1859 Queenscliffe Land Lease Transaction Document

An Early Land Transaction At Queenscliffe, 5th April 1859 eight-page vellum document formalizing the 'Lease of an Allotment of Land at Queenscliffe' by James Dawson of Kangalong, Point Fairy 'in the Portland Bay District' and John Lang Currie of Larra Station, to Mr. Alexander Henry (cabinet maker); sealed, and signed by Henry and Walter Adamson, Hotel Keeper, Queenscliffe (witness); also signed by Thomas Sunderland, Acting Registrar. The land in question was bounded on one side by Mercer Street and on the other, by Stevens St. Permanent European settlement began in the area in 1836 when squatters arrived. Shortland's Bluff was named in honour of Lieutenant John Shortland, who assisted in the surveying of Port Phillip. Land sales began in 1853, the same year the name was changed to Queenscliff by Lieutenant Charles La Trobe, in honour of Queen Victoria. The Post Office opened on 1 May 1853 as Shortland's Bluff and was renamed Queenscliff in 1854.