Fort Queenscliff Museum
Fort Queenscliff Museum
4.5
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Monday
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Wednesday
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Friday
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Saturday
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
1:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Sunday
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
1:45 PM - 3:30 PM
About
Please remember to bring Photographic ID with u for entry. International visitors PASSPORTS are required. Great Family Entertaiment, enjoy the rare opportunity to tour a 19th century Coastal Artillery Fort. Amongst underground magazine, inside the Keep, fascinating artifacts and historial objects Walking tour approx 1 hr and 1/2 with a one of our friendly, knowlegable Tour Guides.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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  • Mal S
    3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wet, windy, yet wonderful
    Despite the pouring rain and wind the day we went, we had a wonderful time (2 adults). The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and entertaining. The Fort is full of history. It is larger than first appreciated and mostly outdoors. We were wearing hiking boots and a rain jacket. We purchased as a joint ticket with Geelong Jail, which we visited the next day, making it great value.
    Visited December 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 December 2023
  • Elizabeth K
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bringing the history of the Fort to life!
    Thank you Mary for a wonderful tour of the Fort today - I learnt so much about its history and you were so patient with everyone -including the children in your commentary- and letting us explore the magazines and enjoy the view of the heads and lighthouses ! I was thrilled to find my uncle’s uniform on display! Many thanks Elizabeth
    Visited January 2024
    Travelled solo
    Written 11 January 2024
  • Geoffrey W
    Diggers Rest, Australia3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A great way to be educated on the past 150 years on the Australian Defence Force
    Good for us but not so good for the fort, we had a group of four but what a delight, we had Mary as a guide and what a great job she did. It was like personal service, so much information was given , could not believe how quickly the time went. A great experience to be shown around the fort, especially that it is still a working part of Victoria’s military organisation therefore security is paramount.
    Visited February 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 12 February 2024
  • travellerstwoofus
    10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A very interesting tour at Queenscliff Fort, discovering early military history in Victoria and Australia.
    We enjoyed our tour and found the military history of the site very interesting. Mary was an enthusiastic guide with lots of stories to tell,many of them quite humorous. The small group was great, providing opportunities to ask questions. The Museum visit at the end of the tour provided more interesting facts and stories about Australia's military history.
    Visited April 2024
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 17 April 2024
  • Fergie51
    Gippsland, Australia94 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth it.
    We absolutely loved this tour and learned so many things I’d never known. Mary was an excellent guide going above & beyond in being able to knowledgeably answer questions and offer insight. Very, very happy we took the time to do it.
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 30 May 2024
  • Janice H
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Excellent tour by knowledgeable guides
    Our tour of Fort Queenscliff was with Mary who was a knowledgeable and friendly guide. Despite the awful weather at times Mary was able to move us through the site and tell us the stories of the Fort somehow effortlessly. Robert who met with us in the Museum was also very considerate and answered all our questions. This was just a perfect treat for my husband's 70th birthday. We feel privileged to have the opportunity to tour the Fort and learn about its history. Thank you.
    Visited June 2024
    Travelled with family
    Written 23 July 2024
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4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles253 reviews
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Anne M
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
After a few false starts, we finally participated in a tour the Fort Queenscliffe barracks and museum on on 6-JAN. Our tour guides were most knowledgeable and following a tour of various buildings and armaments within the fort itself, were then taken on a tour of the Museum by the Major in residence.
The museum is dedicated to service of those who lived in the Borough and I think we were a little bit spoilt as his knowledge of previous wars (going back to the Boer war in 1900) was amazing as was his knowledge and understanding of the various displays. We could have spent much more time in the museum but as its still an active defence base, you need to be escorted at all times and we were already well over the allocated tour time of 1.5hrs.
Extremely interesting and a great opportunity to learn more of the history surrounding the fortifications around the Bay - and the why.....
Written 7 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

John V
38 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2021
1.5 hour guided tour was very interesting and entertaining. The fort is still an active military establishment, so security was tight. Proof of identity, and Covid vaccination was required.
Attractive buildings, including a magnificent basalt lighthouse.
I was particularly interested in the historic artillery, the magazines, the disappearing gun, the big blackpowder cannons, and the museum.
No public toilets, but arrangements can be made in an emergency.
Would be difficult in a wheelchair due to quite a few steps.
Mary, the volunteer guide was a terrific raconteur with lots of interesting stories.
Written 27 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Carol C
7 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
The weather was chilly and blustery but the tour itself was fascinating for anyone interested in Australian war history or armaments. Both the main guide and museum guide were welcoming, knowledgeable and full of local anecdotes and theories about some of the stories associated with Fort Queenscliff. Certainly not to be missed if you are in the area.
Written 22 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Janice H
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
June 2024 • Family
Our tour of Fort Queenscliff was with Mary who was a knowledgeable and friendly guide. Despite the awful weather at times Mary was able to move us through the site and tell us the stories of the Fort somehow effortlessly. Robert who met with us in the Museum was also very considerate and answered all our questions. This was just a perfect treat for my husband's 70th birthday. We feel privileged to have the opportunity to tour the Fort and learn about its history. Thank you.
Written 23 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Anne H
Mt Waverley3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2023 • Friends
Todays adventure was taking our German friends, Berthold and Astrid Best to see Fort Queenscliff and the Fort Queenscliff Museum. We were interested because John’s 2 x great grandfather, Zachariah William Henry Bloomfield was contracted to build the Keep and the Post office, in the mid- 1880's. Our tour guide, Ian, was friendly, knowledgeable and very informative, which made the whole experience doubly enjoyable. The weather was pretty amazing too.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Traveller
Melbourne, Australia17,413 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
July 2022
Fort Queenscliff dates from 1860 when an open battery was constructed on Shortland's Bluff to defend the entrance to Port Phillip. The Fort is one of Victoria's most important heritage sites as well as being the largest and best-preserved forts in Australia.

Entrance is through one of the scheduled tours indicated on the website for Fort Queenscliff.

My wife and I paid for a Tour on a Monday morning at 11 am. As it was off peak on a cold winter's day, we were the only two visitors during our Tour.

Fort Queenscliff's famous Black Lighthouse is one of only a handful in the world that are made of basalt black stone. It is also the only black lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere!
Written 2 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rodney A
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2021
Established in an era when the Colony of Victoria was largely responsible for its own defence, the fort depicts the strategies that were deployed in this pre federation era, right through to the end of World War II. Tour guides Mary and Steve are passionate about the site and enthusiastically pass on their knowledge of the site and its history.
The tour lasts about 1.5 hours and is well worth the time for anyone visiting Queenscliff.
Written 19 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

travellerstwoofus
victoria10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Couples
We enjoyed our tour and found the military history of the site very interesting. Mary was an enthusiastic guide with lots of stories to tell,many of them quite humorous. The small group was great, providing opportunities to ask questions. The Museum visit at the end of the tour provided more interesting facts and stories about Australia's military history.
Written 17 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Fergie51
Gippsland, Australia94 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Family
We absolutely loved this tour and learned so many things I’d never known. Mary was an excellent guide going above & beyond in being able to knowledgeably answer questions and offer insight. Very, very happy we took the time to do it.
Written 31 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Evie L
12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022 • Solo
A fascinating tour of an historic facility. There were so many interesting things to learn from the lovely tour guide Mary, who was very well versed in both the history & interesting anecdotes about the workings of the fort. The outlooks within the grounds were stunning, especially the black lighthouse (only one in the Southern Hemisphere), signal house and buildings that were once part of Queenscliff’s Main Street. The views across Port Phillip to Mt Martha & Point Nepean were also spectacular. Can highly recommend this tour, it’s interesting, educational and great value for money.
Written 8 August 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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