Fort Queenscliff facts for kids
 Fort Queenscliff Keep |
|
| Location: | Australia |
|---|---|
Fort Queenscliff is a historic military fort located in Victoria, Australia. It was built in 1860 as a battery to protect the entrance to Port Phillip, a large bay leading to Melbourne. Over the years, the Fort grew and became the main command center for many forts around Port Phillip Heads.
Soldiers like artillery (gunners), engineers, and infantry (foot soldiers) lived and worked here. The Fort was continuously used for coastal defense from 1883 to 1946. By 1891, Port Phillip became one of the most heavily defended harbors in the British Empire.
During World War I, the first shots fired by Allied forces came from a gun at Fort Nepean, following orders from Fort Queenscliff. This shot was aimed at a German ship trying to escape. The same gun, with a new barrel, also fired the first Allied shot of World War II. After 1946, coastal forts were no longer needed. Fort Queenscliff then became home to the Army Command and Staff College. Later, it became a base for Army's Soldier Career Management Agency in 2001.
Fort Queenscliff is about 106 kilometers from Melbourne, in the town of Queenscliff. It sits on a high area called Shortland's Bluff, covering 6.7 hectares. From here, it watches over the shipping lanes that lead to Melbourne and Geelong. The Fort is a great example of Australia's coastal defenses from colonial times until the end of World War II. Much work has been done to restore the Fort, including finding old guns, fixing historic buildings, and creating a museum. The Fort is recognized as an important historical site by the National Trust.
Contents
How Queenscliff Town Began
In 1852, the leader of Victoria, C.J. La Trobe, asked a surveyor to plan a town at Shortland's Bluff. A year later, in 1853, a postmaster was appointed to handle mail for Geelong and the Western District. This new settlement was officially named Queenscliff on June 23, 1853. Soon after, the first town lots were sold. Before this, from 1838 to 1843, ship pilot services had started, and a lighthouse was built.
In 1853–54, homes for the pilots and a house for the Health Officer were built. A Customs Officer was also appointed. The town soon got a church, a school, its first hotel, and a second lighthouse. A telegraph office opened in 1855, allowing faster communication.
Over the next few years, Queenscliff continued to grow. More houses, shops, and hotels appeared. By 1863, Hesse Street was the main street. Queenscliff had five hotels, a library, and areas for cricket and recreation. There was also a lifeboat and a jetty. Small steamers began offering trips around the Bay. Churches for different faiths were also being built. A fishing industry started, and people began asking for a railway line.
Defending Port Phillip Bay
The forts around Port Phillip were built in the late 1800s. Their job was to protect Melbourne and nearby towns from possible attacks by foreign powers. At different times, these threats were thought to be from the French, Russians, or even the United States during the American Civil War.
The Crimean War (1853–56) made people worried about Victoria's defenses. In 1859, Captain Peter Scratchley of the British Army came to advise on coastal defenses. He suggested building four large gun batteries at the entrance to Port Phillip, with Shortland's Bluff (where Fort Queenscliff is) being one of them.
Later, in 1877, Lieutenant General Sir William Jervois also came to Victoria to give advice. He and Colonel Scratchley recommended focusing defenses at the entrance to the Bay. Between 1879 and 1886, their plans were put into action, and the Bay defenses were built up.
Fort Queenscliff became a strong battery with powerful cannons. Swan Island, at the northern end of town, also had defenses for the western shipping channel. Two 'island' forts were planned on sandbanks in the Bay. While South Channel Fort was built, work on the other, Pope's Eye, stopped because new gun technology made it unnecessary.
Mines were kept at Swan Island to be placed across shipping channels during wartime. Swan Island was always staffed by engineers. Plans for a gun battery at Point Lonsdale did not go ahead. However, mobile artillery was stationed there during both world wars. Other forts like Fort Nepean, Fort Cheviot, and Fort Pearce were also developed on the eastern side of the Bay.
Fort Queenscliff became the main command center for all the Bay defenses. This was likely because of its important location and its telegraph links to Melbourne. To protect it, a landward defense system was started around the Queenscliff guns in 1882.
By 1886, Port Phillip was the most heavily fortified port in the Southern Hemisphere. For the next fifty years, the Bay Forts were manned. Both Fort Nepean and Fort Queenscliff were fully active during both World Wars. In 1946, Fort Queenscliff stopped being a coastal artillery station.
Building Fort Queenscliff
Military construction at Queenscliff began in 1860. A sea wall was built along the top of Shortland's Bluff using sandstone from Point King. This wall helped strengthen the cliff and allowed heavy guns to be placed high up, right on the edge of the Bluff.
By 1864, the first permanent battery was finished above the sea wall. It was made from local sandstone and cost £1,425. It had a unique four-leaf clover shape and held four 68-pound cannons. These guns were operated by local volunteers.
Building this battery meant new lighthouses were needed. In 1861, contracts were given for new lighthouses to replace older, decaying ones. Both new lighthouses were built from basalt rock and were working by February 1863. The old timber lighthouse was moved to Point Lonsdale to become its first lighthouse. From 1862–63, homes for the lighthouse keepers were built at the Bluff. One of these still stands inside the Fort today.
The main period of development for Fort Queenscliff was from 1879 to 1889. New works recommended by Scratchley and Jervois were started, forming the basis of the Fort's layout today. In 1879, two contracts were given for an upper and a lower battery. These batteries were finished by early 1882, though without guns yet. In 1882, work began on the Fort's walls and a keep (a strong tower). These were completed in 1886. A year later, a dry moat (ditch) was dug around the Fort walls for extra defense.
Many support buildings were also put up. These included a drill hall (1882), barracks (1885), sheds, stores, a guard house (1883), and a separate cell block (1887). Most of these buildings were made from timber and corrugated iron. They were built for function, not fancy looks, and many still exist. Once the wall was built, civilians mostly left the Fort. By 1887, the lighthouse keepers' quarters and the post office were taken over for military use. From then on, regular civilian entry to the Fort was limited.
In 1889, two powerful BL 9.2 inch (234 mm) Mk VI 'counter bombardment' guns were installed. One of these was a 'disappearing' gun, which could hide below ground after firing. Similar guns were also installed at Fort Nepean and other forts in Sydney.
After 1890, there were continuous improvements to the Fort's guns and their positions. Searchlight openings were also added. However, little major building happened until World War I (1914–18). Around 1915, more barracks and mess buildings were added along the northern side of the parade ground.
All the old barrack buildings were pulled down in 1936 to make way for the red brick buildings seen today. Some newer structures have been built outside the Fort walls since the 1930s. Despite these changes, the Fort's overall layout today is much like it was in 1889.
Life as a Soldier at Fort Queenscliff
Over 200 military units have been connected to Fort Queenscliff since the 1860s. The main groups of permanent soldiers here were the coastal gunners (artillery) and their technical support from the fortress engineers. There were also part-time soldiers, called Militia, who would bring the Bay forts to full strength during wartime. They trained at the Fort throughout the year, especially during camps over Easter.
Most soldiers at the Fort were peacetime soldiers. While they were part of the town, soldiers (sometimes called 'leathernecks') often had friendly rivalries with local fishermen ('squids'). Many soldiers married women from Queenscliff. It was common for entire families to join the Service, sometimes across three generations.
The Fort's daily routine guided the soldiers' lives. New recruits received tough training from experienced non-commissioned officers. They had few privileges until they fully joined their regiment. Married recruits were usually not accepted. Soldiers often needed their commanding officer's permission to marry. Before World War I, only a small number of soldiers were allowed married quarters and rations.
Food was very basic and often the same. One story from the early 1900s tells how soldiers went weeks without 'pudding' until they complained. Then, they received a dessert made from boiled cabbage scraps! The Fort even had a soft drink bottling factory to encourage soldiers to drink less alcohol. The 'Artillery' bottles from this factory are now very rare.
Outside the barracks, soldiers and locals enjoyed concerts, music, spelling bees, roller skating, lectures, and lantern slide shows. Sometimes there were military displays and moving picture shows.
A humorist during World War I wrote a poem in 1918 that joked about the soldiers:
"When you take a boat to Queenscliff as you're standing on the shore,
You will see some dinkum soldiers for a cert;
For when they are not drilling or the amber liquid swilling,
They are down there on the lookout for some skirt."
Why Fort Queenscliff is Important
In 1982, the Department of Defence studied Fort Queenscliff to understand its importance. They looked at its history, buildings, and environment. The study found that Shortland's Bluff, where the Fort is, was key to Queenscliff's existence. It was the site of the first lighthouse and pilot's hut, helping ships enter Port Phillip. Later, it had the telegraph station, which gave Melbourne important news from overseas before ships even arrived. It was the civil center of the early town.
In terms of military history, it was the first major attempt to defend Port Phillip's entrance. It later became the main center for the Bay's defenses. The Fort still shows how military engineering quickly changed in the 1800s.
The Fort's importance also comes from its designers, Sir Peter Scratchley and Sir William Jervois. They were very important in designing defenses for the Australian colonies in the 19th century. Fort Queenscliff is one of their largest works. As the central command post for the Bay's defenses, it was the most important Fort.
The site has been used for military purposes for over 120 years and is still occupied by the Australian Army. This continued use has helped keep the Fort as a living piece of history, not just a museum.
Today, the Australian Army works to preserve the Fort as part of Victoria's heritage. The Fort Queenscliff Museum was started in 1982. Its goals are to create displays, find and restore original guns, fix the old fortifications, and raise money. This Museum is approved by the Department of Defence.
Several guns have been found, restored, and put back at Fort Queenscliff. This includes a 12½-tonne 8-inch 'disappearing' gun from South Channel Island. Much work has also been done to restore defensive positions and underground magazines. A large collection of historical documents has also been created. In 1983, the Fort won the 'Museum of the Year' award for Victoria. The Museum gets support from many groups and individuals.
Since 1983, about 35,000 people visit the Fort each year, including many school children on excursions. The ongoing restoration program is expected to bring even more visitors. The Museum's goal is to fully restore the Fort and create a museum where visitors can explore and see many indoor and outdoor displays.
Visitors are encouraged to see Fort Queenscliff as a part of Australia's national heritage, belonging to everyone. The Museum aims to create an experience that interests the public and reminds them of Australia's early military history.
Fort Queenscliff Museum Highlights
The Fort Queenscliff Museum has many special exhibits. The collection includes:
- Documents about the 1860 occupation of Shortland Bluff and Captain Jordan.
- The uniform of Lieutenant Colonel James Newland, who won the Victoria Cross, a very brave award.
- An "Artillery" bottle from the soft drink factory inside the Fort.
- Items related to Sergeant Major Henry Ronald, who had a very long connection with the Fort.
- The collection of Major General W.A. Coxen, a high-ranking officer.
- The Roll Book of the Victorian Permanent Artillery from 1882 to 1905.
- The rifle issued to the soldier who was murdered in Crow's Nest in 1942.
The Museum also has a rare book called "The Artillerist's Manual." It teaches about military drills, gunnery, and even sword exercise. This manual might be one of the oldest Australian military publications.
The Museum is located at 1 King Street, Queenscliff.
Images for kids
-
The mount for an 8" disappearing gun at South Channel Fort, Victoria, Australia
-
The restored BL 8 inch gun, taken during a car show on the parade ground
