Port Phillip Heads Marine Park

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Parkhas six separate marine areas in its 3,340 hectares: Swan Bay, Great Sands (Mud Islands), Point Lonsdale, Point Nepean, Popes Eye and Portsea Hole. The seagrass meadows at Swan Bay, intertidal platforms at Cheviot Beach and Point Lonsdale, Ramsar sites at Swan Bay and Mud Islands.

Flora & FaunaThe high diversity of marine life around the mouth of Port Phillip is due to the wide range of habitats in the area and its central Victorian location. The area marks the end of the range for some animals and plants that prefer the cold waters of western Victoria, but it also supports warmth-loving species from eastern Australia that can survive in the bay's relatively calm, shallow waters

On the walls of the deep gorge that runs through Port Phillip Heads, sponge gardens are prolific and truly spectacular. Illuminated with a torch, they are more colourful than any coral reef. Sheer rock faces are painted with jewel anemones and other coral-like creatures. Bright Blue Devilfish and colourful leatherjackets abound. Divers come from around the world to admire this magnificent scene.