Queenscliff

Queenscliff sits on Wadawurrung Country, the traditional custodians of the Geelong region and Bellarine Peninsula who have cared for this coastline for thousands of years. European settlement began in earnest after 1836, and the town was formally named in 1853 to honour Queen Victoria. Its strategic position at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay made it the focus of colonial defence planning, and Fort Queenscliff - constructed between 1860 and 1889 on Shortland's Bluff - remains one of the best-preserved nineteenth-century coastal artillery forts in Australia. Guided tours run on Monday, Friday, and weekends, taking visitors through underground ammunition magazines, gun emplacements, and 150 years of military history. Adult admission is $25; children $9; family $50.

The town's two lighthouses tell a complementary story of maritime safety. The Queenscliff High Light - a striking black iron tower inside the fort grounds and the sole black lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere - was built in 1862 alongside the white Low Light to replace an earlier 1843 sandstone structure. Together they guided ships through the treacherous Rip at the bay entrance, where the tidal race can run at up to nine knots. Both towers are visible on a walk through the fort precinct, and the harbour foreshore gives excellent vantage for photography at golden hour.

The waters around the Queenscliff Heads form part of the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, recognised for extraordinary marine biodiversity. Sea All Dolphin Swims, operating from the harbour for over thirty years, runs 3.5-hour snorkel tours to Pope's Eye Marine Reserve and Chinaman's Hat, where 30 to 40 young Australian Fur Seals haul out year-round. Burrunan Dolphins - a species found only in southern Australian waters - are resident in the bay, and Humpback Whales pass through during winter. Scuba divers rate the Rip and surrounding reefs among the top dive sites in Victoria for nudibranchs, weedy sea dragons, and giant cuttlefish.

On land, the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum at the historic harbour precinct charts the town's seafaring past through shipwreck relics, tidal displays, and boatbuilding equipment. The Bellarine Railway steams along a restored heritage track, and the Vue Grand Hotel - an ornate 1881 coffee palace that once hosted Melbourne day-trippers arriving by paddle steamer - still operates as a boutique hotel with a respected restaurant. Hesse Street's cafes and galleries thrive on the trade of weekenders from Melbourne, and the annual Queenscliff Music Festival each November draws international and local acts to heritage venues across town.\n\nThe town is compact and almost entirely walkable. Queenscliff Harbour Reserve, managed by Parks Victoria, provides free car parking, picnic facilities, and a boat ramp. The Searoad Ferries terminal sits right at the harbour, linking the Bellarine and Mornington peninsulas in under 40 minutes for a popular loop drive from Melbourne. Queenscliff is roughly 104 km south of Melbourne via the Princes Freeway and the Bellarine Highway - about 90 minutes in normal traffic - making it one of the most accessible genuine heritage destinations in regional Victoria.