Portsea, Victoria

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

---

|220px|Portsea Pier
caption = Portsea Pier
lga = Shire of Mornington Peninsula
est = 1850s
area = 4
postcode = 3944
pop = 655 (2006)Census 2006 AUS | id = SSC21549 | name = Portsea (State Suburb) | accessdate = 2007-10-01 | quick = on]
propval = $1,115,000 [ [http://www.domain.com.au/public/suburbprofile.aspx?suburb=Portsea&postcode=3944 Portsea] , 15 May 2008]
stategov = Nepean
fedgov = Flinders
dist1 = 95 | location1 = Melbourne
near-nw = Point Nepean
near-n =
near-ne = "Port Phillip Bay"
near-w =
near-e =
near-sw = "Bass Strait"
near-s =
near-se = Sorrento

Portsea is a resort town located across Port Phillip from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Mornington Peninsula.Portsea is a popular holiday spot, located near the end of the Mornington Peninsula between the calm waters of Port Phillip Bay and the wild surf of Bass Strait.

History

Portsea Post Office opened on 10 February 1877 and closed in 1987. Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ]

Today

The 3944 postcode is the nation's most affluent, with an average taxable income almost $10,000 higher than Sydney's Darling Point or Point Piper. [cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Income-tide-lifts-Portsea/2005/04/15/1113509926847.html|title=Income tide lifts Portsea|date=15 April 2005|author="The Age"]

Portsea is considered by many to be the hub of Melbourne's recreational scuba diving activities. No less than four scuba related shops operate from in its otherwise modest main street. Dive boats travel to sites both inside Port Phillip and outside Port Phillip Heads, also known as The Rip.

The Portsea Pier is the home to the spectacular leafy sea dragon, as well as many other fish species, including numerous pufferfish. Boating traffic is frequent, and divers should be careful to avoid main boating routes. Portsea Back Beach is a big attraction in Portsea, due to its great surfing conditions and long stretch of sand. Portsea Surf Life Saving Club patrols the popular surf beach, as patrols are always needed during the summer period given the large waves and strong tides that are often present.

OCS Portsea, an army establishment, was located just outside the town. The historic reserve became famous when Harold Holt, a former Prime Minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming inside the facility at Cheviot Beach on 17 December 1967 and was officially presumed dead two days later, although a formal inquest into his death did not take place until 2005.

According to the 2006 Australian Bureau of Statistics Census Portsea had 654 residents. However, these statistics are somewhat unreliable as most "permanent" residents live in their Portsea holiday home for only 4 days or so of each week to avoid Land Taxes, which in the higher value properties, can reach $300,000 AUD or more, per annum.

Prominent residents include Lindsay Fox,Kate Baillieu and Rupert Murdoch's grandson David Calvert Jones with many of their cliff top properties worth well in excess of $15,000,000 AUD.

ee also

*Portsea Surf Life Saving Club

References

External links