[the history of Rye]
Rye – History and General information
 
Rye’s well maintained foreshore has long attracted family holiday makers and, more recently, windsurfers who revel in its long stretch of shallow water and strong offshore breezes. Bayside cycling tracks through the teatree are family favourites.
Rye was originally called White Cliff. It is unknown where the name came from – possibly after the township of Rye in England. Rye was gazetted and surveyed in 1861. Rye was a prime area for lime burning during the 1850s. It was considered an early queen of the Nepean Peninsula. The Pier was built in 1860 to transport the lime being produced from the 13-14 kilns operating at Rye.
Limeburners were the first permanent settlers in the area during the 1840s and it remained the major industry of the Southern Peninsula for several decades. The lack of a pier for the paddle steamers meant that Rye was just beyond the reach of early tourists, but motor car ownership saw numbers grow from the 1950s, and they haven’t stopped coming since.
Land opened up for selection in 1862. Two distinct areas of Rye developed as some land remained undeveloped for over 40 years. J.L. Brown was a leader in a new industry – gathering tea-tree for baker’s wood.
Rye is ideally and centrally located to the many attractions of the Southern Peninsula - just a few minutes to the boardwalks and splendid coastal scenery of the Mornington Peninsula National Park, from Cape Schanck to Point Nepean or Arthur’s Seat and the wine touring areas.
The Pier is a major feature and a magnet for visitors, set against a beautiful foreshore with bbq facilities, large rotunda and playground. A perfect holiday resort for young families with safe beaches and sand banks at low tide, Rye also has fabulous ocean beaches and a wealth of accommodation options from comfortable motels, b&bs and cottages to 5 star resorts. In January each year Rye hosts the family favourite Rye Beach Carnival, the Rye Gift Foot Race.
Explore the lime kiln on the foreshore at the western end of township, play golf at the Dunes, ride the ocean beach with Gunnamatta Trail Rides or hire a boat and explore the Bay. Rye is a place full of fun activities for everyone in every season.