Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in the seaside city of Warrnambool is a fascinating place. At the end of The Great Ocean Road, just beyond the 12 Apostles, Flagstaff Hill is a state heritage-listed site and it’s easy to see why. The maritime village and museum were built around the 1858 Warrnambool Lighthouse and is home to Victoria's largest maritime and shipwreck collection.
Its most famous piece is the $4 million Loch Ard Peacock, a stunning relic from the 1878 Loch Ard wreck. Spread over 10 hectares overlooking Lady Bay, the village features 40 beautifully restored buildings and vessels. By night, Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village turns on a state-of-the-art light and sound spectacular ‘Tales of the Shipwreck Coast’ that’s a real eye-opener!
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village is one of the largest open-air heritage villages in Australia. It’s a place where tragic shipwreck stories abound. Shipwreck Coast certainly lived up to its name with hundreds of ships, their crew and passengers claimed by the rocks, cliffs and pounding waves of Shipwreck Coast in the 19th Century.
The tales are shared in the words of those who survived the journey and are brought to life with the help of modern-day technology in many stunning displays. Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is a place to take a step back in time and put yourself in the shoes of those early settlers who did it tough while building a new Australia.
Flagstaff Hill boasts one of the country’s richest and most remarkable maritime collections. Close to 10,000 objects of local, state and national significance are on display, each with a shipwreck story to tell.
When you tour Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, you begin with a multimedia presentation tracing the voyage of a 19th-century immigrant to the Victorian colony. From there, explore the Museum, a hidden world of wonder where many treasures were salvaged from the shipwrecks’ watery graves.
Wander through the village and learn about life in a 19th-century port town. The site itself is picturesque, leading down the bluff to Lady Bay. Climb to the top of the Warrnambool Lady Bay Lighthouses dating back to 1858. The lighthouses were originally built on Middle Island but relocated to Flagstaff Hill in 1872.
The lighthouses are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register as is the Warrnambool Garrison which was constructed in 1887 due to fears of a Russian invasion. Both the fort and two rare muzzle-loading cannons with a range of over five kilometres have been restored and are well worth a visit.
Flagstaff Hill opened in stages from 1975 and was officially opened in 1977.
The area is managed by the Warrnambool City Council.
In 1840 a flagstaff was erected on the initial site as a way of signalling ships arriving in Port Phillip Bay. The name seemed appropriate and Flagstaff Hill became a popular spot for people to gather to hear shipping news and send or receive letters with loved ones back home in England.
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