Portsea, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Portsea is a resort town located across Port Phillip
from Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula
.
Portsea is a popular holiday spot, located near the end of the Mornington Peninsula
between the calm waters of Port Phillip
and the wild surf of Bass Strait
.
The 3944 postcode is the nation's most affluent, with an average taxable income almost $10,000 higher than Sydney
's Darling Point
or Point Piper
.
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.
Portsea is named after Portsea Island
which is an island incorporated by Portsmouth
, England
, United Kingdom
. Portsmouth is where the first settlers to Australia
set sail from.
Local Urban Myth has suggested that Portsea was believed to have the highest number of Tennis Courts per square kilometer in the world. This may well be the case, considering Portsea is only approx 4 square kilometers in area.
activities. No less than four scuba related shops operate from in its otherwise modest main street. Dive boats travel 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 leafy 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. Portsea Back Beach is a big 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.
Golfers play at the course of the Portsea Golf Club on Relph Avenue.
According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics
Census Portsea had 654 residents.
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
, John Moran (dec), David Deague, David Ryan, Adam Stansen and Ron Walker
.
The Australian Crawl
song "Hoochie Coochie Fiorucci Mama" was written about Portsea. (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/24/1053585747626.html)
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula
Shire of Mornington Peninsula
The Shire of Mornington Peninsula is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located to the south of the city of Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula. It has an area of 723 square kilometres...
.
Portsea is a popular holiday spot, located near the end of the Mornington Peninsula
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
between the calm waters of Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
and the wild surf of Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
.
The 3944 postcode is the nation's most affluent, with an average taxable income almost $10,000 higher than Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
's Darling Point
Darling Point, New South Wales
Darling Point is a harbourside, eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Darling Point is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of Woollahra Council....
or Point Piper
Point Piper, New South Wales
Point Piper is a small, harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located six kilometres east of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area known as the Municipality of Woollahra....
.
History
Portsea Post Office opened on 10 February 1877 and closed in 1987.OCS Portsea
OCS Portsea
The Officer Cadet School, Portsea was an officer training establishment of the Australian Army. Established at Portsea in Victoria, Australia, in 1951 to provide training to officer cadets prior to commissioning, for many years OCS provided the Australian Regular Army with the bulk of its junior...
, an army establishment, was located just outside the town. The historic reserve became famous when Prime Minister of Australia
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Harold Holt
Harold Holt
Harold Edward Holt, CH was an Australian politician and the 17th Prime Minister of Australia.His term as Prime Minister was brought to an early and dramatic end in December 1967 when he disappeared while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, and was presumed drowned.Holt spent 32 years...
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.
Portsea is named after Portsea Island
Portsea Island
Portsea Island is a small, flat and low lying island just off the south coast of England. The island is totally within, and contains a large proportion of, the city of Portsmouth. It has the third-largest population of any island in the British Isles, after the mainlands of Great Britain and...
which is an island incorporated by Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Portsmouth is where the first settlers to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
set sail from.
Local Urban Myth has suggested that Portsea was believed to have the highest number of Tennis Courts per square kilometer in the world. This may well be the case, considering Portsea is only approx 4 square kilometers in area.
Today
Portsea is considered by many to be the hub of Melbourne's recreational scuba divingScuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
activities. No less than four scuba related shops operate from in its otherwise modest main street. Dive boats travel to sites both inside Port Phillip and outside Port Phillip Heads, also known as The Rip
The Rip
"The Rip", also known as "The Heads", is a dangerous stretch of water in Victoria, Australia, connecting Port Phillip and Bass Strait. It is the only entrance for shipping into Port Phillip and hence into Melbourne. Because of large tidal flows through the relatively narrow channel from the bay to...
.
The Portsea Pier is the home to the spectacular leafy sea dragon
Leafy sea dragon
The leafy seadragon or Glauert's seadragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish in the family Syngnathidae, which also includes the seahorses. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. It is found along the southern and western coasts of Australia. The name is derived from the appearance, with...
, as well as many other fish species, including numerous pufferfish
Pufferfish
Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the Tetraodontiformes order. The family includes many familiar species which are variously called pufferfish, balloonfish, blowfish, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, honey toads, sugar toads, and sea squab...
. Boating traffic is frequent, and divers should be careful to avoid main boating routes. Portsea Back Beach is a big 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.
Golfers play at the course of the Portsea Golf Club on Relph Avenue.
According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Australian Bureau of Statistics is Australia's national statistical agency. It was created as the Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics on 8 December 1905, when the Census and Statistics Act 1905 was given Royal assent. It had its beginnings in section 51 of the Constitution of Australia...
Census Portsea had 654 residents.
Prominent residents include trucking magnate Lindsay Fox
Lindsay Fox
Lindsay Edward Fox AC is an Australian businessman. As of 2009, he was the 10th richest person in Australia, with a net worth of around 1.5 billion . He is best known as the founder and chairman of his family-owned trucking and logistics company, Linfox.- Early life :Lindsay Fox was brought up in...
, Kate Baillieu
Kate Baillieu
Katharine Jean Baillieu is an Australian journalist who was born in Melbourne on 7 January 1946. She is the fourth of seven children of Darren and Diana Baillieu...
and Rupert Murdoch's
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
grandson businessman David Calvert Jones, other well known residents are Eddie McGuire
Eddie McGuire
Edward Joseph "Eddie" McGuire AM is an Australian television presenter and businessman known for his long association with Australian rules football and the Channel 9 television network....
, John Moran (dec), David Deague, David Ryan, Adam Stansen and Ron Walker
Ron Walker
Ronald Joseph Walker AC CBE is a former Lord Mayor of Melbourne and Australian businessman, renowned for his work in managing sporting events.-Biography:...
.
The Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl
Australian Crawl were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne , Brad Robinson , Paul Williams , Simon Binks and David Reyne in 1978. David Reyne soon left and was replaced by Bill McDonough...
song "Hoochie Coochie Fiorucci Mama" was written about Portsea. (http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/05/24/1053585747626.html)
See also
- Portsea IslandPortsea IslandPortsea Island is a small, flat and low lying island just off the south coast of England. The island is totally within, and contains a large proportion of, the city of Portsmouth. It has the third-largest population of any island in the British Isles, after the mainlands of Great Britain and...
, PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
of which the town is named. - PortseaPortseaPortsea is an area of the English city of Portsmouth, located on Portsea Island, within the ceremonial county of Hampshire.The area was originally known as the Common and lay between the town of Portsmouth and the nearby Dockyard. The Common started to be developed at the end of the seventeenth...
, a district of PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England. - Point Nepean
- Portsea Surf Life Saving Club