History of Portland
James Grant sailed along the Victorian coast in the Lady Nelson and stumbled accross Portland Bay in 1800. It soon became the port for whalers and fishermen in the 1900'sas the bay is well sheltered but accessible.Whaler William Dutton was in temporaryresidence in the Port of Portland when the first of Henty Clan arrived.The Henty family are said to be the first settlers of Victoria as they arrived from Tasmania seeking out grazing land. Edward Henty turned the first soil and he and family proceeded to build many beautiful buildings which are still standing today.Interestingly , Victoria wasnt at the time approved for settlement so the settlement was in fact illegal.It was not until 1839 that land became available for purchase.The traditional inhabitants of the South West of Victoria are the Gunditjmara up until European settlement in 1834 - a year before Melbourne was settled.Portland was proclaimed a city in 1985 when Princess Diana visited for the ceremonyAlcoa Aluminium Smelter opened in 1986.Portlands History house is a wealth of information and displays on this towns rich and colourful history.
