Victoria Settlement

The ruins of Victoria Settlement are one of two failed British settlements on the Cobourg Peninsula in the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. A group of British soldiers, some with families, arrived in 1838 and spent 11 years establishing the settlement. The settlers built a Governor's residence, one of the first elevated houses ever built, a hospital, church, military and married quarters with distinctive round Cornish chimneys. Isolation and disease eventually drove the inhabitants out, and the ruins are all that remain. A permit is required to enter the Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. Please contact Parks and Wildlife Service for further details, including road access.