HMAS Cerberus $430 million redevelopment great news: Peter Mitchell
RESIDENTS along the eastern side of the Mornington Peninsula are about to notice a big increase in traffic flow.
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RESIDENTS along the eastern side of the Mornington Peninsula are about to notice a big increase in traffic flow.
There’ll be trucks, vans and utes of all shapes and sizes, heading along the single road to the little place called Crib Point.
The entrance to HMAS Cerberus will become a busy place indeed.
Our Royal Australian Navy’s premier training establishment is about to be redeveloped at a cost of more than $430 million.
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Many years ago, I was a member of a team that played a social cricket match at Cerberus.
The facilities were incredibly impressive and the lunch that was provided at the main break was unforgettable.
I have since been back as an observer as members of amateur football teams tested their fitness and were put through their paces on the infamous obstacle course.
Our navy hosts couldn’t have been more helpful, and again, the facilities were astonishing.
Cerberus comprises numerous training and recreational facilities, a post office, two chapels, a small marina, a hospital, gymnasium, indoor swimming pool, attractive grounds and a 9-hole golf course.
The base even has a football team competing in Division 4 of the Southern Football League.
The site, covering more than 1500ha between Crib Point and Somers, was purchased in 1911 and was originally known as the Flinders Naval Depot.
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The Royal Australian Navy has operated at HMAS Cerberus since 1920.
For all sailors, Cerberus is their first point of contact with life in the navy.
It’s fascinating to think that every member of this branch of our armed forces, no matter where they are now stationed, began their career right here on the Mornington Peninsula.
The recruit course takes 11 weeks and includes accommodation at the base and training in Western Port Bay and Bass Strait aboard Seahorse Spirit, a 72m ocean-going vessel.
The mission is to induct men and women into the RAN, provide them with the knowledge and skills to conduct basic duties and then progress to a specialised career in the force.
At all times recruits are expected to adopt and display the navy’s five core non-negotiables — honour, honesty, courage, integrity and loyalty.
In recent years, HMAS Cerberus has been starting to show her age.
A $436 million redevelopment is so much more than a facelift and a lick of paint.
It involves an upgrade of engineering infrastructure and key training and support facilities at the base.
Much will be spent bringing key services including power, water, stormwater, sewerage, gas, fuel systems and information and communications technology to modern standards.
There will be big changes and some out buildings no longer is use, will be demolished. And while the disruption for locals will be kept to a minimum, the refurbishment is expected to take five years.
It paves the way for tens of thousands of Australian sailors to call HMAS Cerberus ‘home’.
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