Queenscliff

Queenscliff is a historic seaside town on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Part of the Borough of Queenscliffe, it is notable for its well-preserved Victorian-era architecture, maritime and military heritage including Fort Queenscliff, its harbour and beaches, and as the western terminal of the Searoad Ferries service across The Rip to Sorrento.

Visitors can expect a compact historic coastal town with heritage streetscapes along Hesse Street, sheltered beaches on Port Phillip Bay and ocean frontage near The Rip, Queenscliff Harbour with marina and fishing boats, Fort Queenscliff and the Queenscliff Maritime Museum, the Bellarine Railway heritage train, cafes, galleries and boutique accommodation, and ferry connections to the Mornington Peninsula. The setting combines calm bay waters, coastal reserves and Swan Bay wetlands.

Surveyed in 1853 as a fishing village and pilot station for Port Phillip Bay, Queenscliff became a key maritime pilot service base and Victorian-era seaside resort. Fort Queenscliff was established in 1860 as part of the Port Phillip Heads coastal defence system and remains an important 19th-century military installation. The town retains extensive Victorian architecture and was connected by railway in 1879.

Queenscliff is recognised for its preserved Victorian heritage townscape, maritime culture centred on pilot services, fishing and the harbour, and its role in Port Phillip Bay defence history. It is a popular heritage tourism destination on the Bellarine Peninsula with museums and historic sites interpreting coastal and naval heritage.