Cheviot Hill and Harold Holt Memorial Park

Point Nepean National Park is truly one of Victoria’s beautiful natural landscapes. A special place with so much to see and discover. It has a rich history and played an important role in shaping the early settlement, quarantine and defence of Victoria. The park is located at the very tip of the Mornington Peninsula, with outstanding coastal scenery and panoramic views of Bass Strait, the Rip and Port Phillip Bay.

Cheviot Hill is the park’s highest point and contains World War II fortifications. It overlooks Cheviot Beach, the site where former Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared without a trace in December 1967. A memorial is located about 500m further along Defence Road from Cheviot Hill.

Cheviot Hill and Cheviot Beach are named after a disastrous shipwreck that took place on 19 October 1887. The passenger steamer SS Cheviot was leaving Port Phillip when its propeller broke and the boat was washed up against the rocks. Soldiers stationed at Fort Nepean assisted with the rescue. Tragically 35 passengers died, eight are buried in the nearby Point Nepean Cemetery. There were 24 survivors who were nursed back to health at the Quarantine Station.