Arthurs Seat, Victoria

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

1 History
2 Problems with the chairlift
3 Present day
4 References
5 External links

[edit] 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.^[2]

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.^[3] The 950 m long chairlift route was built in 1960 and opened on 22 December 1960. It became an immensely popular tourist attraction, with an estimated 100,000 users in 2002 according to the Mornington Peninsula Tourism Council.^[4]

[edit] Problems with the chairlift

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.^[5] 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^[6]. 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.

On 16 May 2006 a mechanical failure stranded, but did not injure, about 12 tourists on the chairlift.^[7]

[edit] 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.^[8]

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.