European arrival and settlement

Photo above: The School Hall - now the Community Hall - in 1926.

Sealers and sailors were the first Europeans to make contact exploiting the natural resources of the area. The permanent water available at Stony Creek in a sheltered cove was the natural place to anchor and replenish supplies. 

In December 1803, Lt. James Tuckey camped here with his small exploration party; they had walked from the Collins settlement at Sorrento. Following the establishment of the Port Phillip district in 1835, settlers moved into the area.

The first wave of European settlers in Shoreham primarily worked in in agriculture. The fertile soil and mild climate of the Mornington Peninsula made the region suitable for farming, especially grazing livestock and crops such as wheat, onions and potatoes.

In 1846, Henry Tuck took up the Manton’s Creek pastoral lease which covered all of the Shoreham area. He built a home for his family and commenced cattle grazing and farming.  The Tuck family still has property here.

The Land Acts of the 1860s broke up the large leases and made small acreages available for purchase. A group of Irish Catholic families came to the Shoreham/Balnarring area in the 1860s. Many had tried their luck on the goldfields and marriages had taken place between the families in Tipperary and Keilor in Melbourne. Among them were the Byrne, Dowling, Kennedy, Nowlan, Riley and Ryan families.

A school was built in 1854 and a Catholic Church in 1878. The church was relocated to Byrnes Road in 1981 after a fire.

Martin Byrne’s family sold the lower paddocks of their dairy farm to Walter Henry Buxton, a printer and estate developer from Melbourne, who subdivided the land and promoted the sale of the “Shoreham-On-The-Sea” estate in December 1923. Final subdivision of the upper portion took place in 1969.

In 1846, Henry Tuck took up the Manton’s Creek pastoral lease which covered all of the Shoreham area. He built a home for his family and commenced cattle grazing and farming.  The Tuck family still has property here.

By the 1920s and 1930s, farming operations, including cattle grazing, orchards and vineyards, had expanded across the region. The area’s vineyards have since become famous; the cool, coastal climate is particularly well-suited for growing pinot noir and chardonnay.

Shoreham’s timber industry also contributed to its early economy, supplying materials for railway sleepers and the growing settlements around the Mornington Peninsula. Fishing was another source of livelihood, with locals taking advantage of the abundant fish in the waters of Western Port Bay

People from Melbourne began to discover the beauty of Shoreham’s beaches and serene atmosphere. Two guest houses operated in the 1920s and 1930s. By the 1960s families were building holiday houses with the opening up of new land.

The village became known for its strong ties to the arts community. The McCullochs hosted many artists. Among those who lived or holidayed here were Noel Counihan, Clifton Pugh, Fred Williams and Hal and Katherine Hattam.

Today Shoreham’s historic buildings, thriving primary production, scenic landscapes, Indigenous cultural activity, and strong sense of community make it a special part of Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula.

Thanks to the Flinders District Historical Society for assistance in compiling this history.