| Address: | 1 King Street |
|---|---|
| Suburb: | Queenscliff |
1860
Fort Queenscliff stems from humble beginnings. In 1860, in the aftermath of the Crimean War and a perceived threat of invasion, a sea wall was built near the upper lighthouse on Shortland’s Bluff, behind which was housed the first battery of guns in 1863. Fortification works began in 1879 at the recommendation of Lt General Sir William Jervois, with the (existing) railway line and station built in the same year to facilitate these construction works and provide more immediate access for military personal between Geelong and Queenscliff.
With established telegraph links to Melbourne and its position in the heads, Fort Queenscliff became the command post in the defence system and was required to withstand attack from sea and land. Landward wall and ditch defences began in 1882. Both Fort Nepean and Fort Queenscliff maintained service during both world wars while others were made redundant with developments in long-range artillery.
Queenscliff’s military history and associated built heritage provides not only counterpoints to both Fishermen’s Flat and the main trading precinct, but the Fort more globally creates legible links to the British Empire and Australia’s coming of age.
‘Fort Queenscliff’ from Lathamstowe, 1890. (Image courtesy of the Queenscliffe Historical Museum).
‘Fort Queenscliff’, J. W. Lindt 1920. (Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria).
‘Love and War’, F. A Sleap engraver, 1889. (Image courtesy of the State Library of Victoria).
‘Firing the 6 inch gun at Fort Queenscliff’, ca. 1929 (Argus Newspaper Collection of Photographs, State Library of Victoria).
