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Oliver's Hill was originally known as 'Old man Davey's Hill' after William Davey who lived in a wattle and dab hut on the summit of the hill. A small settlement was established at the foot of the hill in the shelter of the cove and at the mouth of Sweetwater Creek. One of the residents of this small settlement was James Oliver who was a carpenter and fisherman. He moored his fishing boat in the shelter of the cove and lived in a hut nearby.

As a fisherman he spent many hours on the hillside watching for shoals of fish and was a familiar figure to everyone who ventured up 'Old man Davey's Hill'. As the years pasted, the name 'Old Man Davey's Hill' was gradually replaced with 'Oliver's Hill'.

The gradient of Point Nepean Road up Oliver's Hill was fearsome to many motorists at the time. After heavy rain, stretches of the road were almost impassable. There are stories of motorists negotiating the hill in reverse as the cars would not make it up the slippery grade in forward gear. Farmers in the area were often using their horses to pull bogged cars up the muddy hill.

An early Model T Ford being towed up the steep hill by a team of horses

Years later, Oliver's Hill was nick named "Insurance Hill", not just for the expensive houses, but for the constant fear that their footings would disintegrate and the owners would need to make insurance claims once their homes tumbled into the sea.

Jak checking out the scenery at the seawall around the base of Oliver's Hill

Attempts to make the foreshore a quarry had led to the first signs of slippage. Removal of granite from Oliver's Hill raised fears of landslides from the hill. Erosion spread during the 1930s and in 1933 many residents began to fear land collapse on a large scale.

The Foreshore Erosion Board saw a major problem with "great masses of earth slipping into the sea at the base of the cliffs". Already three homes had subsided in the area and for a time Point Nepean Road (now Nepean Highway ) had been closed.

View from the base of Oliver's Hill looking towards Frankston

The Foreshore Erosion Board gave the Frankston Council some general guidelines to help stop the erosion and at the same time the council was involved in a metropolitan meeting of councils at Brighton Town Hall .

In 1946, 20 local councils and the Foreshore Erosion Board discussed building a sea wall around the entire Port Philip bay foreshore. While this plan was never completely followed, sections of sea wall were speedily completed and in 1949 a sea wall was constructed at the foot of Oliver's Hill. The state government set aside two million pounds for erosion work in 1951, but still the problems around Oliver's Hill and to a lesser extent Davey's Bay concerned residents.

Today, the threat appears to be under control, but there are signs at the base of Oliver's Hill warning of rock slides.

Oliver's Hill is a great place to see some awesome sunsets

In 1946, 20 local councils and the Foreshore Erosion Board discussed building a sea wall around the entire Port Philip bay foreshore. While this plan was never completely followed, sections of sea wall were speedily completed and in 1949 a sea wall was constructed at the foot of Oliver's Hill. The state government set aside two million pounds for erosion work in 1951, but still the problems around Oliver's Hill and to a lesser extent Davey's Bay concerned residents.

Today, the threat appears to be under control, but there are signs at the base of Oliver's Hill warning of rock slides.

Oliver's Hill Lookout has always been a favourite vantage point with views of Frankston, the Dandenong Ranges , Port Philip Bay to Melbourne and the Bellarine Peninsula and the You Yang Ranges.