Hello from Queenscliff
24 May 2012 | Queenscliff
Well.... its official.... We are cruisers !!!!
We left Hobsons Bay at 9.35am arrived in Queenscliff at 4.00pm
We were beating close to the wind but still managed to reach Queenscliff on one tack, with winds 15-20 knots waves 1.5 metre it was a good start to a long cruise.
Just sitting in front of the wood fire at the Queenscliff Cruising Club, lovely surroundings with kangaroos roaming the grounds.
Moving to the Queenscliff Marina in the morning. Due to weather conditions we will be here till about Monday.
Just a bit of history:-Williamstown is one of Melbourne's oldest and most interesting suburbs, White settlers first arrived in Williamstown by sailling ship in 1835, with 500 sheep and 500 cows. At first, animals and humans alike had to wade ashore. It was not until 1839 that the first pier and lighthouse were buielt {closeby present-day Gem pier.These were built by convicts and made the unloading of ships much easier. Once unloaded, the animals were quickly moved by shepherds to areas of plentiful pasture and water.
William's Town {named after King William 1v of Britian} was officially named on March 29, 1839 and 3 months later the first land auction took place there. At first, Williamstown was the port for Melbourne as ships unloaded at the sea port and goods were transfered by barges up the Yara River to Melbourne.
The first census in Williamstown was taken in 1841 but was far from accurate. The population at that time was recorded as 259 inhabitans { 190 over 14 years, 46 married couples, 110 single men} However it is believed the true population was considerably more. There were 3 hotels and most of the men worked at occupations related to the port eg. carpenters, merchants, customs officers etc. Being a busy port, there were numerous lodging huses and a constantly changing population.
The years 1842 &1843 saw a sever recession in the port philip District and Williamstown became quite deserted. However things eventually started to pick up, the population grew and the demand for real estate increased. Soon prefabricated structures were being brought from England and bluestone streets were being constructed. With the discovery of gold in Victoria in 1851 the rate of new arrivals in the colony increased dramatically, many of them disembarking at Williamstown, but soon moving north to the gold Fields. It was not unusual to sea literally hundreds of ships in port Philip Bay at one time -0ften deserted by their crews sruck by gold fever.
But some people did stay to settle in Williamstown and by 1858 the population was over 4,000. The add to their comforts, piped Freshwater and gas power arrived in the settlement in the early1860's.
History of Hobsons Bay
Prior to European settlement, the Hobsons Bay area was occupied by the Yalukit-willam clan. A number of sites of significance to the indigenous community are located throughout the municipality, particularly along the coastal trail.
The Council is working in partnership with the Aboriginal community to ensure these sites are protected.
Hobsons Bay was one of the first sites of european settlement in Victoria. There are numerous places of significant heritage importance including:
Former Truganina Explosives Reserve;
Altona Homestead;
Point Gellibrand area;
Old Laverton Schoolhouse;
Spotswood Pumping Station (now Scienceworks); and
Many houses and buildings in Williamstown.
These places link the community back to the beginning of european settlement in Victoria and are of state significance.