Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
The Queenscliffe Maritime Museum has developed from Queenscliffe Lifeboat Preservation Society Incorporated which oversaw the early stages of restoration of the vessel and the establishment of the Maritime museum which opened in 1986 to display the lifeboat. The Museum has since expanded to cover the maritime history of Queenscliff, Southern Port Phillip and Bass Strait. In 1998 the name was changed to the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum to better reflect the ever expanding collection.
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Tours
Between Saturday 7 February 2026 and Sunday 22 February 2026
Visit the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse and take part in a tour, exploring the lighthouse lantern and admiring the spectacular views over the entrance to Port Phillip Heads and along the coast to Ocean Grove and Cape Schanck.
Conditions of Entry:
- Lighthouse tours are not suitable for people with heart pacemakers due to telecommunications equipment, or people who suffer claustrophobia or vertigo.
- Children must be 5 years old and 90cm tall to climb the lighthouse.
- Solid footwear must be worn; no thongs, slip-ons, or high heels.
Your punctuality is greatly appreciated! It would be best to arrive 10 minutes before your booking time.
Each tour lasts approximately 30 minutes and has a maximum capacity of eight (8) persons.
No cancellations or refunds are available, however you may reschedule your booking using by contacting the Event Organiser 48 hours before your booking time.
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse
GIANTS OF THE SOUTHERN SEAS: VICTORIA'S PREHISTORIC COAST
Sunday 1 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event - Join palaeontologist, Ben Francischelli, on a journey more than 30 million years in the making! Dive into Victoria's prehistoric ocean to uncover bone-crushing sharks the size of a Humpback whale, giant Killer sperm whales and other fascinating creatures. In this one-off talk, Ben will uncover the evolutionary history of Victoria over the last 30 million years, including along our very own Bellarine Coast. Ben will showcase hundreds or real fossils on the day that you can touch and share some of the newest fossil discoveries from the Bellarine Peninsula, Bayside Melbourne and the Surf Coast.
Ben will showcase hundreds of real fossils on the day that you can touch, and share some of the newest fossil discoveries from the Bellarine Peninsula, Bayside Melbourne and the Surf Coast.
These tickets won't take millions of years to sell out, so get in quickly to secure your spot!
Perfect for: Marine-curious Adults, Families, Primary School students (grades 2-6) and Secondary School students.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
THE STORY OF CAYZER BOATS
Sunday 1 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
The Cayzer family in conversain conversation with Michael Cathcart
From watching Anders Hanson, the region’s first boatbuilder, at work, to shaping Queenscliff’s
fishing fleet and ferries, The Story of Cayzer Boats is a multi-generational tale of craftsmanship,
resilience, and life on the water. Spanning wartime work, post-war growth, industry change, and
modern restoration practice, this conversation explores how one family helped define
boatbuilding in Queenscliff, and why those skills still matter today.
Bar Open - drinks at bar prices.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE MARITIME COLLECTION.
Between Monday 2 March 2026 and Monday 9 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Special guided tour of the Museum and archives.
Step beyond the public galleries and into the Museum’s archive and collection spaces for a rare
behind-the-scenes experience. Led by our guides, this special tour offers a deeper look at the
stories, photographs, and objects rarely seen by visitors, with a particular focus on 100 years of
the Lifeboat Queenscliffe and the people who served on her.
Numbers limited to 15 participants
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
THE RISE & DEMISE OF AUSTRALIA’S BARRACOUTA FISHING INDUSTRY
Monday 2 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Phillipa Hall - Senior Conservation Architect - RBA Architects + Conservation Consultants
Along Victoria’s rugged Bass Strait coastline, a chain of ports known as the ‘couta coast’ once
powered a booming barracouta fishing industry. Faced with dangerous waters and the
challenges of The Rip, Queenscliff fishermen and local boatbuilders developed the iconic couta
boat, a vessel that transformed the industry and supplied millions of pounds of fish to Victorian
tables.
This talk explores how the industry rose, flourished, and ultimately collapsed in the mid-1970s,
and how the legacy of the couta boat endures today as a symbol of maritime ingenuity and
coastal culture.
Bar Open - drinks at bar prices.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
OUR SAILING HISTORY: SHIPWRECKS OF QUEENSCLIFF & SURROUNDS
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Heritage Victoria - Danielle Wilkinson and Liam Phillips are maritime archaeologists
with Heritage Victoria, working to protect historic shipwrecks under Victorian and
Commonwealth heritage legislation. Both are occupationally qualified SCUBA divers
with postgraduate training in maritime archaeology and have worked on shipwreck
sites in Australia and internationally.
Situated just inside the treacherous Heads, Queenscliff is surrounded by one of Victoria’s
richest concentrations of shipwrecks. These wrecks offer a remarkable window into the
history of shipping, trade, and life along the coast, spanning more than a century. This talk
explores the challenges of recording, conserving, and protecting underwater heritage,
where fragile shipwrecks must be carefully managed while still allowing respectful access
and public understanding. It also traces the journey of artefacts, legally and, at times,
illegally recovered that have found a final home at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum.
Join us as we uncover the stories of nearby wrecks including William Salthouse,
Sacramento, Holyhead, George Roper, and others, and learn how you can play a role in
protecting these historic sites for future generations.
Bar Open - drinks at bar prices.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
ALL ABOUT THE BAY RESEARCH
Wednesday 4 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Victoria’s marine habitats – what we have, what we have lost, and how we are getting it
back
Presenters: Prof. Tim Dempster, Laney Callahan, Rick Verkooijen
Deakin Marine Scientific Research and Innovation Centre
Victorians love our coasts and bays, particularly in summer where we stream out across its
shores. But what we see now beneath the waves has changed dramatically over the past 100
years. Many species, such as kelp, oysters and seagrasses that formed extensive underwater
reefs and forests are in steep decline, and the ecosystem has shifted to simpler states with less
biodiversity. But there is hope – we have discovered new ways to recover these lost habitats
and teams are rapidly rolling out restoration programs. This talk will cover Victoria’s unique
marine biodiversity, the habitats we have lost and give insights into the teams of managers,
indigenous ranger groups and scientists who are restoring our marine estate.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
FIRST PEOPLES OF THE SEA & COAST
Wednesday 4 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Ash Skinner — Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation
A historical overview of the local first people's relationship with the Sea & Coast.
Bar Open - drinks at bar prices.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed - Queenscliff Maritime Museum
THROUGH WOMEN'S EYES - IWD MORNING TEA
Thursday 5 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 eventJoin us for a panel conversation hosted by Hannie Rayson, featuring women who work in, care
for, and are deeply connected to the marine and maritime environment. Through personal
stories and professional insight, the panel explores what it means to live, work, and steward the
sea and coast, and why women’s perspectives are vital to its future.
Tarra
MARITIME CULTURE OF THE QUEENSCLIFF FISHING COMMUNITY
Friday 6 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Adjunct Professor Brad Duncan
Dr Brad Duncan is currently the Senior Maritime Archaeologist of the Maritime Heritage
Program for the NSW Heritage and an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the Department of
Archaeology, University of New England. Discover the hidden expertise behind Queenscliff’s fishing families and the knowledge that
kept lives and vessels safe.
From the early days of settlement, fishing shaped everyday life along Southern Port Phillip.
In Queenscliff, a diverse fishing community grew around Fishermen’s Flat, working the rich
seasonal fisheries and developing an intimate understanding of the sea, weather, and
coastline. Drawing on archival research, archaeology, and first-hand oral histories, this talk
brings those stories to life. It reveals how local fishers’ deep knowledge not only sustained
families and fed communities, but also played a crucial role in shipwreck rescues and
maritime safety.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
THE MEN OF THE LIFEBOAT QUEENSCLIFFE - AND WHAT CAME NEXT
Friday 6 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Michael Cathcart in conversation with the remaining Queenscliffe lifeboat crew and the Queenscliffe Coast
Guard members
A rare opportunity to hear directly from those who risked their lives at sea, and those who carry that
responsibility forward today.
Bar Open - drinks at bar prices.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
TOURS OF THE LIFEBOAT SHED
Between Saturday 7 March 2026 and Monday 9 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Book your place for a special guided tour of the Lifeboat Shed on the pier, a historic structure rarely open to the public.
The shed which housed the lifeboat is located on the Queenscliff 'New' or 'Steamer' Pier (built in 1884). This
shed includes the internal section of the slipway used to launch and retrieve the lifeboat.
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
THE BOAT SHED GIG NIGHT
Saturday 7 March 2026
Maritime History week 2026 event
Shedding the Blues proudly presents — Live Music by the Sea
A high-energy night of live music and dancing in the Gill Allbutt Boat Shed, featuring a line-up of Shedding the
Blues bands for a great night out.
Bar open — drinks at bar prices
Gil Allbutt Boat Shed – Queenscliff Maritime Museum
'Pilot On Board' - Maritime Museum Fundraising Dinner
Saturday 4 October 2025
Queenscliffe Maritime Museum Fundraising Dinner - 'Pilot on Board' (Please note change of date to 4 October 2025)
"With short, sharp, violent lights made vivid, To Southward far as the sight can roam,
Only the swirl of the surges livid, the seas that climb and surfs that comb"
Adam Lindsay Gordon 1870
Join us for an evening of fine dining, maritime storytelling, and a silent auction in support of the Museum.
Featuring Michael Cathcart, Author, Historian, Broadcaster "In Conversation" with Port Phillip Pilot, Captain David Burns.
Tickets: $99 per person (incl. GST)
Includes a two-course meal, a drink on arrival and a shared cheese platter.
All bookings via this website.
For all enquiries regarding Group bookings, table reservations and any dietary requirements, please either call the museum on 0352583440 or email us at info@maritimequeenscliffe.org.au
360Q Restaurant
The Salty Secrets Tour
Thursday 17 July 2025
Join us on a school holiday tour of museum collections and discover the secrets of shipwrecks, local pirate treasure, and the history of amazing marine technology - from diving suits to pilot boats. Explore with us as you get a chance to climb onto a real pilot vessel on display, see beautiful marine murals painted by fishermen, and hear stories about life on and around the water for different people. Suitable for marine-curious families with kids and adults.
Ticketing:
Full Fare: $12
Concession: $10
Child (5-14): $6
Under 5: Free
Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
HMAS Goorangai: The story via the Queenscliff perspective
Saturday 3 May 2025
Many stories of Australians’ involvement in WWII have been researched. However, only a few of these stories have taken place in Australia, away from the European theatre of war. Aside from the aerial attacks on Darwin by Japanese forces (1942), and the battle between HMAS Sydney and German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran (1941), the Goorangai tragedy, taking place at the mouth of Port Phillip Bay (1940), remains little known. Join us in the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum’s Gil Allbutt Boatshed on May 3rd to hear historian Andrew Campbell present the full story of the HMAS Goorangai, and its little-known collision with the passenger motorship MV Duntroon. This collision resulted in the sinking of the HMAS Goorangai, which became the first Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ship lost in WW II, and the first RAN surface ship lost in wartime with all hands.
Gil Allbutt Boatshed at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
School Holiday Sea Stories in the Boatshed
Wednesday 16 April 2025
These school holidays join children’s books authors Diane Jackson Hill and Kerri Erler in the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum’s Gil Allbutt Boatshed, as they read their stories about amazing animals at sea; Wind catcher: Migration of the Short-tailed Shearwater and Bozo the Brave. Through these stories you will join a short-tailed shearwater called Hope on her 30,000 kilometer migration from Griffiths Island, Victoria, to the Antarctic Circle, as well as the cocker spaniel Bozo’s epic journey navigating the dangerous waters of ‘The Rip’, after he falls off a fisherman’s boat.
After the story readings, children will get a chance to enact the stormy winds that help and hinder Hope, with streamers and musical accompaniment. They will also create their very own illustrations of Bozo and Hope’s journeys, inventing alternative outcomes for these adventurous characters.
Perfect for: Primary school students aged 6-10, Cost: $6 per child, parents/carers free.
Gil Allbutt Boatshed at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Prehistoric giants of the Victorian coast at the Boatshed
Saturday 12 April 2025
Join paleontologist Ben Francischelli on a journey 30 million years in the making! Dive into Victoria's prehistoric ocean to uncover bone-crushing sharks the size of a Humpback whale, among other fascinating creatures. In this one-off talk, Ben will uncover the evolutionary history of Victoria in the last 30 million years, and the radical megafauna that once lived here, including along our very own Bellarine Coast!
Ben will showcase hundreds of real fossils on the day that you can touch, and share some of the newest fossil discoveries from the Bellarine Peninsula, bayside Melbourne and Surf Coast. While the workshop will focus on the giants of the undersea, Ben will introduce audiences to some special land dwellers too; including the largest marsupial predator of all time, Thylacoleo, the real-life inspiration for the mythical Drop-Bear.
Perfect for: Marine-curious Adults, Families, Primary School students (grades 2-6) and Secondary School students.
Gil Allbutt Boatshed at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Garry Kerr: Scallop Fishing in Australia
Saturday 29 March 2025
Join us in the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum’s Gil Allbutt Boatshed to hear documentary filmmaker, renowned fisherman and maritime historian Garry Kerr present his documentary Scallop Fishing in Australia: D'Entrecasteaux Channel to Port Phillip. Hear stories about the realities, joys and challenges of participating in the scallop fishery from 1920 to 1970, captured through this documentary and through Garry’s own tales.
Event details:
Location: Event held in the Gil Allbutt Boatshed. Entry via the museum.
Event duration: 6:30-9:00pm
Arrival time: 6:30 pm for a 6:45 pm start
7:45 pm: Intermission
8:00 pm: Garry Kerr's Q&A
9:00 pm: End
Tickets: $30 per person. Includes entry, viewing of museum galleries and drink on arrival.
Gil Allbutt Boatshed at the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Tours
Between Thursday 8 February 2024 and Sunday 3 November 2024
Visit the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse and take part in a tour, exploring the lighthouse lantern and admiring the spectacular views over the entrance to Port Phillip Heads and along the coast to Ocean Grove and Cape Schanck.
Conditions of Entry:
- Lighthouse tours are not suitable for people with heart pacemakers due to telecommunications equipment, or people who suffer claustrophobia or vertigo.
- Children must be 5 years old and 90cm tall to climb the lighthouse.
- Solid footwear must be worn; no thongs, slip-ons, or high heels.
Your punctuality is greatly appreciated! It would be best to arrive 10 minutes before your booking time.
No cancellations or refunds are available, however you may reschedule your booking using by contacting the Event Organiser 48 hours before your booking time.
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse
New Horizons: QMM in Conversation with Hannie Rayson (CANCELLED)
Friday 11 October 2024
Join us to celebrate and raise funds for the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum's new vision, and get to know the skipper at the helm of these changes, with celebrated author Hannie Rayson.
360Q Restaurant
New Horizons: QMM in Conversation with Hannie Rayson
Friday 11 October 2024
Join us to celebrate and raise funds for the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum's new vision. Get to know the skipper at the helm of these changes, Museum Manager Valentina Bydanova, with celebrated authour Hannie Raysen.
360Q Restaurant
Borough By the Bay Festival: Guided Museum Tour
Sunday 29 September 2024
As part of the Borough by the Bay Festival (Sunday September 29th 2024), the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum invites you to join us for a special tour of museum collections; from shipwreck treasures, to lighthouse lenses and even deckhouses where trading crews would live on long voyages. Explore marine worlds and environments with us as you get a chance to climb onto a real pilot boat on display, see beautiful marine murals painted by fishermen from the days of old, and hear stories about life, death and strife on the water.
Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse Tours (CANCELLED)
Between Saturday 10 February 2024 and Saturday 17 February 2024
Visit the Point Lonsdale Lighthouse and take part in a tour, exploring the lighthouse lantern and admiring the spectacular views over the entrance to Port Phillip Heads and along the coast to Ocean Grove and Cape Schanck.
Conditions of Entry:
- Lighthouse tours are not suitable for people with heart pacemakers due to telecommunications equipment, or people who suffer claustrophobia or vertigo.
- Children must be 5 years old and 90cm tall to climb the lighthouse.
Point Lonsdale Lighthouse
