Gippsland Regional Maritime Museum Port Albert

From its Gunaikurnai origins to the arrival of European settlers in 1841 establishing a port servicing pastoralists and later the Gippsland goldfields, the rise and fall of the local fishing industry, right up to the OMEGA satellite navigation station at Woodside – all on display at the museum.

The moment you enter and see the restored 1.3-metre-high lens from the Cape Liptrap lighthouse and a cannon used at the Cliffy Island Station, you know you could easily while away hours.

The 1861 bank’s former vault houses a goldfields display in the very room which stored bullion from strikes at places like Omeo and Walhalla awaiting shipment from Port Albert, reputedly 1,000 ounces every week.

One of the key exhibits tells the story of the loss of the CLONMEL, a timber paddle steamer wrecked near the entrance to Port Albert, along with details of 23 other ships lost nearby.

You’ll be intrigued by the display of an original Breeches Buoy Rocket Lifesaving system which went into service in Port Albert in 1871, described by the Smithsonian as one of only a few intact examples to be found anywhere in the world.

Outdoor exhibits include restored work boats, the original Port Albert wharf crane, anchors and the Citadel Island light, Australia’s first automatic acetylene light installed in 1913 on a rocky islet off Wilson’s Promontory.