The History of Beechworth House

In the late 1800s Queenscliff was alive with guest houses. Families from Melbourne poured in by steamer and train, drawn by the promise of sea air, safe beaches, and the town’s growing reputation as Victoria’s premier holiday destination. The grand hotels catered to the wealthiest visitors, but it was the guest houses that gave Queenscliff its unique character. Run by local families, they provided hearty meals, communal dining rooms, lively dances, and the warm sense of community that turned a seaside holiday into a shared experience.

Queenscliff at this time was more than just a fishing village. With its lighthouse, fort, and pier bustling with ferries, it became a thriving resort town. Families filled the streets during summer, promenading along the esplanade, taking carriage rides, and venturing on excursions to Point Lonsdale and Swan Bay. Music halls, tea rooms, and bowling greens added to the atmosphere, while guest houses lined the town’s streets to accommodate the crowds. Names such as Oceania, Grand View, Merthyr, Warringa, Seaview, and Bay View were well known to holidaymakers, each offering its own flavour of seaside hospitality.

Beechworth House was part of this tradition. Built in the 1890s at 34–36 Gellibrand Street and first owned by Mrs McKenzie, it became well known under Annie Margaret Anderson, who named it after her birthplace of Beechworth, Victoria. Annie turned the home into a lively boarding house, remembered for its music, teas, and social gatherings that welcomed visitors year after year.

By the early 1900s Beechworth and its sister property Oceania (property behind) were at the centre of Queenscliff’s holiday life. Guests enjoyed comfortable accommodation just steps from the beach and joined in the entertainment of fancy dress balls, children’s parties, and evening dances. The house remained busy through the decades, later under the long stewardship of the Buswell family from the 1930s to the 1960s, when photographs still show smiling holidaymakers gathered on the front steps.

Today, although Beechworth House no longer operates, its site carries the memory of Queenscliff’s golden age as Victoria’s favourite seaside escape. Imagine the bustle of families arriving with their trunks, children racing toward the surf, and evenings filled with music and laughter drifting across the town. Beechworth House stands as a reminder of that era, when the guest houses of Queenscliff defined the perfect coastal holiday.

Thank you to the Queenscliffe Historical Museum for their research and providing this information.

You can visit the museum around the corner at 49-55 Hesse St Queenscliff, or visit the website here https://historyofqueenscliffe.com/.