Queenscliff is a town at the south-eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula in southern

Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...

. It lies south of Swan Bay at the entrance to

Port Phillip Port Phillip (Kulin languages, Kulin: ''Narm-Narm'') or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped bay#Types, enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, ...

. It is the administrative centre for the Borough of Queenscliffe. At the , Queenscliff had a population of 3,276.https://www.abs.gov.au/census/find-census-data/quickstats/2021/LGA26080 Queenscliff is a

seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

known for its

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

heritage and tourist industry and as one of the endpoints of the Searoad ferry to

Sorrento Sorrento ( , ; ; ) is a City status in Italy, city and overlooking the Gulf of Naples, Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the southern terminus of a main branch o ...

on the

Mornington Peninsula The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located in the south of Greater Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to ...

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 A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

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

. Land sales began in 1853, the same year the name was changed to Queenscliff by Lieutenant Charles La Trobe, in honour of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

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

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

, Queenscliff soon became an important

cargo In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

, servicing

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

s 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 A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

role. Fort Queenscliff was built between 1879 and 1889, and operated as the command centre for a network of

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

s around the port.

1880s seaside resort boom

Queenscliff became a tourist destination in the late 19th century, visitors arriving from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

after a two-hour journey on the

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

, ''

Ozone Ozone () (or trioxygen) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , break ...

''. The opening of a railway line to

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...

in 1879 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), the Vue Grande Hotel in 1883, and the Queenscliff Hotel in 1887.

Decline

The advent of the

car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

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. 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 The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. ...

listed sites, including: * 1 Weeroona Parade and 2 Wharf Street, Fisherman's Shed * 44 Gellibrand Street, Lathamstowe * 42 Gellibrand Street, Ozone Hotel * 60-62 Gellibrand Street, Pilots Cottages * 16 Gellibrand Street, Queenscliff Hotel * Symonds Street, Queenscliff Pier and Lifeboat Complex * 20 Symonds Street, Queenscliff railway station * 26 King Street, Rosenfeld * 42 Mercer Street, Roseville Cottage * 16-26 Hobson Street, St George the Martyr Church and Parish Hall * 80 Mercer Street, Warringah * Corner Wharf Street and Gellibrand Street, Wreck Bell * 133-135 Hesse St, Shortlands Bluff

Arts and culture

Festivals

The Queenscliff Seafood Feast, 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,Queenscliff Music Festival
/ref> 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 Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

club which participates in the Bellarine Football League. Golfers play at the Queenscliff Golf Club at Swan Island.

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.

Transport

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

on the

. 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

Notable people

* Thomas Howard Fellows (1822-78), rower and politician ( Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria) * Darcy Gardiner (born 1995), footballer (

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

) * Les Jones (1907-82), footballer (

North Melbourne North Melbourne is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-west of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City of Melbourne Local government ar ...

) * Ron Shapter (1905-77), footballer ( South Melbourne, Fitzroy & Essendon) * Harry Smith (1893-1960), footballer ( Fitzroy &

) * Peter Stephens (1879-1946), footballer (

) * George Todd (1903-86), footballer (

) * Jim Warren (1903-77), footballer (

)

References

External links

Queenscliffe Historical Museum website

Queenscliffe Historical Museum

Queenscliffe Maritime Museum

Queensclliff - Tourism Victoria

Fort Queenscliff Museum

Saint George The Martyr Church Queenscliff

Queenscliff Visitor Guide

Point Lonsdale Visitor Guide
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Towns in Barwon (region) Borough of Queenscliffe Bellarine Peninsula Coastal towns in Victoria (state) Seaside resorts in Australia Port Phillip 1836 establishments in Australia Ports and harbours of Victoria (state) Fishing communities in Australia