MEMBERS of the Hastings Western Port Historical Society are celebrating the news that the Old Pioneer’s Cottage, located on the corner of Skinner and Herring Streets, will be saved following the announcement of a shire-funded restoration.
There had been concerns the cottage, one of Hastings’ oldest buildings, would be lost to the elements, with the society lobbying the shire for years to save it (Fears pioneer cottage could be lost, The News 15/10/24).
The cottage was originally in Victoria Street and believed to have been built by the Sposito family in the early 1900s.
The building was donated to the Shire of Hastings in the mid 1980s, and moved to its current position at that time, and is owned by the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.
The building had fallen into such a state of disrepair that it has been closed to the public due to it being an occupation health and safety risk.
In 2024, then president of the Hastings Western Port Historical Society, Di Maloney said “So now the building, which should be the pride of our museum, sits padlocked, and nobody is allowed to enter”.
“We need to keep an old iron bath in the hall to catch water from the leaking roof. In the kitchen, where Shirley Davies used to bake fresh scones for visitors to the museum, now you can see through the holes in the wall to the outside.”
Last week, the society was paid a visit by shire representatives with the welcome news that restoration of the cottage would begin soon.
Shire project manager Lee Young told them a tender had been accepted and that work would start as soon as possible with the aim of making the old weatherboard building structurally sound and resistant to the elements.
A security fence has already arrived and building materials are expected to soon follow. It is believed the project will be completed by late June.
Maloney, who is now the secretary of the society, expressed concerns over the safety of the contents of the cottage – valuable artefacts from the pioneering days of the fishermen. She was assured that the contractors would carefully document, remove and store them in a container on the property.
Local historian Lance Hodgins pointed out the significance of the pioneer cottage, typical of the fishermen’s huts which had strung out from the jetty at “Star Point” to form the original township of Hastings in the 1860s. Over the years they have been lost and the grassy area along Skinner Street is now frequently covered with the boat trailers of modern-day fishermen.
“Visitors to the museum would frequently express their disappointment at not being able to wander through the cottage and see how early fishermen families lived,” said Hodgins.
“It was the experience they had been looking forward to and the heritage-listed building was truly the property’s ‘jewel in the crown’.”.
The shire’s announcement was particularly rewarding for John Woolley, current president of the society.
“John has been instrumental in the restoration of the fish shed at the jetty, as well as some early work on the cottage,” said Hodgins.
Over time he has established a cooperative relationship with the shire’s Arts and Culture department which was represented at the meeting by Georgia Rouette.
“John has a broad vision for the historical precinct at the end of Marine Parade near the jetty,” said Hodgins.
“It already includes a museum which holds a restored fishing boat and 40 pounder big gun, Harry Firth’s house, the Mirabella couta boat, and a church foyer from the 1880s.
“He sees the area becoming a heritage and learning centre – to be owned and enjoyed by the entire community.”
First published in the Western Port News – 22 April 2026
