The history of Port Phillip Bay

Port Phillip Bay and surrounds are rich with Aboriginal and European history. Explore the shoreline and you will discover the many markers that have been preserved to plot important historic sites.

Many Aboriginal tribes camped on the shores of the bay, attracted by the rich harvest of food available from the sea and land. Middens and heritage sites are evidence of how they lived by the bay for thousands of years. But the face of the bay was to change forever when the Royal Navy's Lieutenant John Murray sailed into Port Phillip on the Lady Nelson in 1802.

Bay 'found'
Lieutenant John Murray in the Lady Nelson discovered the entrance to Port Phillip in late 1801. Rough weather and the dangerous waters prevented him from entering the bay. He made another attempt early in 1802 and 'took possession' of the bay for Britain, calling it Port King. It was later changed to Port Phillip, in honour of Captain Arthur Phillip who led the First Fleet.

Flinders sails in
Six weeks after Murray claimed the bay for Britain, navigator and explorer Matthew Flinders arrived in his ship Investigator. The energetic Flinders scaled Arthurs Seat, the highest point, for a sweeping view of the surrounding land and bays. Flinders was impressed, reporting back to Governor King that the land had 'a pleasing and, in many parts, a fertile appearance'. He predicted it would be good for cattle but even better for sheep. Thirty years later, the squatters who flocked in proved his prediction correct.

A race to settle
Britain was worried the French would beat them in the race to settle Port Phillip. So they dispatched Lieutenant Colonel David Collins and his party in two ships on 27 April 1803. On board were 19 settlers, 26 settlers' wives and children, 50 marines, civil officers, 299 male convicts and 29 convicts' wives and children.

They arrived in October and established the bay's first white settlement at Sullivan Bay, near what is now Sorrento. It was short-lived. Water was scarce, the narrow bay entrance was treacherous, timber was in short supply and they were vulnerable to attack. Collins abandoned the camp and went to Van Diemen's Land to establish Hobart. Today you can visit the Collins Settlement Historic Site at Sorrento and learn about his struggle to build a thriving settlement.

The 'Wild White Man'
William Buckley was an escaped convict who became known as the 'Wild White Man', after living with the Koori people of the bays and peninsulas for 32 years. He was one of the 299 convicts sent to Sullivan Bay, but Buckley and a handful of others escaped in December 1803. Aiming for Sydney, Buckley and his mates lost their way and finished up on the other side of the bay, near Indented Head. The others decided to return but Buckley pressed on and met Aborigines who took him in until he met John Batman's party 32 years later.

Settlement in earnest
In 1835, Van Diemen's Land grazier John Batman and a bunch of like-minded men started work to develop Port Phillip, even though they fell out with the government of the day. Desperate for new land, Batman headed an expedition that landed at Indented Head. He made a treaty for most of the land around the bay with local Aborigines near what is now Melbourne. Batman met a fellow Van Diemen's Land resident camped near the Yarra River, John Pascoe Fawkner. Fawkner had similar ideas about creating a new settlement and was in direct competition with Batman, and both have gone down in history as founders of Melbourne.

Tapping into the lifeblood
Shipping was the lifeblood of the fledgling settlement, bringing supplies and a steady stream of settlers. Queenscliff grew as a military and maritime centre, with a pilot service established in 1838. Lighthouses and a lifeboat rescue service were added in the 1850s. This coincided with a massive increase in shipping when gold was discovered in Victoria, sparking a worldwide rush of migrants seeking their fortunes. Worried about the threat of disease from the newcomers, authorities constructed a quarantine station at Portsea in 1852.

Boom towns
The gold rush lead to the rapid expansion of Melbourne and nearby Geelong. Wealth led to the construction of many fine public and private buildings, including imposing churches, hotels and homes. People had the money and time to play. They travelled in paddle steamers and coaches to the seaside, to places like Portsea, Sorrento and Queenscliff; resorts that grew as they became more popular.

The towns retain their Victorian-era charm with many elegant buildings still serving today's visitors. Williamstown also has many fascinating historic buildings and an ambience reflecting its rich history.

Bathing boxes dotted around the bay are all part of the history and their colourful revival adds another dimension to a bay visit.

A fort against any storm
In the 1880s, Melburnians, nervous about out-of-towners stealing their gold rush wealth, constructed massive forts on both sides of the bay's entrance to repel seaborne raiders. As well as Point Nepean and Queenscliff, more big guns were placed at Swan Island, Fort Franklin and the South Channel Fort. Although it never fired a shot in anger, Fort Queenscliff played a role in both world wars. On orders from Fort Queenscliff, the first artillery shots were fired by the British Empire in World War I when a gun at Fort Nepean fired across the bow of a German freighter attempting to escape to sea. The same gun, with a different barrel, also fired the first Australian artillery shot of World War II. Tours now take visitors into the hearts of Fort Nepean and Fort Queenscliff where the gun emplacements, labyrinth of tunnels and fortifications are stark reminders of colonial invasion fears.