Fort Pearce, Military fortification in Point Nepean, Victoria, Australia

Fort Pearce is a coastal fortification at Point Nepean with two concrete gun emplacements, underground ammunition storage, and observation positions. The structures face Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay, representing the military construction methods of the period.

The fort was built between 1910 and 1916 as part of Port Phillip's defense system under Fort Queenscliff's command. It served as a coastal defense position during both World Wars.

The site reflects early 20th century military engineering positioned to control sea approaches. You can see how the fort was built to fit the coastal landscape and understand its role in defending the harbor.

Parts of Fort Pearce are open to visitors within Point Nepean National Park, but Pearce Barracks stays closed for safety reasons. Parks Victoria installed interpretive structures and displays at the site and removed asbestos buildings from the barracks in 2007. The gun pits and magazine sit on the Point Nepean headland, reached on foot along the park's tracks.

The only fatality at Fort Pearce was Gunner Walter Hargrave, killed on 16 July 1916 when one of the guns misfired. The guns themselves never fired in anger, and the accident happened at the gun, not in the magazine.