Queenscliff South Pier preservation works
** Project completed **
Vital repairs to help extend the life of Queenscliff South Pier and preserve its heritage values are now complete.
Key information
Vital repairs to the historic Queenscliff South Pier, on Wadawurrung Sea Country, to extend its life and preserve heritage values are now complete.
The Waiting Shed underwent exterior repairs including repairing the gable ends and finials, structural wall frame repairs, replacement of weatherboards and other exterior woodwork. The Lifeboat Shed repairs included external recladding and reroofing, refurbishment of windows and doors and internal repairs to the floor decking, and maintenance painting.
The Queenscliff South Pier and Lifeboat Complex is of historical significance for its associations with the lifeboat service, the sea pilot service, the famous bay ferries and paddle steamers dating back to the 1880s. Today it is a significant maritime heritage asset and a popular place for sightseeing, fishing and commercial dive activities. The original lifeboat shed, built in the 1920s, was sited on the now-buried Fisherman’s Pier before being relocated to its present site on the Queenscliff Pier in 1946. Visitors can see the last surviving motorised lifeboat ‘Queenscliff’ that was housed in the Lifeboat Shed on display at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum.
The revitalised Waiting Shed provides renewed capacity to support future opportunities for community use and consideration of appropriate uses, while also continuing to provide a welcome shelter for anglers and visitors to the pier during inclement weather. Although extensive work has been done to the Lifeboat Shed substructure and exterior, the shed interior has a sloping floor and is not safe for unsupervised public access until further work is done, and it remains closed to the public, as it was prior to this work.
Funding for this project came from Heritage Victoria's Living Heritage Grant program ($500,000) and the Victorian Government's $24 million Piers and Jetties economic stimulus package ($500,000) and overseen by Parks Victoria.
Work undertaken
Recladding and reroofing the Lifeboat Shed.
Doors, windows and louvre panels were removed, refurbished off site and reinstalled.
Stay up to date
For general enquiries email info@parks.vic.gov.au or call Parks Victoria on 13 1963.
Other information
Parks Victoria is the local port Manager for Port Phillip, Western Port and Port Campbell, with the three local ports combined receiving approximately 40 million visits a year, and include 263,000 hectares of waterway, marine protected areas, channels, piers and jetties, moorings and aids to navigation. 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.
Related items
Places to see - Queenscliff South Pier
Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Queenscliff Art Prize exhibition: A free outdoor art exhibition where works by Australian artists are exhibited on Queenscliff South Pier. November 2021 to April 2022.