"The 'Little Church of St. Peter' was brought into use for the first time on 12
January 1896. For one hundred years this building has faithfully served the community of
Ocean Grove with Church Services, Sunday School, Baptisms, Marriages, Meetings, Wednesday
Worship and as a venue for displays.
Known in architectural terms as Victorian Carpenter Gothic, it is seen as a style used
for churches of modest size when economy of expenditure and simplicity of construction
were important. It is, as the name suggests, a medium which made use of timber. This type
of church is small, box-like with a steeply-pitched, gabled roof of corrugated iron. For
many years it stood amongst the trees, in isolations, beside a dirt road.
St. Peter's is an historical link in the development of the Anglican faith on the
Bellarine Peninsula, during the years of poor communication and transport, when the
Minister had to travel miles over badly-constructed roads from the mother church of St.
Mark's at Leopold, to administer to the needs of his vast congregation.
The pioneers of the district who saw a need for a permanent place of worship, and whose
names, even today, are remembered fondly, were small in number, but their devotion to the
care and upkeep of the building paved the way for future generations.
The Geelong Advertiser became an important medium for parishioners, from when it first
recorded the need for a Church of England in Ocean Grove. It has, over the years,
published the arrival and departure of the incumbents, parish restructures and events that
were of significance within the church calendar.
This small wooden church impacted on the lives of those people who entered its doors
socially and spiritually. It has left lasting memories full of history and anecdotes.
The centenary of the 'Little Church of St. Peter' was an opportunity to collate some of
these memories, combined with extracts from historical sources. It is not a chronicle on
the history of the church, but a chance to reflect and give thanks for the past one
hundred years."
