26/04/2026
Full steam ahead for Cerberus preservation... published by The Age Newspaper 25 April 2026.
Bayside City Council is calling for experts to help preserve HMVS Cerberus, a historic maritime treasure lying partially submerged as a rusting hulk off Black Rock Jetty in Half Moon Bay.
Cerberus was once one of the world's most advanced war-ships: a twin-turreted iron-clad monster that patrolled Port Phillip Bay more than 150 years ago to guard the colony's gold against possible Russian attack.
The council has issued a request for proposals (RFP) from qualified consultants to create a monitoring and conservation program for the wreck, which has steadily deteriorated since 1926 when it was scuttled as a breakwater.
"HMVS Cerberus is of national and international significance as the world's only surviving beastwork monitor, and sole substantially intact remnant of Australia's pre-Federation colonial navies," the RFP documents say.
It marked "a major turning point in naval technology as the first British warship designed solely for steam power with iron armour and rotating gun turrets".
The former Victorian Navy flag-ship was named after the fear-some multiheaded dog in Greek mythology that guarded the entrance to the Underworld.
The wreck is now owned by Bayside Council but managed by Heritage Victoria. A snorkeller died there in 2010, despite a 0.5-hectare protection zone around the Cerberus that banned entry without a permit from Heritage Victoria.
The council's call follows years of campaigning to save the vessel by the Friends of the Cerberus group, which transferred a $500,000 federal grant it had received so Bayside Council could finance preservation works.
The council has not contributed any capital investment, but is acting as project manager.
"The project's scope is to evaluate the existing condition of the wreck, develop a program for safety and conservation monitoring and works, and provide guidance on future management of this significant heritage site," the RFP says.
The successful contractors will need to assess and document the condition of the wreck above and below the waterline, using an underwater drone to determine the condition and integrity of the supporting structure.
A final report will provide guidance for the future of the vessel, with a focus on public safety and identifying the next steps for preservation and structural reinforcement.
A battle erupted in 2018 when the council proposed pouring 4000 tonnes of concrete into the hull to preserve the slowly crumbling former warship. Friends of the Cerberus successfully protested saying the move would only hasten the wreck's destruction.
A report by this masthead on April 10, 1871, said the arrival of the Cerberus in Hobson's Bay would "be a relief to the timid souls" scared by reports of a possible Russian attack.
"The colony will possess a harbour defense powerful enough to repel the attack of a squadron of ordinary men-of-war," it said.
HMVS Cerberus was scuttled in Half Moon Bay, off Black Rock, in 1926.
