photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Philip Game | profile | all galleries >> Southeastern Australia (24 galleries) >> Weekends away, in Queenscliff, on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Point Nepean National Park | Wilsons Promontory | Goldfields of Central Victoria (5 galleries) | Great Ocean Road | Weekends away, in Queenscliff, on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula | Up a lazy river... the Murray | South Gippsland Seachange | Melbourne's Street and Contemporary Art | City of Melbourne | Victoria Market, Melbourne | Autumn and winter in Melbourne | Mornington Peninsula | Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne | Royal Melbourne Show | Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne | Coastal Art Trail, Port Phillip Bay | Around the fringes of Melbourne | Victoria's High Country | Walhalla, lost in the Great Dividing Range | Back to the Big Country (6 galleries) | Canberra | Sydney, Harbour City | An Australian Christmas | Meandering through the Mallee | Events around Melbourne, Australia

Weekends away, in Queenscliff, on Victoria's Bellarine Peninsula

Historic Queenscliff on the western side of Port Phillip Bay commands the Heads, the narrow and treacherous entrance to the Bay. Fortified from 1860 onwards, Queenscliff has also been a holiday destination since colonial times, when visitors arrived by steamer from Melbourne. The town boasts many fine Victorian-era homes and some grand hotels and guesthouses.

In 2016 we joined a group of friends celebrating a landmark birthday here, aboard the Blues Train, combining a steam train ride on the old Bellarine Railway with dinner and live blues music on board.

Return visits in 2026 have been prompted by the reopening of the 1888 Queenscliff Hotel, following extensive restoration by new owners. On the most recent occasion, we completed the loop around Port Phillip Bay by boarding the Queenscliff - Sorrento ferry and driving home to Melbourne via the Mornington Peninsula.






The Queenscliff Hotel (1888)
The Queenscliff Hotel (1888) 		Victorian-era landmarks on the seafront
Victorian-era landmarks on the seafront		 Victorian-era landmarks on the seafront
Victorian-era landmarks on the seafront
The 1888 Queen Anne-style Queenscliff Hotel, known for its association with the late restaurateur Mietta O'Donnell
The 1888 Queen Anne-style Queenscliff Hotel, known for its association with the late restaurateur Mietta O'Donnell		 Interior leadlight windows, Queenscliff Hotel
Interior leadlight windows, Queenscliff Hotel		 Queenscliff Hotel, lobby
Queenscliff Hotel, lobby
Looking out from the Queenscliff Hotel
Looking out from the Queenscliff Hotel		 Fort Queenscliff, constructed from 1860 onwards to guard the entrance to Port Phillip Bay
Fort Queenscliff, constructed from 1860 onwards to guard the entrance to Port Phillip Bay 		Colonial-era Fort Queenscliff, still a military installation
Colonial-era Fort Queenscliff, still a military installation
'Black' lighthouse at Queenscliff
'Black' lighthouse at Queenscliff		 'White' lighthouse, Queenscliff
'White' lighthouse, Queenscliff		 Vue Grand Hotel, Queenscliff
Vue Grand Hotel, Queenscliff
Dining room of the Vue Grand Hotel
Dining room of the Vue Grand Hotel		 Leadlight window inside the Vue Grand Hotel
Leadlight window inside the Vue Grand Hotel		 Bellarine Railway station, Queenscliff
Bellarine Railway station, Queenscliff
Steam train at the Bellarine Railway station
Steam train at the Bellarine Railway station		 Blues Train poster
Blues Train poster		 Aboard the Blues Train
Aboard the Blues Train
The Royal Hotel at Queenscliff
The Royal Hotel at Queenscliff		 A cascade of bubbles at the Royal Hotel
A cascade of bubbles at the Royal Hotel		 Eclectic decor of a lounge at the Royal Hotel
Eclectic decor of a lounge at the Royal Hotel
Clouds gather over Swan Bay, Queenscliff
Clouds gather over Swan Bay, Queenscliff		 Point Lonsdale pier with Point Nepean out across the Heads
Point Lonsdale pier with Point Nepean out across the Heads		 Departing Queenscliff for Sorrento, across Port Phillip Bay
Departing Queenscliff for Sorrento, across Port Phillip Bay
Cathryn13-Nov-2016 08:03
An interesting gallery.
click on thumbnails for full image