Inside The Queenscliff Hotel’s elegant revival

Closed for almost a decade, The Queenscliff Hotel has reopened with restored Victorian detail, polished new interiors and a destination restaurant that adds fresh energy to this Bellarine seaside town

Ascending the bluestone stairs toward The Queenscliff Hotel feels like walking into a costume drama. With each step this 1888 structure of two storeys plus turret seems to grow larger, the elaborate white iron lacework on verandah and balcony more magnificent. Entering its spacious foyer I’m wowed by more Victoriana: an expanse of tessellated floor tiles, and a dividing wall whose three arches are filled with both stained-glass patterns and glass panels hand-painted with ships, sea creatures and birds. Vases of roses recall the past too, exuding heirloom varieties’ heady perfume.

Marriage of past and present

At this newly re-opened hotel in Queenscliff, a small seaside town 100 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, heritage has been handsomely restored. It’s not set in aspic, however. The espresso machine to one side of the foyer is the most obvious sign that characters in crinolines and top hats aren’t lurking. The welcoming cafe’s bench of marble and modern curves also offers the pastries being savoured on the verandah and garden terrace overlooking Princess Park, and in the adjoining lounge. 

This cosy room has an original fireplace and contemporary furniture that nods to vintage elegance, but the wallpaper captures my attention entirely: a vivacious 18^th century chinoiserie design, with a European man and his dog repeatedly startled by the quasi-exotic landscape.

“We wanted the hotel to feel like a big hug from the moment you walk through the entrance”, says Tammy Charter who, together with husband Rob, has been guiding the building’s rebirth since they purchased it in 2022. Closed since 2015, it “attracted our attention because it’s a standout heritage building with a beautiful facade in an awesome beachside location,” she adds. The location’s appeal has grown with this hotel’s revitalisation, just weeks after another of Queenscliff’s grand old hotels, The Royal, also completed a stylish reinvention that embraces its period assets.

Melbourne’s Molecule Studio led The Queenscliff Hotel’s interior design makeover, but the Charters were closely involved. According to Rob, “we mixed our own antiques with the new luxury furniture to try and create a building that was respectful to the heritage, yet attractive to the client we’re trying to bring into the hotel.” Almost everything I see is either restored or bespoke, including striking lights by Melbourne’s South Drawn and paintings by artists based here on the Bellarine Peninsula.

Quality and attention to detail

21st century technology is subtly integrated, including an elevator. I can’t resist the old-fashioned romance of the two stairways, however, both flooded with light from high stained-glass windows. They lead to the accommodation, including the Teddy Bear Magnolia Suite where I’m relieved to find no plush toys, either real or depicted. It’s named for the neighbour’s Teddy Bear Magnolia tree seen through three tall sash windows. There’s a hint of cuteness about the blush-pink hue of the soft cotton curtains and an alpaca throw from regional Victoria’s Creswick Woollen Mills. Rose-and-grey bedside marble shelves have a simple switch for operating the blinds at leisure.

Alongside 19^th century features including the fireplace and unvarnished but supremely smooth Baltic pine floors, quality and attention to detail abound in the fresh fit-out. The main pendant light is a triumph of big glass petals with milky swirls. Bedlinen is discreetly embroidered with an interlocking QH monogram. Tefal garment steamer and ghd hairdryer await within a multifunctional unit of custom cabinetry, which also incorporates a well-stocked drawer refrigerator. 

In the bathroom of white marble, brushed bronze, rippled glass and walk-in shower, I’m delighted to discover local MOR toiletries and a stand mirror (often overlooked in bathrooms with deep, wide vanities that make fixed mirrors awkwardly distant for applying make-up and shaving).

There are no teddy bears and this is also not a suite; the only seating is a plush bench for perching at the foot of the bed. Indeed, while all 12 accommodations are called suites, only one has a separate lounge; two offer private balcony access. Keep this in mind and these king and queen accommodations – all named after tree species – are unlikely to disappoint. 

Two-bedroom combinations are available, while lovers of luxe bathrooms should book Stone Pine, whose en suite has princely proportions, marble bath and fireplace. Opportunities for soaking and pampering will take off when The Queenscliff Hotel’s on-site day spa opens next year.

Meanwhile, I kick back in the lounge and balcony space available to all guests. Inside there’s more 19^th-meets-21^st century style, plus numerous games, while outside I admire black cockatoos calling almost wistfully as they wheel through the sky. The view across verdant park to Port Phillip Bay is even better from the turret above.

Eat out or in?

Lookout turrets and towers were de rigueur for hotels in Queenscliff’s heyday, before modern transportation took Melbourne’s holidaymakers further afield and the town reinvented itself as a place of quiet charm. The redeveloped harbour’s public observation tower revives the tradition, delivering a panorama of marina, Port Phillip Bay and smaller, lagoon-like Swan Bay. 

Most notable among ground-level shops and eateries is 360Q restaurant, where food and drinks come with a soothing seaside vista. Nearby, the Queenscliff-Sorrento ferry’s new, architecturally daring terminal is home to TARRA, another restaurant where flavour meets picturesque bay views. Elsewhere on the Bellarine Peninsula, taste buds are treated at wineries and aboard The Q Train, Australia’s only dedicated restaurant on rails.

However, The Queenscliff Hotel makes staying in extremely appealing. In addition to the foyer’s Cafe 1888 there are three options for refreshment. The Boat Bar is all smart-casual design with maritime touches – from long, sleek navy couches to framed vintage drawings of boats. The generous drinks list includes cocktails such as a nicely balanced Amaretto sour and pleasantly tart limoncello spritz. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is served in The Conservatory, a relaxed, light-filled space that encloses a former courtyard and leads to more seating in a neat garden.

We wanted the hotel to feel like a big hug from the moment you walk through the entrance…

Then there’s Miettas. For memorable meals with flair and a degree of formality nothing else in Queenscliff comes close. As the plaque outside the restaurant entrance reveals, its named after Mietta’s, the renowned regional dining destination that occupied this space late last century. 

Past and present are harmoniously combined in this dining room. There’s another venerable fireplace with stately mirror above, and a two-tiered, gilded chandelier that’s pure Victorian-era ostentation. The contemporary lights are more restrained statement pieces with gorgeous, gleaming puffs of gold mesh. Another showstopping pictorial wallpaper design rises up to the tall ceiling, this time a 19^th century ferny forest print in inky blue on white. 

Crisp tablecloths and attentive but unfussy service are integral to the fine-dining experience. There are no share plates, only degustation menus: the classic, which focuses on locally sourced fish and seafood, meat-leaning signature, as well as vegetarian and vegan.

“It’s a seasonal menu most likely changing every six weeks” explains Salvatore, whose family hails from Salerno near the Amalfi coast. “Living in Italy has shaped me a lot in the simplicity of ingredients. I want to cook honest and flavoursome food.” He ticks both boxes, while also delivering dishes that are refined in taste and presentation. From the chargrilled octopus’ tomato-rich puttanesca sauce to the buttery, sea-salty combination of sauteed clams and housemade, perfectly cooked spaghetti, this is elevated modern Italian cuisine.

After lunch at Miettas I reluctantly descend those bluestone steps. The Queenscliff Hotel unites past and present, but it’s also about the future. I’m already pondering when to return.

Hotel notes

Rooms at The Queenscliff Hotel start from $335, breakfast included, while Miettas’ degustations are from $115. thequeenscliffhotel.com.au