Chevion Beach

Sunday, February 7th continued

I forgot to mention the history of this place. There were two important events that happened here. I had heard about the first tragic event from Jim and Barry on Saturday and from Don at school too. Holt was the prime minister at the time of his death. The top picture is Chevion Beach where it happened. 

Mystery, intrigue and rumours surround the disappearance of Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt on the Mornington Peninsula.

On 17th December 1967, Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared, presumed drowned while swimming at Cheviot Beach which is part of the Point Nepean National Park on the Mornington Peninsula.

Mr. Holt, aged 59, departed Canberra on Friday 15th December and flew to Melbourne in a RAAF VIP aircraft and later drove his maroon Pontiac Parisienne to Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula for a relaxing weekend at his family home. Despite the growing controversy of the Vietnam War, Holt did not feel the need to surround himself with security guards. Zara his wife, stayed behind in Canberra.

Prime Minister Harold Holt spear fishing at Cheviot beach

It is believed Holt played tennis and relaxed with friends throughout Saturday. On Sunday morning 17 December 1967 he and a neighbour, Marjorie Gillespie, went to Point Nepean to watched the lone English yachtsman Sir Alec Rose sail through Port Philip Bay Heads on his return journey to England. They were followed in a second car by Alan Stewart with Gillespie's daughter Vyner, 20 and her friend, Robert Simpson, 19. Despite the blustery, muggy conditions Holt wanted to swim at the private, exposed ocean at Cheviot Beach, rather than at one of the more protected beaches in the bay. Holt changed into his swimming trunks and entered the surf shortly after midday. Witnesses claim they saw Holt swimming out to sea when turbulent water suddenly built up around him and he disappeared. They called for help and one of Australia's largest search and rescue operations was mounted. By nightfall approximately 190 people were searching for the prime minister. He was officially presumed dead on 19th December 1967. The search was scaled down on 22nd December and officially terminated on 5 January 1968. Holt's body was never found.

It is also the site of Victoria's worst shipwreck:

The SS Cheviot set out from Melbourne on the 19th October 1887 with cargo of food stuff, wine, metals and sundries, on what was considered a typical coastal journey to Sydney. After passing through the heads of Port Philip Bay around 8pm the ship was in the outer edge of 'the rip', considered to be one of the most dangerous port entries in Australia, when she suffered mechanical problems with the propeller.

A south westerly gale was blowing, so the Captain, Thomas B Richardson, decided not to launch the lifeboats as he considered the sea was too rough so ordered the sails be set immediately. This didn't help and although the anchors were put out the SS Cheviot struck the shore around 9pm. Distress rockets were sent up and the Queenscliff Lifeboat was sent out but due to the appalling weather conditions could not make it through the heads.

Help didn't arrive until around 4am the next morning. A rocket lifeline and boatswain chair were used to rescue 24 passengers before the ship finally broke up and sank. Some passengers drowned as they were trapped in the fore cabin waiting to be rescued. Others were battered to death on rocks.

The SS Cheviot has the tragic distinction of being Victoria's worst shipwreck with the loss of 35 lives. Eight of the victims were buried at the nearby Quarantine Station cemetery at Point Nepean.