It is a major tourist destination, with stately homes, and due to its natural bushland, sweeping views and man-made attractions.

[6] Three Boonwurrung names have been recorded for this hill: Momo, Wonga and Tubberrubberbil, though the latter is possibly confused with Tubba Rubba creek.

It was named by Acting Lieutenant John Murray when he entered Port Phillip in HMS Lady Nelson (1798) in February 1802, for an apparent resemblance to the hill of Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh (which was his home city).

[8] Captain Matthew Flinders climbed Arthurs Seat on 27 April 1802, noting in his log "The Bluff Mountain on the eastward I estimated at over 1000 feet high, and being near the waterside, possessed a favourable station for observation purposes.

In 1929 the track was re-surveyed, widened, reconstructed and continued to link up with Dromana-Flinders Road[9] The summit area of Arthurs Seat was not recognised as separate of Dromana/McCrae until it was subdivided by council in 1930.

[12] before this recognition the summit area as we know it today was titled "Dromana park"[13] or "Arthurs Seat Range"[14] in the southern area of subdivision survey maps from mid to late 1800s displaying the country lands in the parish of Kangerong (now Dromana)[15] The Garden of the Moon opened in 1931 and has brought tourism to the location from the very beginnings of its establishment.

It offered attractions such as a dance hall, camera obscura, telescopes, swimming pool, fish-pond, hexagonal kiosk and wishing well.

Due to frequent vandalism the higher view points have had their Carved wooden signage (seen in photo) replaced by smaller metal signage in an attempt to lower maintenance.Resistance from local action groups[26] have stalled multiple projects planned for the summit,[27] putting pressure on existing tourism operations that have been closing[28] and moving interstate to seek more supportive community conditions.

[29] The current occupation of housing is reflective of the locations original intention as a holiday destination with 40% of private dwellings listed as unoccupied.

[33] Seawinds Gardens encompasses a 34 hectare area at the Summit of Arthurs Seat, 305 metres above sea level.

[citation needed] A network of walking tracks guide visitors through a diverse range of exotic and indigenous gardens.

[35] As a Melbourne tourist attraction, thanks to the views over Port Phillip Bay and beyond, the lift rose 225m over nearly one kilometre and operated for more than 40 years under two owners, Dr Hájek and Richard Hudson, before being closed after several safety incidents in 2006.

After being closed for a number of years, the chairlift was removed and has now been replaced by a modern Doppelmayr ride called the Arthurs Seat Eagle.

After the owner spent $500,000 on extensive repairs, the chairlift reopened a year later, but on 18 March 2004 a second incident occurred when a chair came loose and a 77-year-old woman suffered two broken legs.

[44] After some delay, Arthurs Seat Skylift Pty Ltd took on the site and submitted proposals for a larger scale development incorporating all-weather gondolas, allowing a more comfortable all-year rides which was not possible in the past.

[45] The Arthurs Seat lookout tower was also demolished after many years of being unsafe to operate due to concrete cancer.

This followed the council's unusual decision to remove the standard delegation to its executive to handle minor consent matters during construction.