Lorne Victoria Australia

Point Grey is on the south side of Lorne and separates the wild seas of Bass Strait from the protected Louttit bay and the main  beach of Lorne. The name of Point Grey is thought to have arisen from the grey rocks that predominate around the point.

The Port of Lorne at Point Grey allowed tourism and industry in Lorne to flourish. The pier enabled timber from the St George River Sawmills to be loaded onto ships, such as the Erskine. Tourists could travel to Lorne by ship and disembark for holidays in Lorne. Later the pier was home to many fishing boats and the creation of the Fishermen’s Co-operative.

Point Grey, with new pier built in 2007.

2025, Point Grey (GORCAPA photo), prior to redevelopment in 2026

Traditional inhabitants frequented the area, well before European settlement, as evidenced by the extensive middens around Point Grey that show that the Gadubanud language group fed on turban shells, abalone, periwinkle, elephant fish, chiton, mussels and limpets.

In early days, Lorne could only be reached by horseback over the Otway Ranges or by sea. In this era, most people reached Lorne by ship and so the need for a pier was evident. The first pier at Point Grey was built in 1879 to provide easier sea access for tourists, to serve the logging industry, and to deliver supplies to the town.

Tramways

In front of the old Fishermen’s Co-operative building tramways or railway lines can be seen embedded into the concrete. The original tramway enabled timber to transported by horse-drawn trolleys from the St George River sawmills to the pier. The timber was stacked on the pier and then loaded onto ships for transport to Geelong and Melbourne, to help build Victoria’s essential infrastructure.

The ketch Erskine berthed at Lorne Pier, to load timber from the St George River mill.

Jimmy Hampton on trolley at Lorne Pier. (LHS photo 7388)

Timber tramway to St George River (LHS photo 4006B)

When the fishing industry boomed in the mid twentieth century, boxes of fish needed to be transported from the pier for processing at the Fishermen’s Co-op

Frank Norton with his daily catch

The day’s catch is weighed in at the Fishermen’s Co-operative. (L-R: Ken Telford, Frank North, ??, Henry Love, ??)

Tourists Landing at Point Grey

Manawatua and passengers at Lorne Pier 1910

The Stranding of the Hinemoa

The Hinemoa, foundered at Point Grey in 1908 when sailing to close to shore with vision obscured by smoke from bushfires in the area.

Stranding of “Hinemoa” Pt Grey Lorne

1908, Hinemoa

Lorne Aquatics & Angling Club

2026, Aquatic Club before redevelopment

Pier To Pub

The Lorne Pier to Pub has been running since 1981. It is an annual open water race held in January each year. Swimmers enter from the pier and swim about 1.2 km to the finish line in front of the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club . The race attracts up to 4,000 competitors and in 1988 it entered the Guinness Book of Records with 3071 swimmers, making it the world’s largest open water race.

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Pier Crane

Cranes have been used on the Lorne Pier to lift cargo, timber, fish and fishing boats out of the water onto the pier. Fishing boats were protected from the ravages of the ocean by being lifted out of the water. The silhouette of the crane on the Lorne Pier has always been a loved image of Lorne. When the crane fell into disrepair and was condemned in 2003, the last fishermen still using the crane to lift their boats from the ocean were bereft at the ending of their fishing career.

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Caravan Park

Post World War II, many people had cars and caravans and tourism flourished in Lorne, A Caravan Park was established at Point Grey.

Camping Ground at Point Grey, Shelly Beach. (LHS photo 9668)

1957, Point Grey caming ground. (LHS photo 1752)

Sources:

• Lorne Historical Society Collections