Arthurs Seat, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Arthurs Seat is a hill and locality on the Mornington Peninsula
, within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula
, about 75 km south east of Melbourne
, Australia.
Arthurs Seat is a major tourist drawcard due to its natural bushland, sweeping views and man-made attractions. The hill rises to 305 metres above sea level.
The underlying rocks are Devonian
granite
, bounded to the west by the Selwyn Fault. The vegetation consists of dry open forest of mixed eucalypt
species, which was extensively burnt during a bushfire in 1997.
when he entered Port Phillip
in the ship Lady Nelson
in January 1802, for an apparent resemblance to the hill of Arthur's Seat
in Edinburgh
(which was his home city). Captain Matthew Flinders
climbed Arthurs Seat on 27 April 1802.
The term Arthurs Seat was first applied to the mountain, then to a squatting run, next to the pre-emptive right and recently to a suburb. Andrew McCrae had the run for about 8 years until the Burrells took it over 1n 1851 and remained for about 70 years. They purchased the pre-emptive right of 640 acres, which extended from the McCrae coast to the park boundary at the south end of Cook St.
In 1874, Samuel Smythe, a Flemington Bridge tanner established a wattle plantation on 80 acres but the venture was short lived. McCrae's Wattle Rd was probably the track taken by bark strippers.(Sources:A Dreamtime of Dromana, Wannaeue parish map, Rosebud Flower of the Peninsula, Ratebooks 1864-1920.)
Lime burning was combined with subsistence farming by the pioneers west of Boneo Rd but for those near Dromana, timber provided an income stream. Isobel Moresby mentioned "The Slips" where timber was slid down Arthurs Seat to waiting ships.It is well known that there were rails at the various piers but Allan Ritchie's shire construction gang found evidence of another narrow gauge railway when they were constructing Latrobe Pde.They uncovered a section of rail, axles and wheels which a Latrobe Pde resident displayed on his front lawn for years. Old timers told Allan that the railway carried timber for the boilers of steamships on a gantry reaching the bay near the caravan park at the west end of Dromana.
In 1896, a rough track was made to the summit, and the first resident, farmer and orchardist James Chapman, settled on top of the mountain. A properly graded road was built in 1929 and the lookout tower opened in 1934. The 950 m long chairlift route was built in 1960 and opened on 22 December 1960. It became a popular tourist attraction, with an estimated 100,000 users in 2002 according to the Mornington Peninsula Tourism Council.
After the owner spent $500,000 on extensive repairs, it was reopened a year later, but on 18 March 2004 a second incident occurred when a chair came loose and a 77-year-old woman suffered two broken legs. The ride was closed down by WorkSafe Victoria but was allowed to resume operations in October 2004. The owner was charged in May 2005 by WorkSafe under section 22 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act over the 2004 incident.
After pleading guilty to failing to carry out adequate maintenance, the company was convicted and fined $110,000 in October 2007.
On 16 May 2006 a mechanical failure stranded, but did not injure, about 12 tourists on the chairlift. In August 2008 the company pleaded guilty to failing to take care of the safety of non-employees. It was not convicted, but ordered to pay $15,000 in costs and ordered to carry out a safety improvement project. This involved a range of works to bring it into line with Canadian chairlift standard Standards Council of Canada
Z-98, an audit of safety before it re-opens and three-monthly reports on compliance with Z-98 for two years. The chairlift remains closed as a result of this incident. In October 2009 Parks Victoria started looking for an operator to design, construct, run and maintain a new chairlift
, a lookout tower, a maze and two restaurants. There is a viewing area near the summit which has extensive views of Port Phillip with the Melbourne City skyline and the You Yangs
visible on the horizon on a clear day.
The summit is connected to nearby Dromana by a winding tourist road which opened in 1929. Prominent viewpoints from the road include Bowens Point (145 m), Franklin Point (195 m), Murrays Lookout (247m), and Chapmans Point (274 m), the latter being the best vantage point to view the peninsula itself.
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...
, within 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...
, about 75 km south east of 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...
, Australia.
Arthurs Seat is a major tourist drawcard due to its natural bushland, sweeping views and man-made attractions. The hill rises to 305 metres above sea level.
The underlying rocks are Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
, bounded to the west by the Selwyn Fault. The vegetation consists of dry open forest of mixed eucalypt
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
species, which was extensively burnt during a bushfire in 1997.
History
It was named by Acting Lieutenant John MurrayJohn Murray (Australian explorer)
John Murray was a seaman and explorer of Australia. He was the first European to discover Port Phillip, the bay on which the cities of Melbourne and Geelong are situated....
when he entered 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...
in the ship Lady Nelson
Lady Nelson
The Royal Navy purchased Lady Nelson in 1799. She spent her career exploring the coast of Australia in the early years of the 19th century. She was the first known vessel to sail eastward through Bass Strait, the first to sail along the South coast of Victoria, as well as the first to enter Port...
in January 1802, for an apparent resemblance to the hill of Arthur's Seat
Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh
Arthur's Seat is the main peak of the group of hills which form most of Holyrood Park, described by Robert Louis Stevenson as "a hill for magnitude, a mountain in virtue of its bold design". It is situated in the centre of the city of Edinburgh, about a mile to the east of Edinburgh Castle...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
(which was his home city). Captain Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
climbed Arthurs Seat on 27 April 1802.
The term Arthurs Seat was first applied to the mountain, then to a squatting run, next to the pre-emptive right and recently to a suburb. Andrew McCrae had the run for about 8 years until the Burrells took it over 1n 1851 and remained for about 70 years. They purchased the pre-emptive right of 640 acres, which extended from the McCrae coast to the park boundary at the south end of Cook St.
In 1874, Samuel Smythe, a Flemington Bridge tanner established a wattle plantation on 80 acres but the venture was short lived. McCrae's Wattle Rd was probably the track taken by bark strippers.(Sources:A Dreamtime of Dromana, Wannaeue parish map, Rosebud Flower of the Peninsula, Ratebooks 1864-1920.)
Lime burning was combined with subsistence farming by the pioneers west of Boneo Rd but for those near Dromana, timber provided an income stream. Isobel Moresby mentioned "The Slips" where timber was slid down Arthurs Seat to waiting ships.It is well known that there were rails at the various piers but Allan Ritchie's shire construction gang found evidence of another narrow gauge railway when they were constructing Latrobe Pde.They uncovered a section of rail, axles and wheels which a Latrobe Pde resident displayed on his front lawn for years. Old timers told Allan that the railway carried timber for the boilers of steamships on a gantry reaching the bay near the caravan park at the west end of Dromana.
In 1896, a rough track was made to the summit, and the first resident, farmer and orchardist James Chapman, settled on top of the mountain. A properly graded road was built in 1929 and the lookout tower opened in 1934. The 950 m long chairlift route was built in 1960 and opened on 22 December 1960. It became a popular tourist attraction, with an estimated 100,000 users in 2002 according to the Mornington Peninsula Tourism Council.
Chairlift problems
On 3 January 2003, a pylon tower supporting the chairlift collapsed, injuring 18 people and leaving 65 others trapped for several hours. Some of the passengers sustained neck and spinal injuries, although none were life-threatening. A subsequent investigation found the chairlift had met all required standards and was regularly inspected, and safety and testing requirements were subsequently strengthened by the Victorian Government.After the owner spent $500,000 on extensive repairs, it was reopened a year later, but on 18 March 2004 a second incident occurred when a chair came loose and a 77-year-old woman suffered two broken legs. The ride was closed down by WorkSafe Victoria but was allowed to resume operations in October 2004. The owner was charged in May 2005 by WorkSafe under section 22 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act over the 2004 incident.
After pleading guilty to failing to carry out adequate maintenance, the company was convicted and fined $110,000 in October 2007.
On 16 May 2006 a mechanical failure stranded, but did not injure, about 12 tourists on the chairlift. In August 2008 the company pleaded guilty to failing to take care of the safety of non-employees. It was not convicted, but ordered to pay $15,000 in costs and ordered to carry out a safety improvement project. This involved a range of works to bring it into line with Canadian chairlift standard Standards Council of Canada
Standards Council of Canada
- About the SCC :The Standards Council of Canada is a federal Crown corporation with the mandate to promote efficient and effective voluntary standardization. Located in Ottawa, Ontario, the Standards Council has a 15-member governing Council and a staff of approximately 90...
Z-98, an audit of safety before it re-opens and three-monthly reports on compliance with Z-98 for two years. The chairlift remains closed as a result of this incident. In October 2009 Parks Victoria started looking for an operator to design, construct, run and maintain a new chairlift
Present day
The attractions at Arthurs Seat include Arthurs Seat State Park (including "Seawinds" gardens), a scenic chairliftChairlift
An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel cable loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs...
, a lookout tower, a maze and two restaurants. There is a viewing area near the summit which has extensive views of Port Phillip with the Melbourne City skyline and the You Yangs
You Yangs
The You Yangs are a series of granite ridges that rise to 364m above the Werribee Plain approximately 55km south west of Melbourne and 22km north east of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia. The main ridge runs roughly N-S for about 9 km, with a lower extension running for about 15 km to the west...
visible on the horizon on a clear day.
The summit is connected to nearby Dromana by a winding tourist road which opened in 1929. Prominent viewpoints from the road include Bowens Point (145 m), Franklin Point (195 m), Murrays Lookout (247m), and Chapmans Point (274 m), the latter being the best vantage point to view the peninsula itself.