Up, Up and Away for Port Campbell’s Rocket Shed

Published on 12 December 2024

A key part of Port Campbell’s history, the iconic Rocket Shed looks as good as ever after the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority replaced its leaky roof.

Following the Loch Ard wreck in 1878, a rocket outfit and life-saving apparatus were deemed necessary at Port Campbell. Ropes and tripod material were initially stored in a small building on the foreshore.

Rockets could be fired as a distress signal or to carry a line from one point to another. In the event of a shipwreck, a rocket was fired from shore to the ship, followed by a heavy hawser (a thick rope) and a breeches buoy.

The breeches buoy, a ring-shaped life-buoy with short breeches for support, allowed a person to be safely transferred from the ship to shore.

The current shed, built after the Great Ocean Road's extension in 1935, eventually became home to the emergency equipment.

Thanks to an $8,000 investment from the Authoirty, this important piece of Port Campbell’s maritime history has been preserved.

The Port Campbell Rocket Shed is located within the Port Campbell National Park.

Image: Before the roof was replaced

Image: After the roof was replaced