What was the Point Nepean Quarantine Station used for?
Protecting Victoria from disease Epidemics in the 1800s caused many deaths. Following the scare caused by the arrival of the ship Ticonderoga, carrying scarlet fever and typhoid in 1852, colonial authorities set up a maritime quarantine reserve at Point Nepean to protect the local population.
Who owns Point Nepean?
In 2004, 90 hectares (220 acres) of Defence land was transferred to the Commonwealth government’s Point Nepean Community Trust, which managed the former Quarantine Station until the land was transferred to the Victorian government on 8 June 2009.
What is Point Nepean used for today?
The history of Point Nepean spans back thousands of years to the Bunurong people and it has also played an important role in shaping the early European settlement and defence of Australia, being used to quarantine people arriving in Victoria, defending the colony and for military training.
When was Point Nepean used?
1952
This area was used for military training by the Army from 1952 when they came to Point Nepean as the Officer Cadet School. Referred to as the Defence Reserve, many forms of training took place which included mostly firing of live arms, infantry weapons, utilising rockets and rifles.
When was the Point Nepean Quarantine Station built?
1852
The Quarantine Station began here in 1852 on what was a desolate, windy and unwelcoming stretch of land. The extent of the facilities then was a few houses left by a community of lime burners who had vacated the area. There have been several building phases since. The first buildings were simple wooden structures.
Which fort was the best defended city of the British Empire and why?
Fort Nepean was known in the 1880s as victoria’s ‘Gibraltar’ and in 1890 it was reported that Melbourne was the best-defended commercial city of the British Empire.
Can you swim at Portsea?
Portsea Ocean Beach Popular activities include surfing, swimming, walking and ocean fishing. The beach is patrolled during summer and school holidays.
How long is Point Nepean walk?
14.5km
Point Nepean Walk is a 14.5km, grade 3 Curcuit hike located in Point Nepean National Park, Victoria. The hike should take approximately 3hrs to complete.
What landform is Point Nepean?
Introduction. The Nepean Peninsula consists of dune topography, with Pleistocene dune calcarenites overlain by unconsolidated Holocene dunes along the seaward fringe (Bird 1982). The Pleistocene and Holocene dune formations consist mainly of calcareous sand, with varying proportions (usually less than 20%) of quartz.
What happened Portsea beach?
Residents and local businesses in Portsea on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula are blaming dredging for major beach erosion over the past 12 months. They say 15 metres of beach has been washed away around the Portsea pier and hotel. “It has taken two-and-half metres of sand away and there is no beach.”
Why was the Point Nepean quarantine station important?
Point Nepean’s location at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay made it an ideal place for a quarantine station, as well as a site for maritime defence facilities. The use of Point Nepean for defence purposes began in the 1870s, when the final departure of British Imperial troops left military defence in the hands of the Australian colonies
Is there a car park at the quarantine station?
The Quarantine Station has a car park and is close to the entrance of Point Nepean National Park. Alternatively, the Point Nepean shuttle service runs between the Quarantine Station and Fort Nepean.
Where was the first quarantine station in Australia?
“ The very first quarantine station was established at Point Ormond in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood in the April of 1840 due to the arrival of the sailing ship ‘Glen Huntly’: The 450 ton barque ‘Glen Huntly’ departed on her maiden voyage from Greenock, Scotland on the 13th December 1839, carrying 157 emigrants.
What was the conditions in the quarantine station?
However the unsanitary and overcrowded conditions not only on board ship, but also in the homes, boarding houses and points of embarkation, aggravated the incidence of disease, and increasing numbers of infected persons were entering the colony.
