History

TRADITIONAL LAND OWNERS

The region’s original inhabitants were the Wathaurung people (also called Wathaurong, Wadawurrung, and Wadda Wurrung), who occupied the land for at least 25,000 years.

EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT

In 1803, Port Phillip Bay’s first European settlers arrived, though they abandoned the area a year later. They left behind a convict named William Buckley, who escaped and befriended the Wathaurung tribe. It’s believed he lived with them for over 30 years in a cave underneath the Point Lonsdale lighthouse, before he rejoined a new crop of settlers in the 1830s.

THE GOLD RUSH

When the Victorian gold rush hit, hundreds of ships sought harbour in Port Phillip Bay. As a result, the Queenscliff township was born.

Unfortunately, many ships were lost due to turbulent weather conditions in the Rip, which is considered one of the world’s most dangerous sea passages. Three lighthouses were built to guide them: the Queenscliff High Light at Shortland’s Bluff, the Queenscliff Low Light, and, eventually, the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse.