The Royal Engineer Officers, Major General Sir William Jervois and Lieutenant Colonel Peter Scratchley, published their report in 1877. This report provided the basis for coastal defence for the next thirty years in New Zealand and Australia.
Portland Battery was used as a coastal defence battery from the 1840’s. Similar batteries were constructed at Warrnambool and Port Fairy as part of the same programme.
The site has three emplacements, including a 32-pdr SB and 68-pdr SB. The 32-pdr guns were mounted in 1867, being used primarily for training. 68-pdrs were subsequently added. The primary location at Portland Battery is a 80-pdr RML gun. Construction of Portland Battery took place between 1889 and 1890. As with Warrnambool Battery, a 5-inch Elswick HP BL gun was mounted in 1899. The Battery was decommissioned in 1904.
Only about half of the battery survives, two gun pits for 68-pdrs and a single 80-pdr RML position.
A brief summary of the Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland Batteries and volunteer units serving them, prepared by David McGinness, can be downloaded here.