Arthurs Seat, Victoria

Infobox Australian Place | type = suburb
name = Arthurs Seat
city = Melbourne
state = vic


caption = View of Athurs's Seat from Rosebud Pier
lga = Shire of Mornington Peninsula
postcode = 3936
pop = 213 (2006)Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC21027 | name = Arthurs Seat (State Suburb) | accessdate = 2007-10-01 | quick = on]
area = 1.5
propval =
stategov = Nepean
fedgov = Flinders
near-nw =
near-n = Dromana
near-ne =
near-w = McCrae
near-e = Dromana
near-sw = Rosebud
near-s = Main Ridge
near-se = Red Hill
dist1 = 72
location1= Melbourne

Arthurs Seat [Gazetteer of Australia | name = Arthurs Seat | id = 235993] is a hill and locality on the Mornington Peninsula, within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula, about 75Km south east of Melbourne, Australia.

Arthurs Seat is a major tourist drawcard due to its natural bushland, sweeping views and man-made attractions. The hill rises to 305 meters above sea level.

The underlying rocks are Devonian granite, bounded to the west by the Selwyn Fault. The vegetation consists of dry open forest of mixed eucalypt species, which was extensively burnt during a bushfire in 1997.

History

It was named by Acting Lieutenant John Murray when he entered Port Phillip Bay in the ship "Lady Nelson" in January 1802, for an apparent resemblance to Arthur's Seat hill in Edinburgh (which was his home city). Captain Matthew Flinders climbed Arthurs Seat on 27 April 1802. [gutenberg|no=12929|name=A Voyage to Terra Australis by Matthew Flinders, volume 1]

In 1896, a rough track was made to the summit, and the first resident, farmer and orchardist James Chapman, settled on top of the mountain. A properly graded road was built in 1929 and the lookout tower opened in 1934. [cite web|title=History of Arthurs Seat|author=Arthurs Seat Chairlift|url=http://www.arthursseatchairlift.com.au/history/history.htm|accessdate=2006-11-27] The 950 m long chairlift route was built in 1960 and opened on 22 December 1960. It became a popular tourist attraction, with an estimated 100,000 users in 2002 according to the Mornington Peninsula Tourism Council. [cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/01/05/1041566310596.html|title=Chairlift closure may be permanent|author=Andra Jackson, Michelle Wood|date=6 January 2003|work=The Age|accessdate=2006-11-27]

Chairlift Problems

On 3 January 2003, a pylon tower supporting the chairlift collapsed, injuring 18 people and leaving 65 others trapped for several hours. Some of the passengers sustained neck and spinal injuries, although none were life-threatening. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2624005.stm|title=Australian chairlift collapse injures 18|work=BBC World|date=4 January 2003|accessdate=2006-11-27] A subsequent investigation found the chairlift had met all required standards and was regularly inspected, and safety and testing requirements were subsequently strengthened by the Victorian Government.

After the owner spent $500,000 on extensive repairs, it was reopened a year later, but on 18 March 2004 a second incident occurred when a chair came loose and a 77-year-old woman suffered two broken legs. [cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Arthurs-Seat-chairlift-operators-charged/2005/05/10/1115584941037.html|title=Arthurs Seat chairlift operators charged|date=10 May 2005|work=The Age|accessdate=2006-11-27] The ride was closed down by WorkSafe Victoria but was allowed to resume operations in October 2004. The owner was charged in May 2005 by WorkSafe under section 22 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act over the 2004 incident.

After pleading guilty to failing to carry out adequate maintenance, the company was convicted and fined $110,000 in October 2007. [cite news|http://www.workcover.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe/SiteTools/News/Consequences+of+chairlift+safety+failings+obvious+judge|date=26 October 2007|title=Consequences of chairlift safety failings ‘obvious’: judge|author=Victorian Workcover Authority|accessdate=2007-11-03] [cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22655450-2862,00.html|title=Chairlift owner fined for injuries|last=Jones|first=Kate|date=27 October 2007|work=Herald Sun|accessdate=2007-11-03]

On 16 May 2006 a mechanical failure stranded, but did not injure, about 12 tourists on the chairlift. [cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/tourists-trapped-on-chairlift/2006/05/16/1147545312235.html|title=Tourists trapped on chairlift|author=Vanessa Burrow|work=The Age|date=16 May 2006|accessdate=2006-11-27] . In August 2008 the company pleaded guilty to failing to take care of the safety of non-employees. It was not convicted, but ordered to pay $15,000 in costs and ordered to carry out a safety improvement project. This involved a range of works to bring it into line with Canadian chairlift standard [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standards_Council_of_Canada] Z-98, an audit of safety [http://www.workcover.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/WorkSafe/SiteTools/News/] before it re-opens and three-monthly reports on compliance with Z-98 for two years. The chairlift remains closed as a result of this incident, but the owner hoped to reopen in late 2008.

Present day

The attractions at Arthurs Seat include Arthurs Seat State Park (including "Seawinds" gardens), a scenic chairlift, a lookout tower, a maze and two restaurants. There is a viewing area near the summit which has extensive views of Port Phillip Bay with the Melbourne City skyline and the You Yangs visible on the horizon on a clear day. [cite web|url=http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=62|title=Arthurs Seat State Park|author=Parks Victoria|accessdate=2006-11-27]

The summit is connected to nearby Dromana by a winding tourist road which opened in 1929. Prominent viewpoints from the road include Bowens Point (145m), Franklin Point (195m), Murrays Lookout (247m), and Chapmans Point (274m), the latter being the best vantage point to view the peninsula itself.

References

External links

* [http://www.parkweb.vic.gov.au/1park_display.cfm?park=62 Parks Victoria - Arthurs Seat State Park]
* [http://home.vicnet.net.au/~dromana/ Dromana & District Historical Society]