With the end of WWII on the 8th May 1945, the extensive military infrastructure which had been built over some 70 years across Point Nepean was abandoned. Over the succeeding decade or so, all salvageable equipment was removed and many of the historical buildings were demolished – the western end of the Mornington Peninsula lay silent once more . . .
‘Mother Nature’, in all her wisdom, began to reclaim the many war-time relics until 1988, when Point Nepean was proclaimed a National Park and opened to the public. It is due to the efforts of a band of dedicated volunteers that we, as visitors and sightseers, are able to view and experience these massive military relics. It took them years to remove the sand and vegetation from the underground network of gun emplacements, magazines and tunnels.
In fact, without the hard work of these dedicated volunteers, Australia would have very few historical icons left.
Built to house the then modern 6 inch Mark VII guns, ‘Fort Pearce’ was completed c 1911. These guns had a firing range of a massive 12.5 km. Pointed onto Bass Strait, they were ready and waiting, should the need arise . . .
Set atop a ridge, the fort itself was built of reinforced concrete which housed: the 2 guns, an observation post, a range finder station and a command facility. A large magazine store was located directly below the guns from which the shells would be manually lifted to waist level and passed through openings, into the gun pits.
One can only assume that both ‘Fort Pearce’ and Pearce Barracks were named after Senator George Foster Pearce, who was the Minister of Defence at this time . . .
By WWII, the instruments of war had become had advanced exponentially. An attack from the air was now as big a threat as that from the sea. Realising that the exposed ‘Fort Pearce’ was highly vulnerable to air attack, it was closed c 1942 and the 2 x 6 inch Mark VII guns were moved to ‘Cheviot Hill’ gun emplacement, which was camouflaged. Two fake guns replaced the Mark VII guns and remained at ‘Fort Pearce’ until the end of World War II.
Today, the beautiful location bestows breathtaking views across both the surf and bay coastlines.
Helpful Hints:
– Located approximately 6 km from the Portsea Town Centre – obtain Directions here
– Accessed from Defence Road
– Shuttle Bus Stop
– Bicycle Trail Termination Point – Bike Parking Racks provided
– Located within Point Nepean National Park
– Adjacent to Cheviot West Beach Lookout
– Parking at Gunners Cottage Car Park
– Other Historical POI’s Nearby
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