Queenscliff, Victoria
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Queenscliff is a small town that lies on the Bellarine Peninsula. It is one of the endpoints of the Searoad ferry to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.
The area was first inhabited by the Bengalat Bulag Clan of the Wathaurong Tribe, a member of the Kulin nation. In 1802 the first European explorers arrived, Lieutenant John Murray in January and Captain Matthew Flinders in April. The first European to live in the area was convict escapee William Buckley between 1803 and 1835. Permanent settlement began in 1836, when squatters arrived in the area known as Whale Head. The name was changed to Shortlands Bluff in honour of Lieutenant Shortland, who assisted in the surveying of Port Phillip Bay. Land sales began in 1853, the same year the name was changed to Queensliff by Lieutenant La Trobe, in honour of Queen Victoria.
Originally a fishing village, Queenscliff soon became an important cargo port, servicing steamships that operated in Port Philip Bay. A shipping pilot service was established in 1841, and lighthouses were constructed in 1862. Queenscliff also played an important military role. Fort Queenscliff was built between 1879 and 1889, and operated as the command center for a network of forts around the bay. The complex ceased operations as a fort in 1947, and has since been used by the army for administrative purposes. In 2005, the area 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.
Queenscliff became a tourist destination in the late 1800s, with visitors arriving from Melbourne via a two hour journey on the paddlesteamer Ozone. The opening of a railway line to Geelong in 1879 brought increasing tourists to the area, and numerous luxury hotels were built to accommodate this. The Palace Hotel was built in 1879 (later renamed Esplanade Hotel), the Baillieu Hotel was built in 1881 (later renamed Ozone Hotel), the Vue Grande Hotel was built in 1883, and the Queenscliff Hotel was built in 1887. The advent of the motor 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 completely in 1976.
The 1980s saw a growth in Queenscliff's popularity.
| Borough of Queenscliffe (All Melbourne Suburbs) |
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| Swan Island | Port Phillip Bay | |
| Queenscliff | Port Phillip Bay See also: Searoad ferry |
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| Point Lonsdale | Bass Strait | Port Phillip Bay |