Portsea, Victoria
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| Coordinates: 38°19′14″S 144°43′02″E / 38.32056°S 144.71722°E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| City | Melbourne | ||||||||||||
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| Location |
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| Established | 1850s | ||||||||||||
| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||||
• Total | 4 km2 (1.5 sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 787 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||
| • Density | 197/km2 (510/sq mi) | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 3944 | ||||||||||||
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Portsea is a seaside suburb on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) south-west of Melbourne's city centre, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Portsea recorded a population of 787 at the 2021 census.[1]
As Australia's richest postcode, Portsea has the highest average income in the country.[2] It is regarded as one of Australia's most prestigious seaside suburbs, with many of Melbourne's wealthiest residents maintaining holiday homes there.[3]
Portsea is located on the opposite side of Port Phillip Bay. The suburb is located on the bay itself, but the locality boundaries stretch as far west as Point Nepean and incorporate a section of Bass Strait coastline. Portsea is the westernmost town on the Mornington Peninsula, and lies adjacent to Sorrento.
History
[edit]Traditional ownership
[edit]The formally recognised traditional owners for the area in which Portsea is located are the Bunurong people.[4] The Bunurong people are represented by the Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation.[5]
European settlement
[edit]
Portsea is named after Portsea Island which is an island incorporated by Portsmouth, England. Portsmouth is where the first settlers to Australia set sail from.
The Portsea Post Office opened on 10 February 1877 and closed in 1987.[6]
In January 1948 the new St Mary's School for Deaf Children was opened at Delgany, Portsea led by Kathleen Mary Egan. It was an initiative by the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the first to use oral techniques in Victoria.[7]
OCS Portsea, an army establishment, was located just outside the town. The historic reserve became famous when Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt disappeared while swimming inside the facility at Cheviot Beach on 17 December 1967 and was officially presumed dead two days later, although a formal inquest into his death did not take place until 2005.[8]
Heritage listings
[edit]The following place in Portsea is listed on the Australian National Heritage List:
- Point Nepean Defence Sites and Quarantine Station Area, Coleman Road,[9] also included on the Victorian Heritage Register[10]
The following places in Portsea are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register:
- Delgany, also known as Delgany Castle and now known as Delgany Portsea, Nepean Highway[11]
- Duffy's Lime Kiln, 7 Merrylands Avenue[12]
- Fort Franklin (former), now known as The Portsea Camp, 3704 Point Nepean Road[13]
- Ilyuka Lime Kiln and Bathing Box, Port King Road[14]
Present day
[edit]Portsea was considered by many to be the hub of Melbourne's recreational scuba diving activities. At one time there were as many as four dive shops in the main street of Portsea. Dive charter boats still travel from Portsea Pier to sites both inside Port Phillip and outside Port Phillip Heads, also known as "The Rip".
The Portsea Pier is the home to the spectacular weedy sea dragon, as well as many other fish species, including numerous pufferfish. Boating traffic is frequent, and divers should be careful to avoid main boating routes. After dredging was done to deepen the entrance to the bay for shipping there was increased surge at Portsea Pier and within a year Portsea Beach was gone. Sandbags have been placed on the once picturesque beach to prevent further sand erosion.
Portsea Back Beach is an attraction in Portsea, due to its great surfing conditions and long stretch of sand. Portsea Surf Life Saving Club patrols the popular surf beach, as patrols are always needed during the summer period given the large waves and strong tides that are often present.
Corsair Rock, just at the entrance to Port Philip, is a well-known surf spot to locals and professional surfers. However, it is not advised to surf there unless you are an experienced surfer and, for safety, are accompanied by somebody in a boat nearby. It is considered a very dangerous location. The rip can run out as fast as 8-10 knots.
Golfers play at the revered Portsea Golf Club on Relph Avenue.[15] The annual Portsea Polo event is held at Jarman Oval, near the former quarantine station on Point Nepean.
According to the 2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census, Portsea had 510 residents.[16] Prominent residents include trucking magnate Lindsay Fox, Kate Baillieu and Rupert Murdoch's grandson businessman David Calvert Jones, other well known residents are Eddie McGuire and Ron Walker.
Popular culture
[edit]The Australian Crawl song "Hoochie Gucci Fiorucci Mama" (from the 1980 album The Boys Light Up) was written about Portsea.[17]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Portsea, Victoria | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 40.4 (104.7) |
38.6 (101.5) |
35.6 (96.1) |
29.4 (84.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
18.3 (64.9) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.6 (74.5) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.1 (89.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
40.4 (104.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.8 (73.0) |
22.9 (73.2) |
21.5 (70.7) |
18.5 (65.3) |
15.8 (60.4) |
13.4 (56.1) |
12.8 (55.0) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.3 (63.1) |
19.2 (66.6) |
21.2 (70.2) |
17.9 (64.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 13.3 (55.9) |
13.9 (57.0) |
13.0 (55.4) |
11.2 (52.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
7.5 (45.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
7.1 (44.8) |
7.7 (45.9) |
9.1 (48.4) |
10.3 (50.5) |
11.8 (53.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.5 (45.5) |
7.5 (45.5) |
6.0 (42.8) |
5.0 (41.0) |
3.0 (37.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
0.5 (32.9) |
0.0 (32.0) |
0.3 (32.5) |
0.8 (33.4) |
3.0 (37.4) |
4.7 (40.5) |
0.0 (32.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 33.1 (1.30) |
50.1 (1.97) |
52.1 (2.05) |
57.1 (2.25) |
68.0 (2.68) |
60.5 (2.38) |
64.0 (2.52) |
61.3 (2.41) |
63.0 (2.48) |
63.5 (2.50) |
58.8 (2.31) |
50.1 (1.97) |
683.1 (26.89) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 3.6 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 7.0 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 9.6 | 9.7 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 6.9 | 5.2 | 86.5 |
| Source: Australian Bureau of Meteorology[18] | |||||||||||||
See also
[edit]
- Shire of Flinders – Portsea was previously within this former local government area.
- Portsea Hole – a nearby dive location
References
[edit]- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Portsea (Suburbs and Localities)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ↑ Woodley, Melissa (19 June 2026). "The 10 richest suburbs in Australia have been revealed – where the average salary is up to $320K". Time Out Australia. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Why Portsea has been a 'holiday playground for Melbourne's wealthy' for over a century". Domain. Archived from the original on 9 July 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Map of formally recognised traditional owners". Aboriginal Victoria. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ↑ "Bunurong Land Council". Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 2 June 2019.
- ↑ "Post Office List: Portsea", Phoenix Auctions History, n.d., retrieved 14 March 2021
- ↑ "St Mary's College History". St Mary's College for the deaf. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ↑ "Harold Holt inquest starts, 40 years on". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 August 2005. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
- ↑ "Point Nepean Defence Sites and Quarantine Station Area (Place ID 105680)". Australian Heritage Database. Australian Government. 16 June 2006. Retrieved 26 August 2026.
- ↑ "Point Nepean Defence and Quarantine Precinct, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H2030, Heritage Overlay HO165". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Delgany, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H2058, Heritage Overlay HO207". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Duffy's Lime Kiln, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1931, Heritage Overlay HO138". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Former Fort Franklin (Portsea Camp), Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1090, Heritage Overlay HO198". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Ilyuka Lime Kiln / Bathing Box, Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) Number H1191, Heritage Overlay HO138". Victorian Heritage Database. Heritage Victoria. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ Golf Select, Portsea, archived from the original on 23 July 2008, retrieved 11 May 2009
- ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Portsea (State)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ↑ "Waiting for Reyne". The Age. 25 May 2003. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
- ↑ "Climate statistics for Australian locations- PORTSEA QUARANTINE STATION". 8 July 2024.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Portsea, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
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