Queenscliff Pier preservation works

Project duration & key dates

Works commence – June 2020
Works complete – November 2020

Current project phase – Tender evaluation.
The tender for works has now closed and is anticipated to be awarded in early May.

Project funding

$500,000

Project Partner

Living Heritage Grant – Heritage Victoria

Key information

Piles beneath the Waiting Shed and Lifeboat Launching Shed will be repaired ensuring the substructure will support the historic structures for the next 30-40 years.

The Waiting Shed will see repairs to its exterior such as repairing the finials, some roofing and exterior wood work

Change to access
Access to the pier will be closed as works are underway. More information will follow closer to the commencement of works.

Other information

The Queenscliff pier was built in 1884 and was called the ‘Steamer Pier’ as it catered for steamboat use for passengers and carriage of goods.

The Lifeboat Shed was constructed between 1926-29 and included a slipway with roller, channel, keelway and cradle to store the Queenscliff Lifeboat, and relocated to the current site in 1946.

This lifeboat was in service for approximately 50 years, and attended many calls for assistance, including the search for Prime Minister Harold Holt in 1967. Today it can be seen at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum.

The Pier Lifeboat Shed and Waiting Shed were added to the Victorian Heritage Register in 1982 as a symbol of both historical and architectural significance to Victoria, as a rare example of timber pier structures - with few remaining in Victoria.

The pier has featured in many films and television shows over the years, including the popular Miss Fishers Murder Mysteries

Parks Victoria is the local port manager for Port Phillip, Western Port and Port Campbell. These ports span over 263,000 hectares of waterway, marine protected areas, channels, piers and jetties, moorings and aids to navigation, and attract over 80 million visitors last year.

Parks Victoria is responsible for protecting more than 3,000 historic places and objects across the state and plays a stewardship role of sustainably managing these historic places on behalf of the community a diverse collection which is significant in representing key aspects of Victoria’s history.