Tag:seaside
The historic town of Queenscliff is situated on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula 90 minutes from Melbourne. Nearby is Point Lonsdale (and a third lighthouse). Surrounded on three sides by water, Queenscliff is a popular seaside resort. It is known for its Victorian-era heritage-listed buildings and two lighthouses.
History
In January 1802, the first European explorers arrived with Lieutenant John Murray. This was followed by Captain Matthew Flinders in April. The first European settler was escaped convict William Buckley in 1803. Buckley briefly lived in a cave with local aborigines at Point Lonsdale, above which the lighthouse was later built. In 1836, permanent settlement began with the arrival of squatters. The area was then named Shortlands Bluff in honour of Lieutenant John Shortland who had assisted in the surveying of Port Phillip. In 1853 Lieutenant Charles La Trobe renamed the area Queenscliff in honour of Queen Victoria.
Originally a fishing village, Queenscliff evolved into a major cargo port servicing steamships trading in Port Phillip Bay. In 1841, a shipping pilot service was established to lead the boats through the treacherous rip that runs through Port Phillip Heads.
The Notorious Rip
The ‘rip’, also known as “The Heads”, is a narrow waterway connecting Bass Strait to Port Phillip Bay and is the only maritime route providing access to Port Phillip Bay. While the entrance between Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean is 3.5km wide, protruding reefs reduce the shipping channel to only 1km wide. In addition, large tides flow through the narrow channel from the bay to the ocean; this, coupled with the high rocky sea bed, puts it on the list of one of the ten most treacherous navigatable passages in the world. It’s a passage that has claimed many ships and lives. As a result, two lighthouses were added at Queenscliff in 1862-63, the High Light and Low light, with the Pt Lonsdale Lighthouse and foghorn added in 1867.
Lighthouses
The High Light, also known as the Black Lighthouse, is situated on the grounds of Fort Queenscliff. It is one of only three black lighthouses in the world and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. The Low Light – a White lighthouse stands at the entrance to Port Phillip from Bass Strait, overlooking the ‘rip’. On either side of the White Lighthouse are two skeletal towers showing red and green lights that blink in unison, defining the correct course through the Rip.
Tourist Boom and Decline
In the late 19th century, Queenscliff boomed with visitors arriving from Melbourne after a two-hour paddle steamer journey. The railway line opened in 1879, bringing more tourists, and numerous luxury hotels sprung up to accommodate the influx of visitors. However, with the advent of the car, Queenscliff entered its decline, as tourists could now drive themselves anywhere within the state and were no longer reliant on Queenscliff as a transport hub. As a result, the railway ceased weekly passenger services in 1950. Instead, the train now operates passenger service between Queenscliff and Drysdale, with diesel and steam trains for the Blues Train, Day Out With Thomas Weekends, Santa Trains and Charter Experiences.
Revival
In the 1980’s tourism again turned its sights to Queenscliff. As there is no bridge connecting both sides of the bay, in 1987, the first Searoad ferry carrying 35 cars and passengers connected Sorrento with Queenscliff. This turned a 211km/3hr drive into a one-hour sea road in comfort. In 1993 a larger ferry, the M.V Queenscliff, commenced service, doubling the vehicle capacity and providing greater comfort for passengers. Searoad Ferries now run two ferries on an hourly service from Queenscliff to Sorrento, with a ferry leaving each side on the hour and passing each other in the bay.
Heritage Buildings
Listed on the Victorian Heritage Register are the following Queenscliff buildings:
- Fishermans Shed – I Weeroona Parade and 2 Wharf St
- Lathamstowe – built as a sanatorium for the Anglican Clergy
- Ozone Hotel, 42 Gellibrand Street – now converted to apartments
- Pilots cottages – 60-62 Gellibrand Street – built in 1854 for the sea pilots of Port Phillip
- Queenscliff Hotel – 16 Gellibrand Street
- Wreck Bell, Corner of Gellibrand and Wharf Streets
- Fort Queenscliffe Museum, Cnr of King and Gellibrand Streets
- Queenscliff Pier and Lifeboat Complex, Symonds Street,
- Queenscliff Railway Station – 20 Symonds Street
- Rosenfeld, 26 King Street,
- Roseville Cottage, 42 Mercer Street,
- Warringah, 80 Mercer Street
- St George the Martyr Church and Parish Hall, 16-26 Hobson Street
Mermaids! The word conjures up visions of beautiful sea creatures. Since the Disney version, their image has been seriously sanitised as Hans Christian Anderson’s story in 1837 was much darker. With the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish, they were also known as sirens, luring fishermen to their death. Their gift brought misfortune upon those it was bestowed on, and if a mermaid were offended, it would bring floods or other disasters.
Mermen
The male equivalent of a mermaid is a merman. Although sightings of mermen were less common than mermaids, there is still a lot of traditions and folklore about them.
Our Cast
Fortunately, for our mermaid shoot, our three mermaids and one merman weren’t dangerous. But like an actual mermaid, they did all have great difficulty walking over the sand with their tails on 😉
Our cast for the shoot were Jess Garrett, Jess Carolyn, Emily Reinhard and Michael Nguyen. All were great sports perching on hard, sharp rocks or flapping about in the water.
Jess Carolyn was our pregnant mermaid with a baby mermaid due in the next few weeks.
The day was warm, so they were all more than happy to hop into the water for us this time.
