Queenscliff, Victoria

Last updated

Queenscliff
Victoria
Queenscliffvic-airview-0508-2601-63.jpg
Looking east over Queenscliff to Sand Island. On the left is Swan Bay and the right is Port Phillip Bay.
Australia Victoria Queenscliffe Borough location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Queenscliff
Coordinates 38°16′0″S144°39′0″E / 38.26667°S 144.65000°E / -38.26667; 144.65000
Population1,315 (2016 census) [1]
Postcode(s) 3225
Elevation15 m (49 ft)
Location
LGA(s) Borough of Queenscliffe
State electorate(s) Bellarine
Federal division(s) Corangamite
Localities around Queenscliff:
Swan Bay Swan Bay Swan Island
Swan Bay Queenscliff Port Phillip Bay
Point Lonsdale Port Phillip Bay Port Phillip Bay

Queenscliff is a small town at the south-eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula in southern Victoria, Australia. It lies south of Swan Bay at the entrance to Port Phillip. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe. At the 2016 census, Queenscliff had a population of 1,315. [1]

Contents

Queenscliff is a seaside resort known for its Victorian era heritage and tourist industry and as one of the endpoints of the Searoad ferry to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.

History

Prior to European settlement, it was inhabited by the Bengalat Bulag clan of the Wautharong tribe, members of the Kulin nation.

European explorers first arrived in 1802, Lieutenant John Murray in January and Captain Matthew Flinders in April. The first European settler in the area was convict escapee William Buckley between 1803 and 1835, who briefly lived in a cave with local Aborigines at Point Lonsdale, above which the lighthouse was later built.

Permanent European settlement began in 1836 when squatters arrived. Shortland's Bluff was named in honour of Lieutenant John Shortland, who assisted in the surveying of Port Phillip. Land sales began in 1853, the same year the name was changed to Queenscliff by Lieutenant Charles La Trobe, in honour of Queen Victoria. [2]

The Post Office opened on 1 May 1853 as Shortland's Bluff and was renamed Queenscliff in 1854. [3]

Originally a fishing village, Queenscliff soon became an important cargo port, servicing steamships trading in Port Philip. A shipping pilot service was established in 1841 to lead boats through the treacherous Rip, and its two lighthouses, the High and Low Lights, were constructed in 1862–63. Queenscliff also played an important military role. [4] Fort Queenscliff was built between 1879 and 1889, and operated as the command centre for a network of forts around the port. [5]

1880s seaside resort boom

Adman's Grand Hotel in 1882 Admans grand hotel queenscliff in 1882.jpg
Adman's Grand Hotel in 1882

Queenscliff became a tourist destination in the late 19th century, visitors arriving from Melbourne after a two-hour journey on the paddle steamer, Ozone . [6]

Queenscliff ferry, Ozone. State Library Victoria H33027-37b Queenscliff ferry, Ozone. State Library Victoria H33027-37b.jpg
Queenscliff ferry, Ozone. State Library Victoria H33027-37b

The opening of a railway line to Geelong in 1879 [7] brought more tourists to the area, and numerous luxury hotels (or coffee palaces) were built to accommodate them. The Palace Hotel (later renamed Esplanade Hotel, now known as the Queenscliff Brewhouse) was built in 1879, the Baillieu Hotel was built in 1881 (and later renamed Ozone Hotel), [8] the Vue Grande Hotel in 1883, and the Queenscliff Hotel in 1887.

Decline

The advent of the car saw Queenscliff drop in popularity as a tourist destination, as tourists were no longer dependent on its role as a transport hub. The railway ceased weekly passenger services in 1950, and was closed in 1976. In 1979 the Queenscliff Railway reopened as a Heritage Train Service, running between Queenscliff and Drysdale stations with mid-point stops at Laker's Siding and Suma Park.

Revival

The 1980s saw a return in the town's tourist popularity. [9]

In 2005, the area previously holding the Fort Barracks was subdivided into residential blocks and renamed Shortlands Beach in honour of the town's prior name. The proposed redevelopment drew fierce criticism from some sectors of the community, who feared loss of an important heritage site. The original fort remains on site.

Heritage listed sites

Queenscliff contains several Victorian Heritage Register listed sites, including:

Arts and culture

Hesse Street, the main street of Queenscliff Queenscliff Hesse Street.JPG
Hesse Street, the main street of Queenscliff
Queenscliff's parish church of Saint George Queenscliff Anglican Church 001.JPG
Queenscliff's parish church of Saint George

Festivals

The Queenscliff Seafood Feast, [23] a culinary festival using fresh seafood donated by local fishermen, is held annually on Good Friday to raise funds for the Royal Children's Hospital.

Queenscliff is also home to the Queenscliff Music Festival, [24] a popular annual music festival, held on the last weekend of November, which attracts both local and international acts and is an important part of the town's tourist industry.

Museums

Queenscliff has three museums; the Queenscliff Historical Museum, Queenscliff Maritime Museum, and the Fort Queenscliff Museum.

Sport

The Queenscliff Football Club is the town's Australian rules football club which participates in the Bellarine Football League.

Golfers play at the course of the Queenscliff Golf Club at Swan Island. [25]

Media

The Queenscliff Herald was founded in 1999 by Greg Wane who edited and managed the newspaper until 2004 when the Murphy family bought the masthead and continue to publish the newspaper. The final elimination on the second season of The Mole took place here in late 2000.

Tourist Attractions

As a popular tourist destination, Queenscliff has numerous tourist attractions including The Bellarine Railway, the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre and Queenscliff Harbour. The town is also famous for ghosts including Big Rem.

Transport

Searoad Ferry 'Queenscliff' docking at Queenscliff Searoad Ferry 'Queenscliff', Queenscliff, jjron, 06.07.2010.jpg
Searoad Ferry 'Queenscliff' docking at Queenscliff

As it is located on a peninsula, the Bellarine Highway is the only road connecting it to Point Lonsdale and Geelong running west.

Searoad Ferries provides transport from Queenscliff to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.

It was once connected by railway to Geelong; however, the Bellarine Railway now runs as a tourist railway only to Drysdale. The Bellarine Rail Trail is a 32 km walking and cycling track that follows the route of the former rail line.

Climate

Climate data for Queenscliff, Victoria
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)22.4
(72.3)
22.5
(72.5)
21.2
(70.2)
18.3
(64.9)
15.7
(60.3)
13.5
(56.3)
12.8
(55.0)
13.8
(56.8)
15.7
(60.3)
17.6
(63.7)
19.2
(66.6)
20.9
(69.6)
17.8
(64.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)14.1
(57.4)
14.7
(58.5)
13.6
(56.5)
11.5
(52.7)
9.4
(48.9)
7.7
(45.9)
6.7
(44.1)
7.1
(44.8)
8.4
(47.1)
9.8
(49.6)
11.3
(52.3)
12.8
(55.0)
10.6
(51.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches)34.6
(1.36)
38.0
(1.50)
43.1
(1.70)
48.5
(1.91)
56.8
(2.24)
56.0
(2.20)
57.0
(2.24)
60.8
(2.39)
59.8
(2.35)
57.1
(2.25)
49.7
(1.96)
42.4
(1.67)
604.0
(23.78)
Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm)4.74.35.97.810.110.611.211.610.49.57.56.099.6
Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geelong</span> City in Victoria, Australia

Geelong is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay and the left bank of Barwon River, about 65 km (40 mi) southwest of Melbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Phillip</span> Bay in Victoria, Australia

Port Phillip or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Borough of Queenscliffe</span> Local government area in Victoria, Australia

The Borough of Queenscliffe is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the southern part of the state. It is the smallest local government area in Victoria, covering an area of 10.83 square kilometres (4.18 sq mi) and, in June 2018, had a population of 2,982. It includes only two settlements, which are Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale. It is situated on the south coast, south-east of Geelong on the Bellarine Peninsula south of Swan Bay and next to the Port Phillip Heads, the entrance to Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Searoad Ferries</span> Ferry company of Australia

Searoad Ferries is an Australian company that operates a roll-on/roll-off vehicle and passenger ferry service between the heads of Port Phillip, near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rip</span> Waterway entrance in Victoria, Australia

"The Rip", also known as "The Heads", is the narrow waterway entrance connecting the Bass Strait to the bay of Port Phillip in southern Victoria, Australia, and is the only route of maritime transport into Port Phillip and thus seaport access into Melbourne and Geelong, Victoria's two largest cities. Because of large tidal flows through the relatively narrow channel from the bay to the ocean, and a high rocky seabed, The Rip is a dangerous stretch of water and has claimed numerous ships and many lives. Geographically, it is the roughly triangular area of water between the land points of Point Nepean on the Mornington Peninsula, Shortlands Bluff and Point Lonsdale on the Bellarine Peninsula, with these three forming The Heads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indented Head</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Indented Head is a small coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, east of Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria. The town lies on the coast of the Port Phillip bay between the towns of Portarlington and St Leonards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drysdale, Victoria</span> Suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia

Drysdale is a rural township near Geelong, Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. The town has an approximate population of over 3,700. Drysdale forms part of an urban area, along with nearby Clifton Springs, that had an estimated population of 13,494 at June 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Lonsdale</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Point Lonsdale is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. The town is divided between the Borough of Queenscliffe and the City of Greater Geelong. Point Lonsdale is also one of the headlands which, with Point Nepean, frame The Rip, the entrance to Port Phillip. The headland is dominated by the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse. At the 2016 census, Point Lonsdale had a population of 2,684. The population grows rapidly over the summer months through to the Easter period due to its popularity as a holiday destination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Peninsula</span> Peninsula in Victoria, Australia

The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula, separates Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait. The peninsula itself was originally occupied by Indigenous Australian clans of the Wadawurrung nation, prior to European settlement in the early 19th century. Early European settlements were initially centred on wheat and grain agriculture, before the area became a popular tourist destination with most visitors arriving by paddle steamer on Port Phillip in the late 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Highway</span>

Bellarine Highway is a main arterial highway that runs east from Geelong in Victoria along the Bellarine Peninsula to Queenscliff. The highway also provides the main route to Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, localities along the southern coast of the peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Around the Bay in a Day</span>

Around the Bay in a Day is a non-competitive fully supported recreational cycling fundraising event organised by Bicycle Network in Victoria, Australia. Cyclists register to ride a course which is 210 km (130 mi) either clockwise or anti-clockwise around Port Phillip Bay, starting and ending in Melbourne, though other distances, both shorter and longer, are available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swan Island (Victoria)</span> Town in Victoria, Australia

Swan Island is a 1.4 km2 sand barrier island which, with Duck Island and the Edwards Point spit, separate Swan Bay from Port Phillip in Victoria, Australia. It lies close to and north of the town of Queenscliff at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula, and is an official bounded locality of the Borough of Queenscliffe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Queenscliff</span> Historic commonwealth heritage site in Queenscliff VIC

Fort Queenscliff, in Victoria, Australia, dates from 1860 when an open battery was constructed on Shortland's Bluff to defend the entrance to Port Phillip. The Fort, which underwent major redevelopment in the late 1870s and 1880s, became the headquarters for an extensive chain of forts around Port Phillip Heads. Its garrison included volunteer artillery, engineers, infantry and naval militia, and it was manned as a coastal defence installation continuously from 1883 to 1946. The other fortifications and armaments around the Heads were completed by 1891, and together made Port Phillip one of the most heavily defended harbours in the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenscliff railway station</span> Railway station in Victoria, Australia

Queenscliff railway station was the terminus of the Queenscliff branch line in Victoria, Australia, which left the main Warrnambool line near South Geelong station. The Queenscliff station was opened on 21 May 1879. The current station building was constructed in 1881 and is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Rail Trail</span>

The Bellarine Rail Trail is a 32 km walking and cycling track on the Bellarine Peninsula, in Victoria, Australia, that follows the route of the former South Geelong to Queenscliff branch line. It runs from South Geelong to Queenscliff, passing through the towns of Leopold, Curlewis and Drysdale. The rails have been removed from the western section between South Geelong and Drysdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Lonsdale Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Point Lonsdale Lighthouse, also known as the Point Lonsdale Signal Station, is close to the township of Point Lonsdale in the Borough of Queenscliffe, Victoria, Australia. It stands at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula, on the western side of the entrance to Port Phillip from Bass Strait, on a headland overlooking the "Rip", a stretch of water considered one of the more treacherous navigable passages in the world, and the only seaborne approach to Melbourne. It is operated by Victorian Ports Corporation (Melbourne).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenscliff Low Light</span> Lighthouse

The Queenscliff Low Light, also known as the Queenscliff White Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in the township of Queenscliff in the Borough of Queenscliffe, Victoria, Australia, at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula. It stands inside the entrance to Port Phillip from Bass Strait, on the lower slope of the Queenscliff Peninsula overlooking "The Rip", a stretch of water considered one of the ten most treacherous navigable passages in the world. It is operated by the Port of Melbourne Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellarine Railway</span> Tourist railway in Victoria, Australia

The Bellarine Railway, formerly the Bellarine Peninsula Railway, is a volunteer-operated steam-driven tourist railway located in Victoria, Australia. It operates on a 16 km section of a formerly disused branch line on the Bellarine Peninsula between the coastal town of Queenscliff and Drysdale, near Geelong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenscliffe Maritime Museum</span> Historical museum in Victoria, Australia

The Queenscliffe Maritime Museum is a regional maritime museum in the town of Queenscliff at the entrance from Bass Strait to the bay of Port Phillip in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. It lies within walking distance of the Searoad ferry terminal. It covers the maritime history of the Borough of Queenscliffe, southern Port Phillip and the connection with Bass Strait.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queenscliffe Historical Museum</span> Museum in Victoria, Australia

The Queenscliffe Historical Museum is a regional cultural history museum in the town of Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. The museum is part of the Museum Accreditation Program (MAP).

References

  1. 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Queenscliff (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 16 November 2017. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. Borough of Queenscliffe Frequently asked questions Archived 18 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List , retrieved 5 April 2021
  4. Queenscliff history and heritage
  5. Fort Queenscliff tours Archived 1 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. Ozone 1886-1925
  7. Bellarine Peninsula Railway history Archived 2012-04-10 at the Wayback Machine
  8. News item on the closure of the Ozone hotel
  9. The Age Travel
  10. "Fisherman's Shed (H2074)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  11. "Lathamstowe (H1052)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  12. "Ozone Hotel (H1142)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  13. "Pilots Cottages (H1618)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  14. "Queenscliff Hotel (H1141)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  15. "Queenscliff Pier and Lifeboat Complex (H1515)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  16. "Queenscliff Railway Station (H1586)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  17. "Rosenfeld (H1134)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  18. "Roseville Cottage (H1148)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  19. "St George the Martyr Church and Parish Hall (H1125)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  20. "Warringah (H1177)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  21. "Wreck Bell (H2070)". Victorian Heritage Register . Heritage Victoria . Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  22. "VHD". vhd.heritagecouncil.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  23. Queenscliff Seafood Feast Archived 8 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  24. Queenscliff Music Festival
  25. Golf Select, Queenscliff , retrieved 11 May 2009
  26. "Climate statistics for Australian locations- QUEENSCLIFF". 8 July 2024.