Town by town snapshot: Queenscliff

The size of Queenscliff is approximately 3.2 square kilometres and has seven parks covering nearly 23 per cent of total area.

The population of Queenscliff in 2011 was 1,417 people, and the 2016 Census showed the population was 1,328, showing a population decline of 6.3 per cent in the area during that time.

The summer holiday population is thought to swell to more than 17,000 with the historic settlement also a popular day trip destination via road and ferry, which is serviced by the state of the art harbour precinct.

Queenscliff was originally named Shortlands Bluff and a light station was constructed on the headland in 1842 with the township surveyed in 1853 but changed to Queenscliff in 1854, that being the official name bestowed as a compliment to Queen Victoria.

In 1862-63, three definitive guns were placed at Queenscliff as part of elaborate fortifications to protect the entrance to Port Phillip Bay.

The first light house was erected in the early 1840’s and a survey of the bay was carried out also around this time.

The town became a popular shipping port, with a life boat service, pilot service large jetty and pier.

Fishermen then moved in with their fleet and the gold rush brought an influx of migrants seeking their fortune and the town then developed its garrison and became a strategic defence post.

Fort Queenscliff and the nearby Swan Island training facility has been the home to a mix of civilian and military intelligence practitioners, with the later still hosting operatives from within Australian Intelligence Community in their endeavours to reveal the secrets of others and protect their own.

CoreLogic data indicates that the predominant age group in Queenscliff is 60-69 years, with households in Queenscliff being primarily childless couples and are likely to be repaying $1,000 – $1,399 per month on mortgage repayments, and in general, people in Queenscliff work in a professional occupation.

In 2011, 73.5 per cent of the homes in Queenscliff were owner-occupied compared with 78.7 per cent in 2016.