Fort Queenscliff  

  Built largely between 1879 and 1889, Fort Queenscliff was integral to Victoria’s defences. It was constructed when Melburnians, flushed with gold fever, were getting jittery about out-of-towners stealing their booty. By 1886, Port Phillip was the most heavily fortified port in the southern hemisphere, with Fort Queenscliff the nerve centre in a string of nine forts and gun batteries around the bay. Although it never fired a shot in anger, Fort Queenscliff did play a role in both world wars. On orders from Fort Queenscliff, the first artillery shots were fired by the British Empire in World War 1 when a gun at Fort Nepean fired across the bow of a German freighter attempting to escape to sea. The same gun, with a different barrel, also fired the first  artillery shot of World War 2.
  

In its heyday, Fort Queenscliff had about 200 army personnel. The end of World War 2 saw Fort Queenscliff cease functioning as a fort and it is now used for Army administration. Despite its changing roles, the fort still stands firmly in the sights of modern shipping entering Port Phillip. The stone lighthouse in the fort grounds is the only black one in Australia and reputedly one of only three in the world. Many historic buildings, including gun positions and ammunition vaults, are open for public tours lasting an hour. The fort museum has one of Australia’s largest collections of war memorabilia and World War 1 and World War 2 guns, including many banned weapons from private collectors. Huge guns capable of firing far out to sea stand sentinel over the fort walls.