THE POINT NEPEAN QUARANTINE STATION

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Point Nepean’s Quarantine Station, Portsea has established itself as one of Australia’s premier must see destinations.

The PNQS has been an integral part of the Australian way of life since the early 1800’s when it functioned as grazing land and as a hub for the mortar trade, positioned strategically as it was at the heads of Port Phillip Bay. It played an integral role throughout two world wars as it did in more recent times as a haven for Kosovo refugees. It is steeped in rich and profound history.

The Hot Barbeque, Having previously resided at Melbourne’s Birrarung Marr and Sidney Myer Music Bowl respectively, moves to its biggest and most amazing location to date: the picturesque Point Nepean Quarantine Station in Portsea, managed by Parks Victoria.

Offering spectacular sweeping ocean views, the Point Nepean Quarantine Station promises to provide the perfect location and ultimate scenic setting for what has fast become one of the nation’s premier open-air musical and cultural events.

PLEASE NOTE: The Point Nepean National Park & Quarantine Station will remain open as per usual operating times (9am-6pm), as the festival is predominantly stationed to Jarman Oval & Burgess Park.

For further information on the Point Nepean National Park & Quarantine Station, please visit the Parks Victoria website by clicking here.


A BRIEF HISTORY

Point Nepean is truly one of Victoria’s beautiful natural landscapes, a special place with so much to see and discover.

The history of Point Nepean spans back thousands of  years to the Boonwurrung  people since than the park has been used to quarantine people arriving in Victoria, defence forts and for military training. It is a place that protects unique plants and animals; celebrates its rich history and welcomes the community to its stunning landscapes.

The Quarantine Station located in the park is an amazing place with an amazing past. It was established in November 1852 when the passenger ship Ticonderoga, anchored nearby. More than 100 passengers lost their lives to typhoid, dysentery and measles on the ship. Some were buried nearby in the Original Cemetery.

The cemetery was relocated in 1854 to the Point Nepean Cemetery, located to the west of the station. It was used to bury early settlers, victims of shipwrecks, quarantine staff, military personnel and the local community until 1926.

The earliest surviving building on the Quarantine Station is the 1845 stone cellar of Shepherd’s Hut. It was occupied by Daniel Sullivan who claimed compensation for vacating the land so it could be used as the location for the Quarantine Station.

Five large sandstone two storey Hospitals were constructed from 1858–1859 in the early stage of the Quarantine Station development. These buildings were used to accommodate sick and healthy passengers in quarantine.  Three more major phases of building development took place in the 1890s, from 1911-1919 and with the Army in the 1960s.

In 1912, a record 1295 passengers from the SS Irishman were quarantined. From 1918-1919 with the world-wide Spanish Flu pandemic some 12,000 passengers were quarantined, mostly soldiers returning from World War 1. There was a flurry of activity once more associated with post World War 2 immigration, but between 1952 and 1967 only 12 people were quarantined and the station officially closed in 1980.


The Army occupied the site from 1952 to 1985, as the Officer’s Cadet School, and from 1985 to 1998 as the School of Army Health. In 1999 for five months around 400 refugees from Kosovo were accommodated in the buildings.

Point Nepean National Park
Open Everyday 10am – 5pm
Entry fees apply
End of Point Nepean Road, Portsea. Melways Ref: 156
Ph. 13 19 63
www.parkweb.vic.gov.au


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