Port Melbourne Standard (Vic. : 1914 - 1920), Saturday 3 June 1916, page 3


LIARDET'S LANDING RECALLED. Last week's "Bulletin" reported the death of St. Clere Evelyn Liar det at Auckland (M.L.), aged 82. . . . He was the youngest son of the late Captain W. F. Evelyn Liar det, the founder of Port Melbourne. St. Clere was five years old when he arrived at the Port (then Sandridge) with his parents in the ship William Metcalfe in 1839. The Captain dump ed his goods on the foreshore, which for long years was known as 'Liar det's Beach.' The Pier Hotel was built by him in 1841, on a site now occupied by the tramway engine house. He had the first mail con tract, and drove all mail matter to and from early Melbourne. And he also ran the first steamer to Wil liamstown. Altogether a most enter prising man." The three dots in the foregoing paragraph denote the striking out of an error, that St. Clere Evelyn Liar det was "the last of that historic family." No later than Tuesday last appeared in " The Argus" a letter over the signature of C. Evelyn Liar det, having reference to the naming of Frankston.

In September, 1840, according to historic data gathered by Mr. J. Tur ner, the town librarian, a five-roomed cottage on the beach was licensed as the Marine Hotel. Not long after wards Liardet converted his dwelling into the Pier Hotel. A picture of the beach, in 1841 shows Liardet's Hotel on the site of the present Pier Hotel. He named it the Pier after the jetty which he built on the site of the pre sent Town Pier. Mr. Turner's data of early Sand ridge goes back to '39. In the latter part of that year two young men named Davis and Storey camped in a huge empty sugar hogshead near the beach end of what is now Bay street. They owned a boat, and, when Liardet returned from Sydney, in January, 1840, they refused to as sist him in landing his goods and chattels. From the captain of the William Metcalfe, Liardet bought a whaleboat, and, with his five sons embarked with enthusiasm upon the task of founding a seaport. Incidentally in Mr. Turner's collec lion it is mentioned that, in 1836, ar rived from Sydney, in the Rattle snake, with Captain Lonsdale, Cap tain Wm. Hobson, after whom Hob son's Bay was named.