Portsea is located approximately 110 kilometres drive south of the Melbourne CBD, and is the most westerly settlement on the Mornington Peninsula.
Portsea has a population of 787 (2021 census), and an area of 4 km2.
In 1840 a freed convict by the name of James Sandle Ford took up a parcel of land which he named Portsea, after Portsea Island which is an island incorporated by Portsmouth in England.
In the early 1850s a ship entered Port Philip carrying passengers stricken with typhus. A quarantine station was established in 1852, just west of the present town of Portsea. In the 1990s, the Quarantine Station housed 400 Kosovars, refugees from the Bosnian War. The former Quarantine Station was opened to the community as part of Point Nepean National Park in December 2009.
A fort with barracks was built at Point Nepean in 1882 to defend the headlands of Port Phillip Bay during a period when there was a fear of invasion. The area was opened to the public in 1988 upon the formation of the Point Nepean National Park.
On 17 December 1967, Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared, presumed drowned, while swimming at Cheviot Beach in Portsea. In 1969 a plaque commemorating Holt was bolted to the sea floor which bears the inscription: ‘In memory of Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, who loved the sea and disappeared hereabouts on 17 December 1967.’
Located on the narrowest section of the peninsula, the northern section faces the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay, and the southern side faces Bass Strait. The often turbulent surf beaches on the ocean side are broken up by rugged headlands and cliffs, steep dunes and the impressive London Bridge rock formation.
The Portsea Pier is the home to the spectacular weedy sea dragon, as well as many other fish species, including numerous pufferfish.
As Melbourne grew in the late 1830s there was a growing demand for lime which was used as a mortar in building. Limestone was plentiful in the area and from 1840 a number of kilns were established.
Coffee Safari
Freshly brewed coffee is a must-have and the Mornington Peninsula’s coffee haunts are second to none. Check out these when you’re visiting!
Le Capucin
3770 Point Nepean Road
Enjoy premium coffee and a fresh croissant or something from the French-inspired cafe menu. Dine inside, on the terrace, or take a short stroll and picnic on the beach.
Portsea Hotel
3746 Point Nepean Road
With sweeping views of Port Phillip Bay, The Heads and Queenscliff, the Portsea Hotel offers upmarket pub classics, along with traditional cafe fare. Finish with a coffee and bask in the gorgeous setting.
What to do
Portsea’s location at the tip of the Mornington Peninsula means you can cool off at a safe bay beach and be riding the surf at the ocean beach just minutes later. After a day out in the water slow down with friends on the green lawns of the Portsea Pub. Learn to scuba dive amid sea dragons and rays around Portsea Pier. Glimpse the lifestyles of the rich and famous who reside in Portsea’s millionaire mansions or explore the fascinating labyrinth of nineteenth-century tunnels and fortifications in the Point Nepean National Park that were built to guard Port Phillip Heads.
Photos Yanni
