News and Media
23 May 2011
Life on the Peninsula
HMAS Cerberus is located at Crib Point, approximately 30kms from the City of Frankston. Frankston is located on Port Philip Bay, on the Mornington Peninsula, a popular holiday destination especially around Christmas and the New Year. Crib Point is similar to a small country town, usually very quiet and is positioned near the beach which is an attraction to families.
HMAS Cerberus covers 1517 hectares and is 70 kms from Melbourne. Purchased in 1911 and called Flinders Naval Depot, it was commissioned as HMAS Cerberus 10 years later. It comprises numerous training and recreation facilities, two chapels, a small marina and attractive grounds.
The primary role of HMAS Cerberus has always been Navy personnel training. With the establishment of four tri-service schools over the last 13 years, this role has been extended to training Army, Navy and Air Force personnel.
Despite these changes, the charm of HMAS Cerberus remains. Its historic presence, heritage buildings, chapels, sports facilities and gardens create a pleasant training environment. Navy-specific training includes the School of Survivability and Ship Safety, which specialises in fire fighting, damage control and nuclear biological chemical defence, seamanship and weapons training. HMAS Cerberus is also the home of the Recruit School and for all sailors, their first contact with life in the Navy.
With a population of over 112,000 people, the city of Frankston is growing rapidly and is the regional centre of south-east metropolitan Melbourne.
The beach and bushlands around the Bay provide beautiful surrounds for walks and expeditions. It is also suitable for activities such as horse riding, trail bike riding, canoeing, sailing, fishing, windsurfing and kayaking. Other popular attractions include National Parks, wineries, golf courses, hot mineral springs, spas and mazes.
Defence families have a choice but many prefer to live on base at Cerberus, for those choosing off base houses, popular suburbs are Hastings, Crib Point, Bittern, (all within 10-15kms of the base) as well as Mornington and Frankston.
Frankston in particular appeals to families with teenage children due to the schooling options that it provides. It is also popular for working spouses with a greater opportunity to secure employment.
HMAS Cerberus has 111 on-base houses built between 1919 and 1996 including four Defence Owned Heritage properties. Planning has commenced for the upgrading of on-base housing commencing in 2012-13. On base, all properties are houses whilst off base there are houses and townhouses.
There is a local train station just outside the base that runs to Frankston with connections into the city. Buses can take locals to Hastings where they can also board trains to Melbourne. The journey from Crib Point to Melbourne would be approximately 1.45 hours by public transport (train).
In the areas around HMAS Cerberus students have access to good quality public and private primary and secondary schools. Pre-school for children under five is optional. Instead of kindergarten, the Victorian system has a pre-primary school year called prep. Children can start prep if they turn five before 30 April. Primary school covers prep and Years 1 to 6. For the younger children, there is a range of child care options offered in the Mornington Peninsula area.
High School encompasses Year 7 to 12. Students wishing to continue their education at a university will need to sit the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
There are a number of tertiary institutions in Melbourne including the University of Melbourne, Monash and Deakin Universities and the Victorian University of Technology. Frankston also has Monash University and Chisholm Institute of TAFE.
High-quality health care is available in the area as well - both Frankston and Rosebud Hospitals are teaching hospitals. With close to 800 beds there is a wide range of services from obstetrics to aged care, rehabilitation, emergency and intensive care, oncology, psychiatric services and Hospital in the Home (HITH). There are also a number of community health and allied health services available in the area.
Air-conditioning is not a Defence minimum standard in Victoria, so most service residences on base do not have air-conditioning. Heating however, is mandatory and consists of gas ducted or gas panel (wall) heaters. All homes provided by DHA have heating supplied. If you have fans or heaters, it is recommended to bring them with you to give you cooling and heating flexibility.
The Melbourne Housing Management Centre is responsible for Cerberus and is located at Level 5, 181 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda and is your point of contact for all housing services, including housing allocations, rent assistance and maintenance.
Cerberus Office
Shop Front Cerberus, HMAS Cerberus Western Port
CERBERUS VIC 3920
Phone: 139 DHA (139 342)
