Queenscliffe Maritime Museum

The Queenscliffe Maritime Museum was built in 1986 to display Queenscliff's last Lifeboat.  Since then, the Museum has expanded to cover the maritime history of Queenscliff and Southern Port Phillip. This history includes the Bay Steamersd Weeroona, Hygeia, and Ozone. Old post cards of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale, artefacts from shipwrecks, a display of early diving equipment including a divers suit and helmet air compressor and early scuba equipment.

The Museum houses a unique hydrographic model of "The Rip" which shows the underwater contours at Port Phillip Heads and the shipping channel, a display which tells the fascinating history of the Port Phillip Sea Pilots and a work boat from the Pilot cutter "Wyuna". An extensive history of Victorian Lighthouses including flashers, lamps globes and intact fresnel lenses are also displayed.

On display are artefacts and a history of the Chinese fishermen, the couta fishermen and a restored Fisherman's Cottage.  The boat shed contains the history of the early Queenscliff boat builders, couta boats, boatbuilding tools, outboard and early marine motors and an oar making machine.

In the Museum grounds you will discover the heritage listed Fishermen's Waiting Shed from the old fisherman's pier which holds the world renowned ship paintings by Henry Zanoni, the deck house from the "Shandon", an iron sailing ship built in 1883. An array of channel markers, buoys and anchors and the hull of the torpedo boat "Lonsdale" are buried in the grounds of the Museum

Museum volunteers conduct tours of Point Lonsdale Lighthouse every Sunday morning between 9.30am and 1.00pm at half hourly intervals Price $6.00 - $4.00 (children under 5 years not admitted).

Annual Event:  Maritime Collectables Swap Meet - first Sunday in December each year.