the Wathawurung Aborigines who, in 1803, befriended a white man, William Buckley, a convict who had absconded when a party under the instruction of Lieutenant Governor Collins established a settlement at Point King( see entry on Sorrento). Buckley married a woman of the tribe, had a daughter by her and lived in the area for thirty two years before rejoining European civilization (see entry on Point Lonsdale).
In one thousand eight hundred thirty eight George Tobin was licensed to operate a pilot service from the beach below Shortland Bluff (then a intensely wooded headland) where he and his team lived. Tobin was soon joined by other operators. The pilot boats steered ships through the treacherous waters of The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The waters inbetween Port Phillip Goes are still regarded as very treacherous and the area is known as a ship’s graveyard due to the number of wrecks that have occurred over the years. Indeed the pilot service is still in operation.
The area was named Whale Head in one thousand eight hundred thirty six but was soon renamed Shortland Bluff after a midshipman on the vessel which carried out an early official survey of Port Phillip Bay. A lighthouse was erected at Shortland Bluff in one thousand eight hundred forty two or 1843.
A pastoral run was established on the future townsite in 1850. However, the discovery of the Victorian goldfields in one thousand eight hundred fifty one caused shipping to greatly increase and, when the licence expired in one thousand eight hundred fifty two the government resumed the land and a survey for a prospective townsite was executed. Land sales proceeded in 1853. Governor Charles La Trobe renamed the townsite Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria. The very first hotel and an Anglican school were erected in one thousand eight hundred fifty four (the father of renowned artist Arthur Streeton was headmaster here in the late 1860s before it became a government school).
Shortly afterwards the health officer moved to Queenscliff from Point Nepean (see entry on Portsea) and he was joined by a customs officer who boarded vessels on a whaleboat. Thus Queenscliff step by step became something of an administrative centre.
As a consequence of the upturn in shipping, the pilot service was expanded. It was privatised in one thousand eight hundred fifty four and numerous companies were soon in operation. A lifeboat service was established in 1856. A jetty and a planked roadway across the foreshore to the pier were built in one thousand eight hundred fifty six when bay steamers began plying back and forward from Melbourne. It was extended in one thousand eight hundred sixty and a crane and tramway added the following year. Further extensions were added due to siltation and the need to accommodate larger boats.
As Queenscliff overlooks a major shipping channel relating to Melbourne and Geelong it quickly developed a role as a garrison town and strategic defence post with the installation of three cannons during the Crimean War. Volunteers manned them from one thousand eight hundred sixty and a fort decent was constructed in the 1880s amidst scares of a Russian invasion.
Fishermen began to stir to Queenscliff c.1860 and a sizeable fishing fleet soon developed as request had been greatly enhanced by the massive influx of immigrants associated with the goldrushes. Some were Chinese anglers who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields. In one thousand eight hundred sixty five the Geelong Advertiser reported one hundred thirty anglers at Queenscliff, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. Complaints about their occupation of the sand flats led to the subdivision of the area into allotments for lease to guys licensed under the Fishing Act.
Queenscliff became a borough incorporating Point Lonsdale in 1863. At that time the business and residential area of Queenscliff had expanded and five hotels were in operation. St George’s Anglican church was built at this time and it was soon joined by Catholic, Presbyterian and Wesleyan churches.
In one thousand eight hundred seventy nine a railway line connecting the town to Melbourne opened. This was the beginning of dramatic growth which eyed Queenscliff become a popular holiday resort on the western shore of the bay. In the 1880s and 1890s the town became a very popular weekend getaway for the wealthier classes of Melbourne society who railed paddlesteamers such as the Ozone while newspapers reported on the families who were holidaying in the resort and which of the elegant hotels they occupied.
Ironically it was the motor car which also eyed Queenscliff fall from favour as access to other coastal resorts was facilitated. However, this decline of internal dynamism meant that the Victorian resort feel of the town has been preserved, along with its fine old hotels.
Pirate Benito Benita is said to have buried despoiled Spanish treasure in a cave in the cliffs of Swan Bay in 1798. Other aspects of the legend entail Benita being caught in the act by the British navy and sealing the cave entrance with gunpowder. He was allegedly caught and hanged while his cabin boy, who was supposedly tattooed with the map, laid low in Tasmania. This lad is said to have returned to spend his last years in Queenscliff, presumably without consulting the map on his bod, as this dubious tale has, in reality, inspired some serious treasure-hunting over the years. Despite the fact that no record of Benita’s capture exists and despite the fact that an alleged part of his treasure – statues from a cathedral in Peru – remain in the Peruvian cathedral, various syndicates and individuals have undertaken serious excavation work in search of the treasure, but to no avail.
Literary buffs may recognise Queenscliff as ‘Shortlands’ in Henry Handel Richardson’s Ultima Thule (1929). Richardson’s father Walter was port medical officer at Queenscliff in the late 1870s and the family lived in a cottage at twenty six Mercer St which, at last report, is still standing. Postmaster Henry Charles Dod was cast as Mr Spence in Richardson’s novel – the postmaster who tutors Mrs Mahony as a postmistress after her spouse collapses.
A excellent story about Queenscliff from the 1930s involves the famous Australian painter Sidney Nolan. Evidently Nolan and a friend stowed away on a ship in Melbourne in one thousand nine hundred thirty four hoping they could get a free passage to France. They determined that if they were caught they would insist they were missionaries who were attempting to get to Tahiti to bring the gospel to the locals. Unluckily neither Nolan nor his friend had a working skill of The Bible and neither of them had much of a desire to remain teetotal for the duration of the excursion. They were discovered before the ship left Port Phillip, were eliminated and taken to Queenscliff where they were gaoled.
In latest years Queenscliff has been rediscovered as a premium holiday destination. It is a genuinely delightful seaside resort which has slew of 1880s charm and enough attractions to seduce the most nosey visitor.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Trio.00 p.m. and on weekends and public holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 0730. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the fort every day at 1.30 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Things to see
The Queenscliff Tourist Information Centre is located at fifty five Hesse St and is open daily, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4843.
Queenscliffe Historical Museum and Embark of Historic Buildings Tour
At the corner of Hesse and Hobson Sts is the old post office (1889). Next door is home of the Queenscliffe Historical Centre & Museum (the extra ‘e’ is not an accident as the museum (insists that ‘Queenscliff’ is the town and ‘Queenscliffe’ is the borough). It houses about ten 000 items, including historical artefacts, photographs, documents, lace, textiles and relics from shipwrecks as well as information about the families who lodged the area, particularly those who spent time working in Fort Queenscliff. It is open from Two.00 p.m. to Four.00 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday. For further information contact (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2511.
The museum has information regarding the town’s heritage buildings. Over the road, at forty six Hesse St, is the ornate and opulent interior of the Vue Grand, with its tiled floor and marble columns. It was erected in 1881-82 with a front section rebuilt in one thousand nine hundred twenty seven after a fire.
Walk along Hobson St then turn left into Gellibrand St. To the left, at no.16, is the red-brick Queenscliff Hotel (1887-1888). Albeit restored it has not been modernised and the interior retains its old-world charm. The owners have written of the hotel ‘The building had and has excellent character . the original owners, sister Nugent and brother Goslin had it purpose built in one thousand eight hundred eighty seven in the style of a large house rather than a public building (even to the extent of excluding a ballroom, a most unusual decision for the times) and went against the tide of florid Victoriana and with the William Morris aesthetic movement.’ It features two-storey bay windows, some fine lacework, Flemish gables, an enclosed tower and a fine dining room.
At the Symonds St corner is the The Esplanade Hotel which was built in the early 1880s.
Turn right into Symonds St and walk along to the so-called ‘Fresh Pier’ which was built in 1884. Walk south along the beach to the Pilots Jetty. Hot sea baths and a bathing enclosure were once located in the area inbetween the two. Adjacent the Pilots Jetty is the modern operations centre of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Walk up Thwaites steps to Shortland Bluff lookout, near the water tower. There are excellent views of Port Phillip – north to the city skyline and east to the Dandenong Ranges, Mt Eliza and Mt Martha (see entry on Mornington) and Arthurs Seat (see entry on Dromana). On the other side of the mouth of Port Phillip Bay is the Quarantine Station (see entry on Portsea).
Walk away from the coastline until you reach the roadway (Gellibrand St) and proceed to the corner of Gellibrand St and Stokes St. On the north-western corner is the former Lathamstowe Hotel which was built in 1881-83 by Edward Latham, a brewer who founded the Carlton Brewery. Part of Melbourne society, he married Emma Bailleau, the daughter of George Bailleau who built the Ozone Hotel which is located next door at no.42.
The Ozone, originally known as Bailleau House, was built in 1881-82. It is, by any measure, a superb old hotel with three storeys and a tower that offers fine views over the town and Port Phillip Bay. The current name honours a paddlesteamer which carried passengers from Melbourne in the late 19th century when Queenscliff was a very fashionable resort for the state capital’s wealthier classes. The steamer was buried off the coast of Indented Head to form a breakwater and can still be seen above the waterline (see entry on Portarlington).
Walk south back along Gellibrand St. Numbers sixty six and sixty eight are the best preserved examples of residences built to house the pilots and boat crews which greeted the ships arriving at Port Phillip. They are amongst the oldest structures in town.
At the top of Gellibrand Street is the extraordinaire Fort Queenscliff which was built on Shortlands Bluff, strategically overlooking the commercial shipping lanes to Melbourne and Geelong. Cannons were very first installed here during the Crimean War (1853-56). They were manned by volunteers from one thousand eight hundred sixty and, despite the report of Captain Scratchley of the Royal Engineers (responsible for Fort Scratchley inNewcastle) that the shipping of the bay was supremely vulnerable to attack, little was done until the early 1880s when fears of a Russian invasion arose. A comprehensive network of fortifications were then established around the goes of Port Phillip Bay, including works at Fort Nepean (see entry on Portsea), South Channel Fort, Eagle Nest, Fort Franklin, Crow’s Nest, Swan Island and Fort Queenscliff. So comprehensive were these fortifications that the bay was then considered one of the most powerfully defended ports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Fort Queenscliff was designed not only to attack enemy shipping but to render it secure from land brunt, hence there is a loopholed fort wall, a dry moat (once crossed by a drawbridge) and a castellated keep, along with the guardroom, cells, an underground shell magazine and muzzle-loading cannons. Today there is a subterranean museum of military memorabilia.
Also on the grounds is the ‘Black’ Lighthouse. It is the only one of its kind in Australia being made from bluestone which was cut in Scotland. The stones were numbered and shipped out to Australia where the lighthouse was erected in 1863. In conjunction with the ‘White’ Lighthouse it steered ships through The Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. The stone administration centre was built in 1856. It housed Queenscliff’s courthouse, post office, telegraph station and police station until 1882. Today Fort Queenscliff is used as the Australian Army Instruction and Staff College, however this connection may be severed in the near future.
Tours are available on weekends and public holidays at 1.00 p.m. and Three.00 p.m. and open daily on school holidays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1488. Queenscliff Historical Tours also conduct tours of the Fort at 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Walk along King St and turn left into Hesse St. At the top end of the road there is a carpark and a lookout suggesting fine south-westerly ocean views over The Rip – a three km spread of water dividing Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean. It is recognised as one of the most dangerous spreads of water on the entire Australian coastline.
Nearby is a memorial to the dudes involved in the Goorangi disaster which occurred in 1940. This was one of those tragedies that so often happen in wartime. On twenty November one thousand nine hundred forty the minesweeper Goorangi moved from Queenscliff to Portsea and was accidentally rammed by the Duntroon. All twenty four guys aboard the Goorangi were killed. The astounding ‘White’ Lighthouse dates from 1892.
Walk north down Hesse St. Near the Stokes St corner are a number of churches – St Andrew’s Presbyterian (now Uniting) Church (1898), the former Wesleyan chapel (1868) and the former Methodist Church (1888) with its distinctive barrel-vaulted ceiling and rose windows.
As you cross Stokes St have a look along this cross-street which, like Hesse St, has a 19th-century feel.
As you proceed north along Hesse St you will comeback to the historical museum. Next door is the library. Only the front section is original (1888).
If you wish to extend your walk, turn left into Hobson St. At Hobson and Mercer are the church and parish hall of St George the Martyr (Church of England). The church, with its steeply-pitched roof, lancet windows, buttressing and stained-glass windows was built from local limestone. It dates from 1863-66 and the square tower from 1877. The Parish Hall (1870), like the church, was designed by Albert Purchas and has a central gabled bellcote and distinctive flanking gables. The church stands on a site where Governor Latrobe once built a puny cottage for himself.
Turn left into Mercer St. ‘Roseville’ at no.42 is a rendered brick house with octagonal observation tower built before one thousand eight hundred sixty four and later used as a holiday house. ‘Warringa’ at no.80 is a large single-storey Regency residence of cement-rendered limestone blocks built in 1856. At Mercer and King is the Royal Hotel, the very first hotel in Queenscliff, which was built in one thousand eight hundred fifty four as the Queenscliff Hotel (it became the Royal Hotel in 1860).
Church of the Holy Trinity
Turn right into King St then right into Stevens St. To the left is the Church of the Holy Trinity (1867). The presbytery and church hall date from 1901-02.
Walk back along Stevens St to Flinders St. Just over Flinders St is the Crows Nest Camp which was established during the 1914-18 war. It was used as living quarters for sergeants and other ranks from 1938-1984. At Flinders and Swanston is the historic Cottage By the Sea and on the other side of Henry St is the Santa Casa Roman Catholic School which was built in one thousand nine hundred two and used as a home for disadvantaged children from 1918.
Bellarine Peninsula Railway
At the northern end of town, in Symonds Street, is the railway station (1879) which established an significant link inbetween Queenscliff and Melbourne (via Geelong). The station is now home to the 16-km Bellarine Peninsula Railway which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation Society. It has an outstanding collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages which take passengers on scenic pleasure trips to either Drysdale or Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay.
There are steam trains, diesel trains and at certain times of the year Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends make a visit. For timetable details and prices go to their website: http://www.bpr.org.au/ or contact: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2069
Marine Discovery Centre
A delightful attraction, surrounded by old anchors and propellers, is the Queenscliff Marine Discovery Centre which is run by the Marine Freshwater Resources Institute. It features an aquarium (including a ‘touch tank’) and organises rockpool rambles, catchment studies, boat cruises of Port Phillip Bay, sand dune and zonation studies, snorkelling expeditions and activities specifically tailored for school groups (there is also a marine laboratory for senior students and a resource room).
The centre is open weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.but it is best to ring very first to ensure the centre isn’t booked out by a school group. The centre is also open every day in school holidays and on the last Sunday of the month from September to May (Ten.00 a.m. to Four.00 p.m.). It is not necessary to ring very first at these times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3344.
Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum
Over the road in Weeroona Parade is the Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum with exhibits relating to sea rescue, shipping and other aspects of maritime history, including the ‘Queenscliffe’ lifeboat (the last of four lifeboats which were continuously stationed at Queenscliff from one thousand eight hundred fifty six to 1976), two rooms of a typical fisherman’s cottage, rescue gear, the Coutabout building project, a diving technology display, photographs, rocket launchers, lots of displays of navigational and lighthouse equipment, an extensive history of the town’s pilot service and a hydrographic model of The Rip (the dangerous entrance to Port Phillip which has caused many wrecks). It is open daily from Ten:30 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3440.
Harbour Area and Swan Island Golf Course
It is worthwhile taking a stroll down to the boat harbour, slipway and Fisherman’s Wharf (off Wharf St and Harbour St) where you can observe the colourful fishing fleet at work. A bridge leads over to Swan Island Golf Course.
Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula. It carries up to eighty vehicles and seven hundred passengers per tour, which lasts forty minutes. . The website is http://www.searoad.com.au
The Sorrento Ferry Co. carries passengers to and from Sorrento and Queenscliff with a stop in-between at Portsea. It also takes time out for some dolphin-watching. The two-hour tour operates daily from twenty six December to twenty three April and also in the September school holidays. From the beginning of November to Christmas Day it operates on weekends only. The rest of the year it is inoperative. It departs from Sorrento pier and stops at Portsea at Ten,00 a.m., 12.00 p.m., Two.00 p.m. and Four.00 p.m. In February only there is a Five.40 p.m. service.
Queenscliff Horse-Drawn Coaches operate daily from December to April. From May to November they operate on weekends only except in school holidays when the service is again daily. It is $Trio from the ferry terminal to the town centre ($Five comeback) or $Five for a town tour.
Swan Bay is on the northern side of the Queenscliff isthmus. Its quiet sheltered waters are good for fishing and boating. There is a boat ramp. Swan Bay is also a recognised wetland habitat which is a haven for birds such as the orange-bellied parrot.
The Queenscliff Arcade at seventy nine Hesse St is open Wednesday to Monday. It sells crafts and antiques, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3097. The Seaview Gallery at eighty six Hesse St sells a selection of paintings, antique Japanese furniture, hand-blown glass and pottery. It is housed in an one thousand eight hundred seventy five residence and is open daily in peak periods and on Wednesdays and Sundays at off-peak times, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3645.
Hobsons Choice Gallery is located in an historic house at two Hobson St. It is open daily in holidays but closed Wednesdays and Thursdays off-peak. They sell paintings, antique furniture, hand-blown glass, jewellery and pottery, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2161. The Grand Ballroom Gallery is located at thirteen Hobson St, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4300.
This elaborate features a giant three-dimensional wooden labyrinth, a puzzle and jigsaw centre, a croquet court and a putting green. There is a kiosk, a playground and barbecues. It is open from Ten.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. on weekends, public holidays and every day during school holidays. Outside of school holidays the weekday hours are 11.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m., except in June and July when the hours are midday to Five.00 p.m. A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things doubles as something of a tourist information centre for the Bellarine Peninsula, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 2669. To get there, head north-west along the Bellarine Highway (towards Geelong) for about twelve km and it is located at the corner of the highway and Grubb Rd.
Bellarine Escapade Golf
Opposite A Labyrinth ‘n’ Things is Bellarine Escapade Golf, a mini-golf course, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty 3777.
Three km further west along the highway is the intersection with Swanbay Rd. Turn right into the latter and you will instantaneously see Escapade Park. Set in fifty two acres of picturesque parkland, it has a broad range of activities for families, including a 115-metre raft waterslide, go-karts, leaping castles, volleyball, a merry-go-round, paddleboats, the Big Bouncer, flying foxes, an archery range, Escapade Island mini-golf, aqua bikes, moon bikes, juming jets and canoes, the Spanking paddle Pop Express Train and the Escapade Playground. Facilities include a kiosk and cafe, undercover seating and wheelchair access. Gas barbecues and lockers are available for hire, bday parties can be organised and group bookings are also available for corporate and social clubs.
Admission charges as of two thousand ten is $Sixty-nine.95 for adults and children, free for under 3s, for an unlimited summer pass. Day passes are $34 for adults and children over 1.2m tall and $28 for children under 1.2m tall.
Opening hours are from Ten.00 a.m. to Five.00 p.m. daily. Venture Park is closed from May to September. For more details check out: http://www.adventurepark.com.au/
Historic Tours and Bike Hire
Queenscliff Historical Tours and Bike Hire conduct regular daily bus tours of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale and excursions to Fort Queenscliff at Two.00 p.m. on weekdays, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3403.
Mopeds can be hired, without a licence, from Geelong and Bellarine Mopeds, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4796 or (0414) five hundred eighty one 264.
Fishing and Fishing Charters
Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the bight inbetween Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered water of Swan Bay. Sharks, barracouta, salmon, snapper, squid, trevally, slimy mackerel, flathead and reef fish can all be caught in offshore waters.
Big Crimson Fishing Charters are located at twenty seven Ward Rd. They have a 7.2-m aluminium cruiser (max. Eight people) available for half-day and full-day trips, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4647 or free-call (1800) eight hundred five 587. They depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp or the pier at Portsea, by prior arrangement.
Kyena Fishing Charters suggest charter trips for groups and clubs all year round. They also run fishing trips daily at 7.30 a.m. from twenty seven December to thirty January. They operate from Fisherman’s Wharf (Bridge St end), tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1424.
Queenscliff Fishing Adventures suggest four-hour budget fishing trips ($30 per person) at 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. daily from Queenscliff Boat Harbour. They also run sport fishing trips ($75 per person for five hours) at 7.30 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. daily and shark fishing ($135 per person for ten hours) at 8.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m. daily. The latter two excursions depart from Queenscliff public boat ramp, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 2802.
Impulse Charters can be reached on (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3739.
Sea-All Charters suggest cruises of the off-shore waters, taking in dolphin swims, a seal colony, a gannet rookery and Point Nepean. They depart from Queenscliff Harbour, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 3889 or (0411) eight hundred seventy three 777.
Harold Holt Marine Reserve
The Harold Holt Marine Reserve includes Mud Island, Pope’s Eye, the South Channel Fort, gannet nesting sites and coastal reserves.
The Bellarine Peninsula is a popular snorkelling and diving area. The Queenscliff Dive Centre at thirty seven Learmonth St runs diving trips and courses and hires out equipment, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 1188.
South Channel Fort
The South Channel Fort is a puny artificial island located offshore. Work began on the construction of the island in one thousand eight hundred seventy nine when about fourteen 000 tons of bluestone rocks (mostly weighing over two tons each) were laid in a ring. The foundations for a similar construction, known as the Pope’s Eye, were laid to the west. Both were intended to illuminate (with searchlights) and stand guard over the main route through the shoals to Melbourne and to electrically detonate a series of sub-aquatic mines. Work on both projects was halted at the outset of the 1880s and the Pope’s Eye never got any further. It is now home to a seal colony.
Fears of a Russian invasion led, in 1885, to the construction of numerous coastal defence works around Australia. As part of that enterprise, work recommenced on the South Channel Fort. Two eight-inch muzzle-loading guns were mounted with a range of nine km. Innovative gun mountings were installed (one has been restored and is on display at Fort Queenscliff). When fully manned one hundred people were garrisoned at the fort.
In the early 20th century the installation of fresh and more powerful guns at Port Phillip Goes lessened the need for the minefield and South Channel Fort and, by 1918, only a few dudes were garrisoned there. It was decommissioned after World War II and used as a magazine and then a weather station.
Many of the original fortifications, gun emplacements, magazines and subterranean passages remain intact however access is limited. The island offers fine views and it is also a announced sanctuary and breeding site for the white-faced storm petrel. Owing to the fragility of their nesting burrows visitors are restricted to a defined network of paths. Access is via seven companies who operate out of Sorrento and Queenscliff. These include Moonraker Charters (tel: three 5984 4211), the Sorrento Ferry Company (tel: three 5984 1602), Polperro (tel: three 5988 8437) and Saltwater Adventures, tel: (03) five thousand two hundred fifty eight 4888.