Police Point Artist in Residence Program

The Shire's Police Point Artist in Residence program has been running for over 5 years and has hosted almost 100 Australian and international artists at Police Point Shire Park, Portsea, Victoria.

The historic Gatekeepers Cottage (c.1888) was originally built for the boatmen of the Quarantine Station at Portsea and then occupied by the police officers with the first Quarantine Station Superintendent. The cottage is situated in Police Point Shire Park on the border of the Point Nepean National Park. The area is a vast 560ha park with a rich history which spans back thousands of years for the Bunurong people, and has played an important role for early settlement, quarantine and defence of Victoria. The park is located at the very tip of the Mornington Peninsula, with outstanding coastal scenery and panoramic views of Bass Strait, the Rip and Port Phillip with historic military forts and tunnels and the historic Quarantine Station.

The Gatekeepers Cottage is a two-bedroom residence with reading room and studio, kitchen and dining room, bathroom, toilet, and laundry. The cottage has beautiful natural light with large windows looking out over the grounds and coastline. In recent years, Attendant's Cottage has also been utilised for residencies and boasts a large study.

The Police Point Shire Park Artist in Residence (AiR) program is open to all Australian and international emerging and established artists, writers, musicians and creatives.

Applications open in September/October yearly. This will be advertised on our Arts & Culture E-Newsletter and wider marketing.

Both supported and fee-paying residencies are available.

More information can be found in the Police Point AiR Artist's Brief(PDF, 138KB) or you can contact the Arts and Cultural Development team by email at artsandculture@mornpen.vic.gov.au.

Image: Gatekeepers Cottage and Police Point Shire Park, Portsea, Victoria