Geography of Port Phillip

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Port Phillip Bay in the distance, viewed from the Rialto Towers observation deck in Melbourne's city centre, with the Yarra River intersecting between the bay and the city.

Port Phillip, sometimes referred to as Port Phillip Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia, 1,930 km2 (476,900 acres) in area, with a coastline length of 264 km (164 mi). The bay is extremely shallow for its size, but mostly navigable. The deepest portion is only 24 m (80 ft), and half the region is shallower than 8 m. Its volume is around 25 km3. The city of Melbourne is located at its northern end, near the mouth of the Yarra River.

Port Phillip is home to a vast array of geographic features typically found in bays, such as beaches, points, islands and smaller bays, as well as being the drainage point of many major rivers and creeks in Central Victoria. All features here are listed clockwise from the mouth of the Yarra River.

Beacon Cove beach and exclusive apartments in Port Melbourne

## Beaches

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Further information: Beaches in Port Phillip

Port Phillip hosts many beaches, most of which are flat, shallow and long, with very small breaks making swimming quite safe. This attracts many tourists, mostly families, to the beaches of Port Phillip during the summer months and school holidays. Water sports such as body boarding and surfing are difficult or impossible, except in extreme weather conditions. Most sandy beaches are located on the bay's northern, eastern and southern shorelines, while the western shorelines host a few sandy beaches, there mostly exists a greater variety of beaches, swampy wetlands and mangroves. The occasional pebble beach and rocky cliffs can also be found, mostly in the southern reaches. Major beaches include:

View of St. Kilda Beach from a short pier. (2009)

* St Kilda Beach - St Kilda
* Middle Brighton Beach - Brighton
* Sandringham Beach - Sandringham
* Ricketts Point/Watkins Bay - Beaumaris
* Mentone Beach - Mentone
* Carrum Beach - Carrum
* Seaford Beach - Seaford
* Frankston Beach - Frankston
* Mothers Beach - Mornington
* Safety Beach - Safety Beach
* Dromana Beach - Dromana
* Rosebud Beach - Rosebud
* Rye Beach - Rye
* Sorrento Front Beach - Sorrento
* Portsea Front Beach - Portsea
* Queenscliff Beach - Queenscliff
* Eastern Beach \- Geelong
* Rippleside Beach - Rippleside
* Werribee South Beach - Werribee South
* Altona Beach - Altona
* Seaholme Beach - Seaholme
* Williamstown Beach - Williamstown

## Landforms

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### Islands and reefs

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* Long Island
* Wooleys Reef
* Pelican Point Reef
* Hovell Pile
* South Channel Pile (artificial)
* South Channel Fort
* Mud Islands
* Pope's Eye (incomplete fort)
* Chinaman's Hat (artificial)
* Nepean Reef
* Sand Island
* Swan Island
* Stingaree Island
* Mangrove Island
* Rabbit Island
* Tip Island
* Duck Island
* West Channel Pile
* Mudlands

Great Sand
Middle Ground
South Sand
Popes Eye Bank
Middle Sand
William Sand
West Sand

### Points

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Point Ormond near Elwood, Victoria (2009)

* Point Ormond
* Green Point
* Picnic Point (Sandringham)
* Red Bluff
* Quiet Corner
* Ricketts Point
* Table Rock Point
* Olivers Hill
* Pelican Point
* Shnapper Point (Mornington)
* Linley Point
* Balcombe Point
* Martha Point (Mount Martha)
* Anthonys Nose (Dromana)
* White Cliffs
* Eastern Sister[1]
* Western Sister[1]
* Policemans Point (Sorrento)
* Point King
* Point McArthur
* Point Franklin (Portsea)
* Police Point
* Observatory Point
* Point Nepean
* The Rip
* Point Lonsdale
* Shortlands Bluff (Queenscliff)
* The Cut
* Swan Point (Swan Island)
* Burnt Point
* Edwards Point
* The Bluff
* Indented Head
* Point George
* Grassy Point
* Point Richards (Portarlington)
* Beacon Point
* Point Henry
* Limeburners Point
* Point Lillias
* Point Wilson
* Kirk Point
* Point Cooke
* Point Gellibrand (Williamstown)

## Bays

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Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron's Starter's Tower St. Kilda Breakwater. (2009)

* Hobsons Bay

Greenwich Bay
Beacon Cove

* Elwood Bay
* Hampton Bay
* Half Moon Bay (Black Rock)
* Watkins Bay
* Beaumaris Bay

Keefers Cove

* Daveys Bay
* Canadian Bay
* Half Moon Bay (Mount Eliza)
* Mornington Bay
* Marina Cover
* Dromana Bay

Pebble Cove
Martha Cove

* Capel Sound

Camerons Bight
Sullivan Bay
Sorrento Bay

* Collins Bay
* Weeroona Bay
* Ticonderoga Bay
* Nepean Bay

The Bend

* The Rip
* Lonsdale Bay
* Stingaree Bight
* Swan Bay (very shallow at low tide)
* Salt Lagoon
* Hood Bight
* Half Moon Bay (Indented Head)
* Outer Harbour

Corio Bay

Stingaree Bay
Steampacket Quay
Corio Quay
Limeburners Bay

* The Spit
* Campbells Cove
* Altona Bay

Shelley Bay

## Confluents

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* Yarra River \- Newport/Port Melbourne
* Maribyrnong River
* Sandridge Lagoon (now filled in) - Port Melbourne
* Elster Creek - Elwood
* Mordialloc Creek - Mordialloc
* Patterson River \- Carrum
* Kananook Creek \- Frankston
* Sweetwater Creek \- Frankston South
* Kackeraboite Creek - Mount Eliza
* Ballar Creek - Mount Eliza
* Earimil Creek - Mount Eliza
* Gunyong Creek - Mount Eliza
* Manmangur Creek - Mount Eliza
* Caraar Creek - Mornington
* Tanti Creek - Mornington
* Balcombe Creek - Mount Martha
* Hearn Creek - Mount Martha
* Tassells Creek - Safety Beach
* Dunns Creek - Safety Beach
* Sheepwash Creek - Safety Beach
* Coburn Creek - McCrae
* Chinamans Creek - Rosebud West
* The Rip
* Yarram Creek - Swan Bay
* Frederick Mason Creek - St Leonards
* St Leonards Creek - St Leonards
* Cowies Creek \- North Geelong
* Cuthbertson Creek - North Shore
* Hovells Creek - Corio
* Little River \- Point Wilson
* Werribee River \- Cocoroc/Werribee South
* Skeleton Creek \- Point Cook
* Laverton Creek \- Altona
* Cherry Creek - Seaholme
* Kororoit Creek \- Williamstown North

## Other features

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* Portsea Hole

## Marine Parks

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* Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park

## References

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1. ^ a b "The Sisters". themorningtonpeninsula.com. Retrieved 1 May 2012.