Some events in the history of Portarlington :-
| Pre-European Settlement | Area inhabited by Bengalat balug (Clan) of the Wathaurong Tribe |
| 1802 | First European explorers. January : Lieutenant John Murray April : Captain Matthew Flinders |
| 1803 - 1835 | William Buckley the first European living in the area |
| 1835 + | Area investigated and surveyed by Wedge and Gellibrand |
| 1836 + | Area occupied by squatters |
| 1851 | First sale of town lots |
| 1854 | Newcombe street became a one sided, north facing business area. |
| Aug 1856 | Portarlington Flour Mill Company formed |
| 1857 | Mill opened |
| 1858 | Tenders called for building of Bay View Hotel |
| 1859 | Jetty built - steamers would come two or three times a week for produce. |
| 1859 | First horse race held on a track near the mill. |
| 1859 | Duncan McKenzie first applied for a license Sept 7 for the Seaview Hotel - later known as the Portarlington Family Hotel. |
| 1861 | Nearly all the local fishermen were Chinese |
| 1861 | Cobb & Co coach service began and postal service to Portarlington from the 1860s. |
| Apr 1862 | Portarlington - St Leonards - Queenscliff Road open for traffic |
| 1866 | First Wesleyan Church built. |
| 1870 | Jetty extended to deep water |
| 1871 | A new building / extension was licensed and called the Duke of Edinburgh Hotel. |
| May 1871 | Application to be made for a policeman |
| Dec 1871 | Carrier's licence to run coaches between Geelong and Portarlington granted to S. Pywell. |
| Dec 1871 | Publican's licences granted - Bay View, Portarlington (Andrew Calhoun), Duke of Edinburgh, Portarlington (J. Calhoun) |
| 1872 | Lavender Cottage built and owned by David Caldwell |
| 1872 | Melbourne passenger steamer ‘Despatch’ made Portarlington one of its stops |
| May 1872 | Cricket club formed - Samuel Marchant Hon. Secretary |
| May 1872 | Baron Von Mueller donated a case of American and European forest tree seedlings for planting |
| Aug 1872 | Land set apart for cricket recreation |
| Nov 1872 | A belfry was being erected at the Portarlington Wesleyan Church |
| 1873 | More than 10 acres of land at Portarlington had been reserved as a public park |
| 1873 | State School No 1251 opened 20th October in the Wesleyan Church then moved to Temperance Hall |
| Oct 1873 | CALHOUN's store, Portarlington, burnt to the ground - apparently arson |
| 1874 | Thomas Widdicombe established his brickworks at the old Mill |
| 1874 | Football Club formed |
| Apr 1874 | Church of England services held in the Mill and conducted by Mr. Allnut every Sunday. |
| Apr 1874 | Bricks for new Temperance Hall coming from Widdicomb's brickworks. |
| Jun 1874 | Divine Service conducted by Church of England reader - Mr. Kelly - in Temperance Hall - first use of the hall for this purpose |
| Aug 1874 | Sons of Temperance Hall (now Masonic Hall) completed |
| Oct 1874 | Mr. Kruse to start manufacturing litho, or dynamite, for mining purposes at the Old Mill. |
| May 1875 | Barque "Queen Emma" laden with coal went aground at Pt. Richards (refloated next day). |
| May 1875 | Mr. H. MARTIN of Drysdale said to have taken over Mr. ALLNUTT's brickyard at Portarlington |
| Dec 1875 | Henry MARTIN, brickmaker, Portarlington, said to be selling his plant etc. by auction on 23/12/1875 due to expiry of lease |
| Jun 1876 | Opening of the Foresters' Hall |
| Dec 1876 | Robert Wright granted a Stage Carriage licence |
| 1877 | Trees planted in Portarlington Park |
| Sep 1877 | Auction of "Rosedale" (COLLINS Dairy Farm) near Portarlington |
| Nov 1877 | Tenders called for weighbridge at Jetty |
| 1878 | Portarlington Baths almost completed - Joseph WATTS architect |
| Dec 1878 | J. CALHOUN had completed extensive additions to the Family Hotel, Portarlington. Above the dining room were 12 new bedrooms, the old dining room had been turned into a billiard room and a new table installed in it. |
| Mar 1879 | The weighbridge at the foot of Portarlington pier had been put there at the cost of J.F. LEVIEN. The Bellarine Shire to buy it from him in due course by a special rate to be levied. |
| Apr 1880 | "Edina" due to commence its record breaking stint in the bay trade |
| 1880 | The Edina called at Portarlington for the first time – took away 1100-1200 bags of produce |
| Feb 1881 | 120 acres gazetted as site for racecourse and other recreations |
| Mar 1881 | Lighting of the township still required |
| Oct 1881 | Tenders called for erection of a brick building for State School No. 2455 - replacement of School No. 1251 |
| Jan 1882 | Telegraph office opened |
| Apr 1882 | 27th April - State School No. 2455 opened by Dr. A. McLeod, president, Bellarine Shire |
| Aug 1883 | Ante-room of Temperance Hall serving as Free Library pending erection of permanent library |
| Sep 1883 | Foundation stone of new Church of England laid - St John's. TERRY & OAKDEN architects |
| Apr 1884 | Tenders were called for the erection of the Portarlington Free Library. Joseph WATTS architect |
| Nov 1884 | Portarlington Flour Mill purchased recently by Mr. H. SMITH of Howard SMITH & Sons as a prelude to starting a brick and tile industry in the district. |
| Dec 1884 | P.M.G. granted residents a morning mail from Drysdale |
| Dec 1885 | Portarlington Brick & Tile Works employing 24 men and manufacturing 7,000 bricks or tiles daily |
| Nov 1886 | S. Davis' soft drink factory in full working order |
| Aug 1887 | Construction started on Grand Hotel, 54 rooms in three storeys. William George WOLF architect |
| Aug 1887 | Reserve fenced and trees planted by A. Willey and William Langdon - called "Willey-Langdon Park" |
| 1888 | Colonial Bank of Australasia completed. George JOBBINS architect |
| 1888 | Portarlington Brass Band said to have been formed |
| Mar 1888 | Tenders called for additions to State School No. 2455 and brick building for Post & Telegraph Office |
| Aug 1888 | Streets of Portarlington said to have now been asphalted |
| Aug 1888 | Swiss style Presbyterian Sunday School completed. William George WOLF architect |
| Sep 1888 | Foundation stone laid for Post Office |
| May 1889 | Reference to the plans prepared by J.S. JACKSON for rebuilding of R.U. MILLER's hotel, Portarlington. All except the dining and billiard rooms was to be demolished and replaced by a 2-storey brick building, giving a frontage to the Bay of 190'. |
| Oct 1889 | Portarlington Presbyterian Manse recently completed. Contractor, William McLEAN, Portarlington, and architect, A.J. DERRICK. Price £660. |
| Nov 1892 | St John's Church Sunday School, Portarlington, said to have been opened recently by the Bishop of Mebourne. (F.F. GOE). A. McWILLIAMS was the honorary architect of the building. |
| 1893 | Portarlington Brass Band gave its first public performance on 23rd October |
| Feb 1893 | Charles TONNER's residence, Portarlington, and the Portarlington Coffee Palace, said to have been destroyed by fire in Fenwick Street |
| Aug 1894 | Tenders called for brick or timber building for Roman Catholic Church |
| Jun 1896 | W. Lincoln taking up the mail run from Drysdale - he had a special cab constructed for passengers |
| Nov 1896 | Reference to first issue of the "Bellarine Herald", a 4-page weekly produced at Portarlington |
| Apr 1899 | 21st - Arlington Masonic Lodge No. 182 consecrated at Portarlington |
| Oct 1900 | Portarlington Town Improvement Association accepted the tender of G.A. DAVIS of Portarlington on 29/10/1900 to remove shelter sheds at Point Henry for re-erection on Portarlington foreshore. |
| 1902 | Woolnough family took over coach service from Portarlington district to Geelong |
| 1910 | Band Rotunda built – band recitals were often held there |
| 1912 | Gas street lighting installed |
| 1916 | Local Red Cross branch formed |
| 1920 | Bowling greens opened |
| 1924 | Electricity supplied to Portarlington |
| 1942 | St Patrick’s Church Hall was built |
| 1944 | Portarlington Fire Brigade established |
| 1966 | New St. Patrick’s Catholic Church built |
| 1969 | Aquatic & Sailing club formed |
| 1976 | Senior Citizens Clubrooms opened |
| 1999 | Bendigo Community Bank branch opened |