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The Queenscliff Harbour
The Queenscliff Harbour
Humans have cruised the waters around Queenscliff peninsula for thousands of years. The indigenous Wathaurong people used paddles and canoes to navigate the Port Phillip coastline and river systems, casting nets and spearfishing as they went. Their canoes were small and lightweight, meaning they could easily be pulled ashore and did not require mooring.
It wasn’t until Europeans arrived with their larger, seagoing vessels that the need for secure harbour around Port Phillip was raised. In 1838, roughly thirty-five years after Lieutenant John Murray claimed Port Phillip for Britain and King George III in 1802, Captain George Tobin began operating a Pilot Service out of a row of beach huts near Shortland’s Bluff, establishing the first white settlement in the area. Protected by the headlands whilst still offering speedy access to Bass Strait, Tobin quickly recognised the practicality launching his boats from these shores. This marked the beginning of Queenscliff’s rich maritime history.
The following decades saw a huge rise in nautical activity, not only here but across Port Phillip and Victoria. Vessels of all descriptions began to call at the harbour, with the towns docking facilities evolving accordingly. Rudimentary piers were built in the 1850s and 60s to accommodate the newly proclaimed townships growing fleet of government vessels and fishing boats. A longer deepwater pier was added in the 1880s.
It wasn’t until the 1930s that the harbour began to resemble what we see here today. 1935 saw a series of severe storms devastate the local fleet, with a number of boats sunk at their moorings between the piers. This prompted discussions around cutting a waterway through the sandspit separating Queenscliff Peninsula and Swan Island, an idea that had been mooted as early as the 1870s.
Originally shunned due to the expense and labour intensive nature of the project, it was finally agreed that a cut would offer far safer anchorage than the piers. The first piles were driven in October, 1935, with two parallel training walls measuring 80m in length set 24m apart close to the shore in Port Phillip to funnel water into the artificial channel across to Swan Bay. Horse drawn scoops were used to remove tonnes of sand and, after extensive shoring up work, the Queenscliff Cut opened on the 28th of April, 1936.
In use ever since, it forms the basis of Queenscliff’s modern port facility. Numerous improvements have been made over the years including significant extensions of each training wall to enhance water flow and the construction of a slipway at the western end. Regular dredging operations are also carried out to prevent sandbars from building up.
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By Searoad FerriesThe Queenscliff Harbour
Humans have cruised the waters around Queenscliff peninsula for thousands of years. The indigenous Wathaurong people used paddles and canoes to navigate the Port Phillip coastline and river systems, casting nets and spearfishing as they went. Their canoes were small and lightweight, meaning they could easily be pulled ashore and did not require mooring.
It wasn’t until Europeans arrived with their larger, seagoing vessels that the need for secure harbour around Port Phillip was raised. In 1838, roughly thirty-five years after Lieutenant John Murray claimed Port Phillip for Britain and King George III in 1802, Captain George Tobin began operating a Pilot Service out of a row of beach huts near Shortland’s Bluff, establishing the first white settlement in the area. Protected by the headlands whilst still offering speedy access to Bass Strait, Tobin quickly recognised the practicality launching his boats from these shores. This marked the beginning of Queenscliff’s rich maritime history.
The following decades saw a huge rise in nautical activity, not only here but across Port Phillip and Victoria. Vessels of all descriptions began to call at the harbour, with the towns docking facilities evolving accordingly. Rudimentary piers were built in the 1850s and 60s to accommodate the newly proclaimed townships growing fleet of government vessels and fishing boats. A longer deepwater pier was added in the 1880s.
It wasn’t until the 1930s that the harbour began to resemble what we see here today. 1935 saw a series of severe storms devastate the local fleet, with a number of boats sunk at their moorings between the piers. This prompted discussions around cutting a waterway through the sandspit separating Queenscliff Peninsula and Swan Island, an idea that had been mooted as early as the 1870s.
Originally shunned due to the expense and labour intensive nature of the project, it was finally agreed that a cut would offer far safer anchorage than the piers. The first piles were driven in October, 1935, with two parallel training walls measuring 80m in length set 24m apart close to the shore in Port Phillip to funnel water into the artificial channel across to Swan Bay. Horse drawn scoops were used to remove tonnes of sand and, after extensive shoring up work, the Queenscliff Cut opened on the 28th of April, 1936.
In use ever since, it forms the basis of Queenscliff’s modern port facility. Numerous improvements have been made over the years including significant extensions of each training wall to enhance water flow and the construction of a slipway at the western end. Regular dredging operations are also carried out to prevent sandbars from building up.