|
SPECIAL HISTORIC ITEMS
Click on the item of interest to view details
about that item
TORPEDO BOAT HMVS LONSDALE
Classified as an
historic vessel and protected by the Heritage Act 1995, the hulk of the HMVS
Lonsdale is buried in the grounds of the Queenscliffe Maritime Museum.
Built in 1883 in
Chiswick, England, the Lonsdale was commissioned for the defence of Victoria to
counteract possible invasion by Russia or France. Along with her
sister
ship the Nepean, HMVS Cerberus, the first class torpedo boat
Countess of Hopetoun, and the fortifications at Point Nepean, Fort
Queenscliff, South Channel Fort and Popes Eye, the Lonsdale was part of a “first
line of defence” for colonial Victoria.
The Lonsdale
sat low in the water and looked very similar to a submarine. She was designed to
attack by speeding toward the enemy vessel and firing her torpedoes at the last
minute.
By 1912 the
Lonsdale was obsolete. She was eventually beached as a breakwater at the
back of the houses in Beach Street Queenscliff. Time and the build up of sand as the harbour
was enlarged has meant that the Lonsdale is now situated in the grounds of
the Maritime Museum. A dig by Heritage Victoria and Queenscliff Harbour Pty. Ltd.
in March 2006 ascertained that the bow had been removed some years previously as
local history suggested. The conning tower was still in place but a request by
the Museum to excavate the stern was rejected. Further details of Lonsdale
and
Countess of Hopetoun may be found on a
web site maintained
by Eric F. Langenberg for the Maritime Archaeology Association Of
Victoria.
The Museum has
plans to erect a “Site Memorial” for this special vessel which was part of
Victoria’s first Navy.
HERITAGE
LISTED FISHERMEN’S WAITING SHED.
Erected on the
old fishermen’s pier in the 1870s, the building was used as a shelter, ”waiting
shed” by the fishermen. In 1895, a local fisherman Henry Zanoni began to paint
on the inside walls of the shed, many of the vessels that entered Port Phillip. He
continued his painting as a hobby over the next 51 years.
For many years
the waiting shed had a collection box fixed to one wall and the money which was
collected was sent to the Geelong Hospital. Consequently, Henry Zanoni was
presented with a Life Membership certificate by the Hospital. When the pier
was demolished in the 1950s the waiting shed was relocated to the edge of the
creek near the slipway. Some years later it was again relocated to Lower
Princes Park.
When the
Maritime Museum was established in the 1980s the waiting shed found a permanent
home in the Museum’s grounds and has since been classified by the National
Trust.
FISHERMAN’S COTTAGE
Initially the
cottage was built
in Bridge Street, circa 1870-1880s, by Thomas Ikin a professional fisherman, who
was born in Tasmania in 1840. This 2 roomed cottage was home to Thomas, his
wife Anna (the local midwife) and three children.
The cottage was
moved from Bridge Street to the Museum grounds in 1990. Many comparable
buildings are still part of the Fishermen’s Flat historic precinct. At restoration,
much original material was left intact but the roof, some weatherboards and
studs were replaced and the fireplace and chimney rebuilt. Newspaper, earliest
date 1886, was found as insulation between the weatherboards and lining boards.
Anne Ikin,
granddaughter of Thomas, was a frequent visitor to the cottage. On 19 September 1990, aged
89 years, Anne described the furnishings and paint colours to us and also
discussed life in the cottage with three children, Obadiah (Anne’s father), John
and Alicia.
The cottage
provides an insight into early Queenscliff’s social history and the living
conditions of the fishermen in those times.
DECKHOUSE
OF THE SHANDON - CREW’S QUARTERS
The
Shandon was an iron sailing ship of 1397 tons, with dimensions – length
245.9 feet, beam 37.8 feet and draught of 21.3 feet. Built in 1883 at Port
Glasgow she had a chequered career as a trader for nearly 40 years. She
was converted to a lighter until the end of WWI then re-rigged as a barque
and spent the next four years trading across the Pacific Ocean. In 1922 she was
in use as a coal hulk in Adelaide. During WWII she was a coal hulk in
Townsville. Shandon had one moment of glory in 1934 when she was involved in
Victoria’s 100th anniversary celebrations. The photo at
left was taken on that occasion and is held by the
State
Library of Victoria. Shandon returned
to Melbourne sometime in 1961 and was broken up at Coode Island in that year.
In need of some
restoration, the Shandon will eventually be open as a public display.
| 
