Built in 1858 at the Port and Harbour Master's yard in Williamstown Victoria, the Portland Lifeboat was overseen by Harbour Master Charles Ferguson. It is understood to have been constructed from the same moulds used to build the Port Fairy Lifeboat, designed by William White, in 1857. Both boats are similar to the lifeboats designed in England by James Peake and adopted by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in the UK. The Portland Lifeboat's 9.14 m (30 ft) long hull is double diagonally planked in New Zealand kauri, and many of the planks run from gunwale to gunwale in one piece under the inner keel section. Eucalyptus and oregon were used elsewhere and the local blacksmith made the iron work. The fastenings are copper. There are two flotation or buoyancy tanks at either end, with prominent whaleback style decking. Under the thwarts is a deck with scuppers so that the craft is both buoyant and self draining whenever large waves are taken aboard in rough conditions. The lifeboat was oar-powered with a sailing rig. The original rig was a lug mainsail, but this was replaced with a lug and headsail rig taken from a fishing boat in 1903. The lifeboat was manned by volunteer crews, mostly local fishermen from Portland. They maintained this service until 1915 when the boat was replaced with a new motorised craft. The lifeboat's most outstanding service was to the steamer ADMELLA in 1859 when the ship grounded on a reef off Cape Banks in South Australia, 150 km to the west of Portland. Survivors clung to the rigging in heavy seas for over a week and 89 people lost their lives in the shipwreck. Taken to the scene by the steamer LADY BIRD, the Portland Lifeboat was unable to assist until eight days after the ADMELLA's grounding when the seas abated enough for the lifeboat to manoeuvre close to the ship and rescue the last 19 survivors. Since its retirement in 1915 the lifeboat has been a memorial to those who manned it and those it rescued. For a long period it was on display in the Portland Gardens, first in the open and then under a canopy. In 2008 it was on display inside the Portland Maritime Discovery Centre, still in original condition complete with the rig from 1915. It is one of the oldest vessels of its type in Australia, and the world.Portland LifeboatPhotograph showing the Portland Lifeboatphotography, portland lifeboat, admella

Coloured photograph showing the Portland Maritime Discovery Centre inside. Group of 2 children, man and woman inside whale skeleton, looking at spinal disc.Back: 'D1A'portland maritime discovery museum, sperm whale, skeleton, museum

Coloured photograph showing the inside of Portland Maritime Museum. There is a visitor inside the sperm whale skeletonBack: 'D23'

Glenelg Shire Council RecordsAerial view of a factory on the coast. Jetties and piers in background. Framed in aluminium frame with thin plastic glazing.Front: Tohoku Paper Co., Ltd, Akita Millpaper and pulp industries, japan, maritime industry

David Milner, tugmasterBack: 'David Milner Tugmaster (centre, blue pen)maritime, tugs, tugmaster, david milner

Coloured photograph showing the Portland Maritime Museum. There is a child taking part in an activity.portland maritime museum, activity, maritime history, glenelg shire cultural collection

Coloured photograph showing the inside of the Portland Maritime Museum. Young woman and small girl inside whale skeleton.Back: 'D20'portland maritime museum, sperm whale skeleton

Coloured photograph: sign on the site of the future Portland Maritime Heritage and Visitor Information centre, with details of the projectportland maritime discovery museum, museum, development, harbour development, portland harbour

Coloured photograph: exterior view of Maritime Discovery Centre. Taken at night, light shining on part of wall containing 'MARITIME DISCOVERY CENTRE' sign.Back: 'B 15'

Coloured photograph: external view of MDC, one curved wall, garden in foreground, port in backgroundBack: 'B11'portland maritime discovery museum, museum, portland harbour

Coloured photograph, partly completed interior of Maritime Discovery Centre.

Coloured photograph, view of section of exterior wall of Maritime Discovery CentreBack: 'B14'

Coloured photograph, external view of Maritime Discovery one curved wall, garden in foreground, Port in background. Same photo as 10285Back: 'B 12'

Coloured photograph: group photo taken inside Nelson Visitor Information Centre. Left to right: Sally Lewis, Director, Portland Maritime Discovery Centre; Government official; Syd Cuffe, Portland Town Crier; Cr. Geoff White, Mayor Glenelg Shire; Parks Victoria representative. See 10394

Coloured photograph inside Portland Maritime Museum, image similar to 10299 and 10307.Back: 'C27'