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Port Phillip

Port Phillip (Kulin: Narm-Narm[1]) or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion (known as the Corio Bay) north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.

Port Phillip
Port Phillip Bay
The Melbourne skyline, seen across Port Phillip.
Port Phillip
Map of the Port Phillip area
Coordinates38°09′S 144°52′E / 38.150°S 144.867°E / -38.150; 144.867
TypeSaline, Permanent, Natural
Primary inflowsYarra River, Patterson River, Werribee River, Little River, Kororoit Creek
Primary outflowsBass Strait
Basin countriesAustralia
Surface area1,930 km2 (750 sq mi)
Average depth8 m (26 ft)
Max. depth33 m (108 ft)
Water volume25 km3 (6.0 cu mi)
Shore length1264 km (164 mi)
Surface elevation0 m (0 ft)
IslandsSwan Island, Duck Island, Mud Islands
SettlementsMelbourne, Geelong, Frankston, Mornington, Queenscliff, Sorrento
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Before European settlement, the area around Port Phillip was divided between the territories of the Wathaurong (west), Wurundjeri (north) and Boonwurrung (south and east) people, all part of the indigeous Kulin nation. The first Europeans to enter the bay were the crews of HMS Lady Nelson, commanded by John Murray and, ten weeks later, HMS Investigator commanded by Matthew Flinders, in 1802. Subsequent expeditions into the bay took place in 1803 to establish the first settlement in Victoria, near Sorrento, but was abandoned in 1804. Thirty years later, settlers from Tasmania returned to establish Melbourne (now Victoria's capital city) at the mouth of the Yarra River in 1835, and Geelong at Corio Bay in 1838. Today, Port Phillip is the most densely populated catchment in Australia[2] with an estimated 5.5 million people living around the bay; Melbourne's suburbs extend around much of the northern and eastern shorelines, and the city of Geelong sprawls around Corio Bay in the bay's western arm.

History edit

Prehistory edit

 
The course of the lower Yarra River around 10,000 years ago, after the end of the last Ice Age, prior to the creation of Port Phillip.

Port Phillip formed between the end of the last Ice Age around 8000 BCE and around 6000 BCE,[3] when the sea-level rose to drown the vast river plains, wetlands and lakes at what was then the lower reaches of the Yarra River. The ancient Yarra and its tributaries (the other present-day rivers of the Port Phillip catchment) flowed down what is now the middle of the bay, formed a coastal lake in the southern reaches of the bay dammed by The Heads, and subsequently pouring out into a closed bay that formed over the western portion of the prehistoric Bassian Plain, which was later completely flooded and became Bass Strait.[4]

The Aboriginal people inhabited the area long before the bay was formed, with evidence of occupation dating at least 40,000 years ago. Settler records indicate an oral history with at least 18,000 years of linearity when Boonwurrung Elder Ningerranarro spoke of his ancestors hunting kangaroo and possum where the Bay now lies.[5] Large piles of semi-fossilised seashells known as middens can still be seen in places around the shoreline, marking the spots where Aboriginal people held feasts. They made a good living from the abundant sea-life, which included penguins and seals. In the cold season, they wore possum-skin cloaks and intricate feathered head-dresses.

A dry period combined with sand bar formation, may have dried the bay out as recently as between 800 BCE and 1000 CE.[6]

 
Anthony's Nose, Dromana, 1920

Seismicity has been observed around the bay continually since the 1800s with earlier earthquakes recorded in local newspaper reports. [7] An earthquake that occurred in July 1885 was described in a newspaper. [8] 

"The earth-quake appears to have been confined to the southern portion of the colony, and principally to those places bordering on Bass's Straits and Port Phillip Bay. Telegrams to the Argus from Cowes, Flinders, Kangaroo Grounds, Mornington, Queenscliff, Eltham, Lilydale, Shoreham, and Cape Schanck, all mention the earthquake."

Anthonys Nose is an escarpment landform of Devonian granite on the Mornington Peninsula that is located where Arthurs Seat ends as the mountain falls steeply towards Port Phillip and is part of the Selwyn Fault. [9][10][11]

European exploration edit

In 1800, Lieutenant James Grant was the first known European to pass through Bass Strait from west to east in HMS Lady Nelson. He was also the first to see, and crudely chart, the south coast from Cape Banks in South Australia to Wilsons Promontory in Victoria. Grant gave the name "Governor King's Bay" to the body of water between Cape Otway and Wilsons Promontory, but did not venture in and discover Port Phillip.[12]

 
1803 map by Charles Grimes of Port Phillip

The first Europeans to find and enter Port Phillip, were the crew of the Lady Nelson, commanded by John Murray, which entered the bay on 15 February 1802.[13][14] The bay was then known as Narm-Narm by the people of the Kulin tribe, and Murray called the bay Port King after the Governor of New South Wales, Philip Gidley King. On 4 September 1805,[15] King formally renamed it Port Phillip, in honour of his predecessor Arthur Phillip.[16] Murray chose to base the Lady Nelson off what is now known as Sorrento Beach.

During this voyage, Murray records in his journal his first encounter with local Aboriginal peoples. This initially friendly encounter started with trading, eating, and gifting, and was suddenly interrupted by a violent ambush by a large group of Aboriginal people.

"They were all clothed in opossum skins and in each basket a certain quantity of gum was found. ... if we may judge from the number of their fires and other marks this part of the country is not thin of inhabitants. Their spears are of various kinds and all of them more dangerous than any I have yet seen."

The crew in response shot at the Aboriginal people, and continued to shoot at them as they fled, inflicting likely mortal wounds on two of the Aboriginal people. Watching from the boat, Murray ordered grapeshot and round shot to be fired from the carronades aboard the ship at the fleeing Aboriginal people. Murray said

"Thus did this treachery and unprovoked attack meet with its just punishment and at the same time taught us a useful lesson to be more cautious in future."

After exploring the southern part of the bay, Murray formally took possession of the area on 8 March 1802 for King George III of Great Britain in a small ceremony at a place now known as the Point King Foreshore Reserve in Sorrento. A few days later Murray sailed out of the heads and returned to Sydney.[17]

About ten weeks after Murray, Matthew Flinders in HMS Investigator also found and entered the bay,[14] unaware Murray had been there. The official history of Nicholas Baudin's explorations in Le Géographe claimed they too had sighted the entrance at that time (30 March 1802) but this is almost certainly a later embellishment or error, being absent from the ship's logs and Baudin's own accounts.[18] As a result of Murray's and Flinders' reports, King sent Lieutenant Charles Robbins in HMS Cumberland to explore Port Phillip fully. This surveying party, which included Charles Grimes, produced a mostly complete chart of Port Phillip including the mouth of the Yarra River, which they visited on 2 February 1803. Robbins found Aboriginal habitations and groups of Aboriginal people at Tootgarook, Carrum Carrum, on the banks of the Yarra and at Geelong.[19]

British settlement edit

 
The memorial at Sorrento marking the site of the first British settlement on Port Phillip in 1803

King decided to place a convict settlement at Port Phillip, mainly to stake a claim to southern Australia ahead of the French. On 10 October 1803 a convoy of two ships HMS Calcutta and Ocean led by Captain David Collins carrying 402 people (5 Government officials, 9 officers of marines, 2 drummers, and 39 privates, 5 soldiers' wives and a child, and 307 convicts with 17 convicts' wives and 7 children) entered Port Phillip.[20] After some investigation it was decided to establish the settlement at a spot known as Sullivan Bay, very close to where Sorrento now exists. The expedition landed at Sullivan Bay on 17 October 1803, and the first of the "orders" issued by Collins bears that date. On 25 October, the King's birthday, the British flag was hoisted over the tiny settlement and a little salvo of musketry celebrated the royal occasion.[21]

On 25 November the first white child was born in Victoria and was baptised on Christmas Day, receiving the name of William James Hobart Thorne. The first marriage took place on 28 November, when a free woman, Hannah Harvey was wedded to convict Richard Garrett.[22] Small exploratory groups from this settlement surveyed a land route to Western Port and also sailed to the northwest shore of Port Phillip. On this latter journey, a large group of about 200 Aboriginal people came to meet the Britishers with "hostile intentions", and "with the application of fire-arms absolutely necessary to repel them", several Aboriginal people were shot.[23] Lack of fresh water and good timber led this first British attempt at settlement in the region later known as Victoria to be abandoned on 27 January 1804. When Collins left Port Phillip, the Calcutta proceeded to Sydney, and the Ocean to Risdon Cove in Tasmania, where they arrived on 15 February 1804.[24] Prior to abandonment, a group of convicts including William Buckley, escaped from the settlement. Buckley took up residence in a cave near Point Lonsdale on the western side of the bay's entrance, The Rip, and later lived with an Aboriginal Australian group for many years, being given up for dead.

Port Phillip was then left mostly undisturbed until 1835, when settlers from Tasmania led by John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner (who had been at the Sorrento settlement as a child) established Melbourne on the lower reaches of the Yarra. John Batman encountered William Buckley who then became an important translator in negotiations with the local Aboriginal tribesmen. In 1838 Geelong was founded, and became the main port serving the growing wool industry of the Western District. For a time Geelong rivalled Melbourne as the leading settlement on the bay, but the Gold Rush which began in 1851 gave Melbourne a decisive edge as the largest town in Victoria.

Growth and development of Melbourne edit

 
Beacon Cove beach and apartments in Port Melbourne

As Melbourne prospered, its wealthy classes discovered the recreational uses of Port Phillip. Bayside suburbs such as St Kilda and Brighton were established on the east shore of the bay. Later, resorts further south such as Sorrento and Portsea became popular. The more swampy western shores of the bay were not so favoured, and have been used mainly for non-residential purposes such as agriculture, the Point Cook Royal Australian Air Force base and the Werribee Sewage Farm, and significant nature reserves. In recent decades the population along the western side of the bay has grown more rapidly.

In the 21st century, property along the Port Phillip coastline continues to be highly sought after. Port Phillip continues to be extensively used for recreational pursuits such as swimming, cycling, boating, and fishing. The bay also features a number of historical walks and fauna reserves.[25] The traditional land owners of the area have also been acknowledged at a number of sites.

Geography edit

Port Phillip lies in southern Victoria, separated from Bass Strait by the Bellarine Peninsula to the southwest and Mornington Peninsula to the southeast. It is the largest bay in Victoria and one of the largest inland bays in Australia. The narrow entrance to the bay, called the Rip, between Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean, features strong tidal streams made turbulent by the uneven contours of the seabed. The best time for small craft to enter the Rip is at slack water. Large ships require expert local guidance to enter and exit, provided by the Port Phillip maritime pilots. Work has begun to deepen the channel entrance, to allow newer, larger container ships to access Melbourne's docks.

The eastern side of the bay is characterised by sandy beaches extending from St Kilda, Sandringham, Beaumaris, Carrum, and down the Mornington Peninsula to Frankston, Safety Beach/Dromana and Rye to Portsea. Longshore drift carries sand from south to north during winter and from north to south during summer. Cliff erosion control has often resulted in sand starvation, necessitating offshore dredging to replenish the beach.[which?] On the western side of the bay there is a greater variety of beach types, including both sandy and sandstone rock beaches, seen at Queenscliff, St Leonards, Indented Head, Portarlington, Altona and Geelong's Eastern Beach. Numerous sandbanks and shoals occur in the southern section of the bay, and parts of the South Channel require occasional maintenance dredging.

Climate edit

The region has an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) with warm summers possessing occasional very hot days due to northerly winds and mild winters. Annual rainfall, which is evenly distributed over the year, shows considerable variation due to the Otway Ranges to the southwest: the northwestern shore of the bay is the driest part of southern Victoria and almost approaches a semi-arid climate (BSk) with a mean annual rainfall as low as 425 millimetres (17 in) (comparable to Nhill or Numurkah), whilst the eastern shores less shielded by the Otways receive as much as 850 millimetres (33 in). Summer temperatures average around 25 °C (77 °F) during the day and 14 °C (57 °F) at night, but occasional northerly winds can push temperatures over 40 °C (104 °F), whilst in winter a typical day will range from 6 °C (43 °F) to 14 °C (57 °F).

Port Phillip is often warmer than the surrounding oceans and/or the land mass, particularly in spring and autumn; this can set up a "bay effect", similar to the "lake effect snow" seen in colder climates, where showers are intensified leeward of the bay (particularly in Melbourne's eastern suburbs).

Beaches edit

 
Port Phillip as seen from Frankston on the eastern shore of the bay

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. However, stand up paddle boarding (SUP), kite surfing and wind surfing are very popular. 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.

Rivers and creeks edit

Islands edit

Due to its shallow depth, several artificial islands and forts have been built; however, despite the depth, it only hosts a few true islands. Many sandy, muddy banks and shallows exist in its southern reaches, such as Mud Islands, but most islands are located in the marshy shallows of Swan Bay. Some of the bay's major islands include:

Surrounding mountains and hills edit

 
Arthurs Seat (305 m high) and Dromana Bay in southern Port Phillip
 
Kitesurfing at Rye with Arthurs Seat in the background

Surrounding lakes edit

Ecology edit

 
Jellyfish washed up on Port Melbourne beach
 
Blue blubber jellyfish in Port Phillip

Jellyfish are a familiar sight in Port Phillip, and its waters are home to species such as Australian fur seals, bottlenose dolphins,[26] common dolphins,[26] humpback whales,[26] and southern right whales.[27] Many other cetacean species may also migrate off the areas. The smooth toadfish is one of the most common fishes in muddy areas.[28] The bay has many endemic species including the bluedevil fish and fantastic sponge walls on the Lonsdale wall in the heads of the bay. It also hosts breeding colonies of Australian fur seals. Occasionally, Australian sea lions,[29] New Zealand fur seals, subantarctic fur seals, and leopard seals may come into the bay as well.[30] Certain individual southern elephant seals may frequent the bay as well.[31]

Swan Bay, adjacent to Queenscliff, is an important feeding ground for waterbirds and migratory waders. The Mud Islands, off Sorrento, are an important breeding habitat for white-faced storm petrels, silver gulls, Australian pelicans and Pacific gulls. Salt marshes in the northwestern sections of the bay, such as that in the Werribee Sewage Farm and the adjacent Spit Nature Conservation Reserve, are within the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site, listed as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, and the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot is found at three wintering sites with saltmarsh habitat around Port Phillip and the Bellarine Peninsula. A variety of seabirds, such as Australasian gannets,[32] nest on artificial structures in the bay.

Port Phillip contains 3 Marine Sanctuaries managed by Parks Victoria to protect and conserve the bay's biodiversity, ecological processes and the natural and heritage features.

Port Phillip's marine water quality is monitored by the Environment Protection Authority of Victoria.[33]

Original flora and fauna edit

In 1906, George Gordon McCrae wrote two letters to a local schoolmaster at Dromana, Mr G.H. Rogers. His subject was his earliest recollections of an idyllic boyhood spent at Arthur's Seat Run, location of the historic McCrae Homestead on the southern shore of the bay, part of the Mornington Peninsula. In the letters he described in detail the natural history of the area in the 1840s, and the species he particularly remembered 60 years later. In 1939, Charles Daley read an article before the Royal Historical Society of Victoria based on these letters, which was published in its journal in 1940 the year after a large bushfire in January 1939 hastened the disappearance of much of the original surviving wildlife from the area. The names of the species reflect the titles given to them by the original European settlers of the bay.[34]

The animals he observed as a young boy were "immense droves of kangaroos, brush kangaroos or wallaby, paddy-melon, bandicoots (two varieties), great opossum (two varieties), ring tail, flying squirrel, flying mouse, dingoes or wild dogs in the gullies, that were caught in box traps with sliding doors, porcupine ant eater or echidna that were at the back of Arthur's Seat mountain, the great iguana, tree lizard- 5 feet, python, and the rock or sleeping lizard."

The trees were coast banksia, honey suckle, and grass trees "with crowns for thatching". The gum of Xanthorrhoea australis was used for carriage varnish.

In the waters of the bay he described "scallop shells which were used as an oil lamp with a bulrush wick, banks of cockles covered with birds, grey and white gulls, a 13-16 lb size schnapper ground off Mt Martha Point, mutton fish or venus ear- bait,[35] coatfish, parrot fish, leather jackets,[36] flathead, dog fish,[37] sting rays,[38] shark tailed rays,[39] and pig fish[40] that he thought to be "very old".

On the beaches could be sighted pelicans, penguins, grey and grey white gull, called "bungan" by aborigines (the Bunurong Mayone-bulluk clan), small white and lavender gull, pied oyster catchers, terns, cormorants, the little sandpiper, and musk ducks.

In the swamps (which have since been filled in) were "The Nankeen bird with one long white feather behind the ear, The rail, The bittern, The snipe and jack snipe, Several ducks- wood duck, black duck, Teal, Spoonbill, Black swan Geese, Cranes, Blue and white coots, Water hens, Kingfishers here and there and swamp or ground parrot with the barred tail feathers."

In the scrub by the waterholes were "honey eaters, warblers, red coat robins, emu wren with 2 long feathers in tail, Laughing jack ass- everywhere, butcher bird, also known as shrike or whistling jackass, Quail where coverage good in bottom of scrub, turkey at Boneo and the big swamp off the property."

On the flats were found spur wing plovers, minas, and leatherheads.

In timbers near the flats were "many varieties of parrots, Lorry, Rosella, Blue mountain or honeysuckle parrot, Sulphur –crested white cockatoo, Black cockatoo of two kinds, Grey cockatoo with scarlet crest and Corella or cockatoo parrot."

Among the cherry trees in the garden at the homestead were "bronzewing pigeon and satin birds, love birds and honeyeating parakeets."

Birds of prey were "eagle hawks, falcons, and owls, some white and of great size".

Cetaceans edit

 
Endemic Burrunan dolphin in the bay

Small numbers of common dolphins have become residents in eastern parts of the bay since the late 2000s.[41] In recent years, the numbers of southern humpback and southern right whales entering the bay of Port Phillip have shown increases.[42] Unlike in Portland and on Great Ocean Road, Southern Rights in eastern Victorian waters are still critically endangered[27] and in very small numbers; however, presences of cow-calf pairs in the bay in recent years indicate that Port Phillip was possibly once a wintering/calving ground for these whales.[43][44] They swim very close to shores to take rests in shallow, sheltered waters, sometimes just next to piers in Frankston.[45]

Burrunan dolphins edit

The bay is home to about 100 to 150 of the recently described species of bottlenose dolphin, the Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis). The other 50 or so of this rare species are to be found in the Gippsland Lakes.[46]

Shellfish reefs edit

Port Phillip has lost over 95% of native flat oyster and blue mussel reefs since European settlement.[47] In 2014 the Port Phillip Shellfish Reef restoration project set about restoring shellfish reefs at two locations off Hobsons Bay near St Kilda, and off Corio Bay near Avalon. 300,000 native Angasi oysters were laid on limestone rubble over a 600 square metre area. The project aimed to improve marine biodiversity, water quality and fish habitat.[48][49][50]

Environmental issues edit

Like the Yarra which flows into it, Port Phillip faces the environmental concerns of pollution and water quality. Litter, silt and toxins can affect the beaches to the point where they are shut down by the EPA.[51]

In 2008, the owner and master of Hong Kong-registered container vessel MV Sky Lucky were found liable for illegally disposing garbage into Port Phillip, convicted and fined $35,000.[52]

An Environmental Management Plan has been adopted for 2017-2027 in order to improve and ensure the water quality is helping the marine life flourish as well as divide the supervising of the Bay between the government, community and industries.[53]

Shipping edit

History edit

 
Container crane and ship at the Port of Melbourne.
 
Port Phillip with Spirit of Tasmania ferry in port in Melbourne.
 
Chinaman's Hat and Australian fur seals
 
Elwood Beach & Port Phillip.
 
Point Ormond near Elwood, Victoria (2009).

The southern section of the Bay near the Heads is covered by extensive sand banks, known as the "Great Sand". A shipping channel was dredged in an east–west direction from the Heads to near Arthur's Seat late in the nineteenth century, and maintained ever since. Early shipping used piers at Sandridge (Port Melbourne), but later moved to various wharves along the Yarra River, which make up today's Port of Melbourne.[54] The Melbourne Harbor Trust and Geelong Harbor Trust were responsible for the piers and wharves in their respective cities — they are now the government owned Port of Melbourne Corporation and the privately operated GeelongPort.

Today, the Port of Melbourne has grown to become Australia's busiest commercial port, serving Australia's second largest city and handling an enormous amount of imports and exports into and out of the country. The Port of Geelong also handles a large volume of dry bulk and oil, while nearby Port of Hastings on Western Port handles steel and oil products.

In 2004 the Victorian Government launched the Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project to deepen the existing shipping channels and the lower Yarra to accommodate deeper draft vessels. The lower Yarra sediments were identified as likely to be contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals, and were to be contained within a sealed berm clear of the shipping channels south of the Yarra entrance. The vessel chosen for the dredging is the Queen of the Netherlands. 52 environmental groups, recreational fishing groups, and divers' groups formed the "Blue Wedges" group to oppose the proposed channel deepening and dredging with organised protests carried out, culminating in the group taking action in the Federal Court in January 2008 against the Commonwealth to stop it signing off on the project.[55] On 15 January 2008 it was announced that their appeal was dismissed,[56] with dredging starting soon after. The government announced the completion of works in November 2009, ahead of schedule and $200 million under budget.[57]

Shipping channels edit

  • South Channel – Extends from the area of the rip in an easterly direction where it terminates off the coast of Arthurs Seat. Vessels with a draught of 14.0m can be navigated through the channel at all tides. This is the main commercial shipping channel in the south of the bay allowing large ships access between the entrance of the bay and its middle regions.
  • West Channel – Extends from the area of the rip, heads towards the north-west and ends off the coast of St Leonards. The depth varies, in May 1998 there was a minimum of 4.1 metres. Non-commercial vessels are still navigated through the channel; however, it is no longer used for commercial shipping.
  • The Rip – Also referred to as "the heads" for shipping purposes, vessels with a draught of 14.0m can be navigated through the Heads during any height of tide. However, the passage of vessels can be restricted when the current through the rip is too strong. The flow through the Rip can be up to 8 knots dependent on the range of tide and environmental conditions.
  • Melbourne Channels – Extends northwards through Hobsons Bay towards Station Pier and the entrance to the Yarra River. It is dredged to a depth of 15.5 metres and is the main shipping channel through the north of the bay into Melbourne's ports and docks. The channels include:
Melbourne Channel
Williamstown Channel
Port Melbourne Channel
  • Geelong Channels – Begins off the coast of Point Richards and runs in a westerly direction through Outer Harbour and into Corio Bay where it splits in two heading north towards the modern Port of Geelong and south towards Cunningham Pier. The main Geelong channels are dredged to 12.3m. The City Channel while once used for wool exports is no longer used for commercial shipping. The channels include:
Point Richards Shipping Channel
Wilson Spit Shipping Channel
Hopetoun Shipping Channel
City Channel
Corio Channel

Shipping and cargo docks edit

  • Bulk Grain Pier
  • Corio Quay
  • Cunningham Pier
  • Gellibrand Pier
  • Lascelles Wharf
  • Point Henry Pier
  • Point Wilson Pier
  • Princes Pier
  • Refinery Pier
  • Station Pier
  • Webb Dock

Ferries edit

Between: Sorrento Pier, Sorrento
And: The Cut Pier, Queenscliff
  • Port Phillip Ferries run twice daily fast ferry services between Melbourne Docklands and Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula and Docklands and Geelong. In 2017 they commissioned a new Incat ferry Bellarine Express. In 2019 it was joined by another Incat ferry of the same design Geelong Flyer which runs the service to Geelong.
  • Ferries also run from St Kilda to Williamstown, Victoria across Hobsons Bay. These ferries, like the many recreational cruises, mostly operate for tourists and run around the bay in various locations.
  • Spirit of Tasmania Ferry (passenger and vehicles)
Between: Spirit of Tasmania Quay, Geelong
And: Devonport, Tasmania

Other features edit

Flagship edit

  • Enterprize (1997) – Is Melbourne's Flagship, a replica of the Enterprize (1830), the tall ship that brought the first European settlers to Melbourne. She sails around Port Phillip throughout the year, visiting ports at Geelong, Williamstown, Portarlington, Rye and Blairgowrie.

Lighthouses edit

Shipwrecks edit

Some of the more significant and historic shipwrecks in the bay include:

  • William Salthouse – sunk 600 metres northeast of Pope's Eye (1841)
  • Clarence – sunk after running aground (1850)
  • Will O' the Wisp – sunk after running onto the sandbank William Sand, West Channel (1853)
  • Mountain Maid – sunk off Swan Island after a collision with SS Queen (1856)
  • Joanna – sunk after going around on the West Bank (1857)
  • City of Launceston – sunk after a collision with Penola (1865)
  • Eliza Ramsden – sunk near the South Channel (1875)
  • Wauchope – beached at Portsea after she caught fire and part of her cargo exploded (1919)
  • Ozone – scuttled off Indented Head (1925)
  • HMAS Cerberus – scuttled in Half Moon Bay, Black Rock (1926)
  • HMAS J3 – scuttled in Swan Bay (1926)
  • HMAS J7 – scuttled off Hampton Beach (1926)
  • River Burnett – the first ship to survive hitting Corsair Rock (1955)

Tourism edit

The bay is one of Victoria's most popular tourist destinations. Many residents of Melbourne holiday on the shorelines of the bay, particularly the Bellarine (South west, near Geelong) and Mornington (south east of Melbourne) Peninsulas, most annually, either camping in tents, caravan or villas in caravan parks, sharing rental houses or staying in holiday homes.

Recreation and sport edit

 
Kitesurfing at St Kilda on Port Phillip, Australia

Port Phillip's mostly flat topography and moderate waves make perfect conditions for recreational swimming, kitesurfing, windsurfing, sailing, boating, snorkeling, scuba diving, stand up paddle boarding (SUP) and other sports.

Port Phillip is home to 36 yacht clubs. It also hosts the Melbourne to Hobart and Melbourne to Launceston Yacht Races. Port Phillip is also home to a number of marinas, including large marinas at St. Kilda, Brighton and Geelong. For the 1956 Summer Olympics, it hosted the sailing events.[59]

Dozens of lifesaving clubs dot Port Phillip, especially on the east coast from Altona to Frankston. These clubs provide volunteer lifesaving services and conduct sporting carnivals.

Port Phillip is also known as a temperate water scuba diving destination. The shore dives from beaches and piers around the Bay provide a wide variety of experiences on day and night dives. Boat diving in Port Phillip provides access to a remarkable variety of diving environments including wrecks, reefs, drift dives, scallop dives, seal dives and wall dives. Of particular interest are the five scuttled J-Class World War 1 submarines and the Ships' Graveyard off Torquay. With 3 Marine Sanctuaries and easily accessible piers, Port Phillip is also popular for recreational snorkeling.

There are also a number of bike paths, including the Bayside Trail and the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail.

 
Melbourne skyline (c. 2005) viewed from Hobsons Bay

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Close, David Khyber (January 2021). Buckley, Batman & Myndie: Echoes of the Victorian culture-clash frontier. Sounding 1: Before 1840 and Sounding 2: Dispossession At Melbourne. pp. 22–157. ISBN 9780992290405.
  2. ^ . Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  3. ^ Bowler, J.M. (1966). "Port Phillip Survey 1957-1963: The Geology & Geomorphology" (PDF). Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria. Melbourne: National Museum of Victoria. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Marine geology of Port Phillip, Victoria". Australian Journal of Earth Sciences. 48 (3). 8 November 2010.
  5. ^ Eidelson, Meyer (2015), Yalukit Willam, The River People of Port Phillip, Melbourne: City of Port Phillip, p. 58
  6. ^ Gary, Stuart (14 April 2011). "Port Phillip Bay once high and dry". news in Science. Australian Broadcasting Commission. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  7. ^ Historical earthquakes in Victoria, Kevin McCue, Rockhampton, CQU, Queensland. See Fig.1, Map, seismicity of Victoria to 2009, Payne and others. [1]
  8. ^ The Earthquake in Victoria The Maitland Mercury, and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW) : Thu 9 July 1885 Page 2 [2]
  9. ^ Victorian resources online Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay (1988) by Neville Rosengren [3]
  10. ^ Soil/Landform Mapping Mornington Peninsula Shire
  11. ^ Researchgate, Marine Geology of Port Phillip, Victoria. G.R, Holdgate, B.Geurin, M.W. Wallace, and S.J.Gallagher [4]
  12. ^ Lee, Ida (Mrs. Charles Bruce Marriott) (1915), The Logbooks of the 'Lady Nelson' with the Journal of Her First Commander Lieutenant James Grant, London: Grafton and Company, p. [page needed], OL 6580132M
  13. ^ Lee 1915, pp. 134–149
  14. ^ a b Norman Houghton – 'The Story of Geelong' 28 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Memorable incidents in Australian history". The Sydney Morning Herald. 6 October 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 13 December 2012 – via Trove.
  16. ^ Port Phillip Conservation Council: Excerpts from the 'Port Phillip Survey 1957-1963' 20 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ^ Lee 1915, Chapter 6.
  18. ^ Ernest Scott. Terre Napoleon: A history of French explorations and projects in Australia at Project Gutenberg
  19. ^ Fleming, James (2002), Currey, John (ed.), A journal of Grimes' survey : the Cumberland in Port Phillip January-February 1803 (PDF), Malvern, Victoria: Banks Society Publications, p. 43, ISBN 978-0-949586-10-0
  20. ^ "Correspondence". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 14 October 1901. p. 7. Retrieved 17 January 2012 – via Trove.
  21. ^ "Buckley, Wild White Man, Lived with Blacks". The Queenslander. 18 March 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 17 January 2012 – via Trove.
  22. ^ "History of the Mornington Peninsula". Mornington Standard. Mornington. 12 August 1905. p. 5 Edition: Morning. Retrieved 17 January 2012 – via Trove.
  23. ^ Tuckey, James Hingston (1805). An account of a voyage to establish a colony at Port Philip in Bass's Strait on the south coast of New South Wales, in His Majesty's Ship Calcutta, in the years 1802-3-4. London: Longman.
  24. ^ "Risdon Cove, first landing place". The Mercury. Hobart. 12 September 1903. p. 1 Supplement: Centenary of Tasmania. Retrieved 17 January 2012 – via Trove.
  25. ^ Parks Victoria. . Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 20 December 2009.
  26. ^ a b c "Jason Gedamke, "Australia. Progress report on cetacean research, January 2006 to December 2006, with statistical data for the calendar year 2006."" (PDF). Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  27. ^ a b Fitzgerald E., Jefferies R., 2011 Southern Right Whale – Eubalaena australis. Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay. Museum Victoria. Retrieved on 20 June 2014
  28. ^ Melbourne's Wildlife (Museum Victoria, 2006), 324.
  29. ^ Port Phillip Baykeeper 2011 Stray sea lion lobs in Brighton 26 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 20 June 2014
  30. ^ Fitzgerald E., Jefferies R., 2011. Class – Otariidae. Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria. Retrieved on 20 June 2014
  31. ^ Edwards, Lorna (22 March 2006). "Seal's death prompts wildlife protection call". The Age. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  32. ^ T. M. Pyk, A. Bunce, and F. I. Norman, "The influence of age on reproductive success and diet in Australasian gannets (Morus serrator) breeding at Pope's Eye, Port Phillip Bay, Victoria", Australian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 55 No. 5, 2007, pp. 267–274.
  33. ^ Victoria, Environment Protection Authority. "Marine monitoring | Environment Protection Authority Victoria". www.epa.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  34. ^ Daley, Charles (1940). . Victorian Historical Journal. Royal Historical Society of Victoria. 18 (71): 57–64. Archived from the original on 20 February 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  35. ^ . Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2019.
  36. ^ Fish Species NZ, Leatherjacket fish, Scientific Name :Parika scaber
  37. ^ Australian Museum, Prickly dogfish, oxynotus bruniensis
  38. ^ Port Phillip Marinelife, Smooth Stingray Scientific Name :Dasyatis brevicaudata (Hutton, 1875) [5]
  39. ^ The Australian Museum , Shark Ray, Scientific Name: Rhina ancylostoma, Bloch & Schneider, 1801 [6]
  40. ^ The Australian Museum Eastern Pigfish,(Gunther, 1862) Scientific name: Bodianus unimaculatus [7]
  41. ^ The Dolphin Research Institute, Our Dolphins are Unique 25 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on 20 June 2014
  42. ^ Fowles S., 2012 Spectators have a whale of a time. Apollos View Accommodation. Retrieved on 20 June 2014
  43. ^ January 2014 – Southern Right Whales. ABC News. Retrieved on 20 June 2014
  44. ^ . www.swifft.net.au. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  45. ^ Minear T., 2014 Whale spotted swimming close to shore in Port Phillip Bay off Bonbeach, Chelsea and Aspendale. Herald Sun. Retrieved on 20 June 2014
  46. ^ Researcher discovers new dolphin species in Victoria, Monash University, 15 September 2011.
  47. ^ . Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Victoria. 7 October 2018. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  48. ^ Darren, Gray (1 August 2014). "Shellfish reefs to be restored in Port Phillip Bay". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  49. ^ "Shellfish reefs". Shellfish reef restoration. 7 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  50. ^ Choahan, Neelima (8 April 2017). "Port Phillip Shellfish Reef restoration project underway". Illawarra Mercury. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  51. ^ Ryan, Kellie. Summer deluges leave Port Phillip Bay filthy. Herald Sun. 9 January 2012
  52. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  53. ^ coasts, Marine and (27 June 2023). "Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan 2017-2027 (EMP)". Marine and coasts. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  54. ^ . portofmelbourne.com. Archived from the original on 7 November 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  55. ^ Lucas, Clay (5 December 2007). "Court threat to channel deepening". The Age.
  56. ^ Lucas, Clay (16 January 2008). "Bay dredge gets go-ahead". The Age.
  57. ^ Dowling, Jason (26 November 2009). "Labor hails dredging success, says bay is clean". The Age. theage.com.au. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
  58. ^ . Lighthouse.net.au. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  59. ^ 1956 Summer Olympics official report. 12 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine pp. 46-7.

External links edit

port, phillip, this, article, about, local, government, area, city, other, uses, disambiguation, kulin, narm, narm, horsehead, shaped, enclosed, central, coast, southern, victoria, australia, opens, into, bass, strait, short, narrow, channel, known, completely. This article is about the bay For the local government area see City of Port Phillip For other uses see Port Phillip disambiguation Port Phillip Kulin Narm Narm 1 or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria Australia The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short narrow channel known as The Rip and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria s two largest cities metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay s main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion known as the Corio Bay north of the Bellarine Peninsula Geographically the bay covers 1 930 km2 750 sq mi and the shore stretches roughly 264 km 164 mi with the volume of water around 25 km3 6 0 cu mi Most of the bay is navigable although it is extremely shallow for its size the deepest portion is only 24 m 79 ft and half the bay is shallower than 8 m 26 ft Its waters and coast are home to seals whales dolphins corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders Port PhillipPort Phillip BayThe Melbourne skyline seen across Port Phillip Port PhillipMap of the Port Phillip areaCoordinates38 09 S 144 52 E 38 150 S 144 867 E 38 150 144 867TypeSaline Permanent NaturalPrimary inflowsYarra River Patterson River Werribee River Little River Kororoit CreekPrimary outflowsBass StraitBasin countriesAustraliaSurface area1 930 km2 750 sq mi Average depth8 m 26 ft Max depth33 m 108 ft Water volume25 km3 6 0 cu mi Shore length1264 km 164 mi Surface elevation0 m 0 ft IslandsSwan Island Duck Island Mud IslandsSettlementsMelbourne Geelong Frankston Mornington Queenscliff Sorrento1 Shore length is not a well defined measure Before European settlement the area around Port Phillip was divided between the territories of the Wathaurong west Wurundjeri north and Boonwurrung south and east people all part of the indigeous Kulin nation The first Europeans to enter the bay were the crews of HMS Lady Nelson commanded by John Murray and ten weeks later HMS Investigator commanded by Matthew Flinders in 1802 Subsequent expeditions into the bay took place in 1803 to establish the first settlement in Victoria near Sorrento but was abandoned in 1804 Thirty years later settlers from Tasmania returned to establish Melbourne now Victoria s capital city at the mouth of the Yarra River in 1835 and Geelong at Corio Bay in 1838 Today Port Phillip is the most densely populated catchment in Australia 2 with an estimated 5 5 million people living around the bay Melbourne s suburbs extend around much of the northern and eastern shorelines and the city of Geelong sprawls around Corio Bay in the bay s western arm Contents 1 History 1 1 Prehistory 1 2 European exploration 1 3 British settlement 1 4 Growth and development of Melbourne 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 2 2 Beaches 2 3 Rivers and creeks 2 4 Islands 2 5 Surrounding mountains and hills 2 6 Surrounding lakes 3 Ecology 3 1 Original flora and fauna 3 1 1 Cetaceans 3 1 1 1 Burrunan dolphins 3 2 Shellfish reefs 3 3 Environmental issues 4 Shipping 4 1 History 4 2 Shipping channels 4 3 Shipping and cargo docks 4 4 Ferries 5 Other features 5 1 Flagship 5 2 Lighthouses 5 3 Shipwrecks 6 Tourism 7 Recreation and sport 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksHistory editPrehistory edit nbsp The course of the lower Yarra River around 10 000 years ago after the end of the last Ice Age prior to the creation of Port Phillip Port Phillip formed between the end of the last Ice Age around 8000 BCE and around 6000 BCE 3 when the sea level rose to drown the vast river plains wetlands and lakes at what was then the lower reaches of the Yarra River The ancient Yarra and its tributaries the other present day rivers of the Port Phillip catchment flowed down what is now the middle of the bay formed a coastal lake in the southern reaches of the bay dammed by The Heads and subsequently pouring out into a closed bay that formed over the western portion of the prehistoric Bassian Plain which was later completely flooded and became Bass Strait 4 The Aboriginal people inhabited the area long before the bay was formed with evidence of occupation dating at least 40 000 years ago Settler records indicate an oral history with at least 18 000 years of linearity when Boonwurrung Elder Ningerranarro spoke of his ancestors hunting kangaroo and possum where the Bay now lies 5 Large piles of semi fossilised seashells known as middens can still be seen in places around the shoreline marking the spots where Aboriginal people held feasts They made a good living from the abundant sea life which included penguins and seals In the cold season they wore possum skin cloaks and intricate feathered head dresses A dry period combined with sand bar formation may have dried the bay out as recently as between 800 BCE and 1000 CE 6 nbsp Anthony s Nose Dromana 1920Seismicity has been observed around the bay continually since the 1800s with earlier earthquakes recorded in local newspaper reports 7 An earthquake that occurred in July 1885 was described in a newspaper 8 The earth quake appears to have been confined to the southern portion of the colony and principally to those places bordering on Bass s Straits and Port Phillip Bay Telegrams to the Argus from Cowes Flinders Kangaroo Grounds Mornington Queenscliff Eltham Lilydale Shoreham and Cape Schanck all mention the earthquake Anthonys Nose is an escarpment landform of Devonian granite on the Mornington Peninsula that is located where Arthurs Seat ends as the mountain falls steeply towards Port Phillip and is part of the Selwyn Fault 9 10 11 European exploration edit Further information History of Victoria and John Murray Australian explorer In 1800 Lieutenant James Grant was the first known European to pass through Bass Strait from west to east in HMS Lady Nelson He was also the first to see and crudely chart the south coast from Cape Banks in South Australia to Wilsons Promontory in Victoria Grant gave the name Governor King s Bay to the body of water between Cape Otway and Wilsons Promontory but did not venture in and discover Port Phillip 12 nbsp 1803 map by Charles Grimes of Port PhillipThe first Europeans to find and enter Port Phillip were the crew of the Lady Nelson commanded by John Murray which entered the bay on 15 February 1802 13 14 The bay was then known as Narm Narm by the people of the Kulin tribe and Murray called the bay Port King after the Governor of New South Wales Philip Gidley King On 4 September 1805 15 King formally renamed it Port Phillip in honour of his predecessor Arthur Phillip 16 Murray chose to base the Lady Nelson off what is now known as Sorrento Beach During this voyage Murray records in his journal his first encounter with local Aboriginal peoples This initially friendly encounter started with trading eating and gifting and was suddenly interrupted by a violent ambush by a large group of Aboriginal people They were all clothed in opossum skins and in each basket a certain quantity of gum was found if we may judge from the number of their fires and other marks this part of the country is not thin of inhabitants Their spears are of various kinds and all of them more dangerous than any I have yet seen The crew in response shot at the Aboriginal people and continued to shoot at them as they fled inflicting likely mortal wounds on two of the Aboriginal people Watching from the boat Murray ordered grapeshot and round shot to be fired from the carronades aboard the ship at the fleeing Aboriginal people Murray said Thus did this treachery and unprovoked attack meet with its just punishment and at the same time taught us a useful lesson to be more cautious in future After exploring the southern part of the bay Murray formally took possession of the area on 8 March 1802 for King George III of Great Britain in a small ceremony at a place now known as the Point King Foreshore Reserve in Sorrento A few days later Murray sailed out of the heads and returned to Sydney 17 About ten weeks after Murray Matthew Flinders in HMS Investigator also found and entered the bay 14 unaware Murray had been there The official history of Nicholas Baudin s explorations in Le Geographe claimed they too had sighted the entrance at that time 30 March 1802 but this is almost certainly a later embellishment or error being absent from the ship s logs and Baudin s own accounts 18 As a result of Murray s and Flinders reports King sent Lieutenant Charles Robbins in HMS Cumberland to explore Port Phillip fully This surveying party which included Charles Grimes produced a mostly complete chart of Port Phillip including the mouth of the Yarra River which they visited on 2 February 1803 Robbins found Aboriginal habitations and groups of Aboriginal people at Tootgarook Carrum Carrum on the banks of the Yarra and at Geelong 19 British settlement edit Further information History of Victoria nbsp The memorial at Sorrento marking the site of the first British settlement on Port Phillip in 1803King decided to place a convict settlement at Port Phillip mainly to stake a claim to southern Australia ahead of the French On 10 October 1803 a convoy of two ships HMS Calcutta and Ocean led by Captain David Collins carrying 402 people 5 Government officials 9 officers of marines 2 drummers and 39 privates 5 soldiers wives and a child and 307 convicts with 17 convicts wives and 7 children entered Port Phillip 20 After some investigation it was decided to establish the settlement at a spot known as Sullivan Bay very close to where Sorrento now exists The expedition landed at Sullivan Bay on 17 October 1803 and the first of the orders issued by Collins bears that date On 25 October the King s birthday the British flag was hoisted over the tiny settlement and a little salvo of musketry celebrated the royal occasion 21 On 25 November the first white child was born in Victoria and was baptised on Christmas Day receiving the name of William James Hobart Thorne The first marriage took place on 28 November when a free woman Hannah Harvey was wedded to convict Richard Garrett 22 Small exploratory groups from this settlement surveyed a land route to Western Port and also sailed to the northwest shore of Port Phillip On this latter journey a large group of about 200 Aboriginal people came to meet the Britishers with hostile intentions and with the application of fire arms absolutely necessary to repel them several Aboriginal people were shot 23 Lack of fresh water and good timber led this first British attempt at settlement in the region later known as Victoria to be abandoned on 27 January 1804 When Collins left Port Phillip the Calcutta proceeded to Sydney and the Ocean to Risdon Cove in Tasmania where they arrived on 15 February 1804 24 Prior to abandonment a group of convicts including William Buckley escaped from the settlement Buckley took up residence in a cave near Point Lonsdale on the western side of the bay s entrance The Rip and later lived with an Aboriginal Australian group for many years being given up for dead Port Phillip was then left mostly undisturbed until 1835 when settlers from Tasmania led by John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner who had been at the Sorrento settlement as a child established Melbourne on the lower reaches of the Yarra John Batman encountered William Buckley who then became an important translator in negotiations with the local Aboriginal tribesmen In 1838 Geelong was founded and became the main port serving the growing wool industry of the Western District For a time Geelong rivalled Melbourne as the leading settlement on the bay but the Gold Rush which began in 1851 gave Melbourne a decisive edge as the largest town in Victoria Growth and development of Melbourne edit nbsp Beacon Cove beach and apartments in Port MelbourneAs Melbourne prospered its wealthy classes discovered the recreational uses of Port Phillip Bayside suburbs such as St Kilda and Brighton were established on the east shore of the bay Later resorts further south such as Sorrento and Portsea became popular The more swampy western shores of the bay were not so favoured and have been used mainly for non residential purposes such as agriculture the Point Cook Royal Australian Air Force base and the Werribee Sewage Farm and significant nature reserves In recent decades the population along the western side of the bay has grown more rapidly In the 21st century property along the Port Phillip coastline continues to be highly sought after Port Phillip continues to be extensively used for recreational pursuits such as swimming cycling boating and fishing The bay also features a number of historical walks and fauna reserves 25 The traditional land owners of the area have also been acknowledged at a number of sites Geography editFurther information Geography of Port Phillip Port Phillip lies in southern Victoria separated from Bass Strait by the Bellarine Peninsula to the southwest and Mornington Peninsula to the southeast It is the largest bay in Victoria and one of the largest inland bays in Australia The narrow entrance to the bay called the Rip between Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean features strong tidal streams made turbulent by the uneven contours of the seabed The best time for small craft to enter the Rip is at slack water Large ships require expert local guidance to enter and exit provided by the Port Phillip maritime pilots Work has begun to deepen the channel entrance to allow newer larger container ships to access Melbourne s docks The eastern side of the bay is characterised by sandy beaches extending from St Kilda Sandringham Beaumaris Carrum and down the Mornington Peninsula to Frankston Safety Beach Dromana and Rye to Portsea Longshore drift carries sand from south to north during winter and from north to south during summer Cliff erosion control has often resulted in sand starvation necessitating offshore dredging to replenish the beach which On the western side of the bay there is a greater variety of beach types including both sandy and sandstone rock beaches seen at Queenscliff St Leonards Indented Head Portarlington Altona and Geelong s Eastern Beach Numerous sandbanks and shoals occur in the southern section of the bay and parts of the South Channel require occasional maintenance dredging Climate edit The region has an oceanic climate Koppen Cfb with warm summers possessing occasional very hot days due to northerly winds and mild winters Annual rainfall which is evenly distributed over the year shows considerable variation due to the Otway Ranges to the southwest the northwestern shore of the bay is the driest part of southern Victoria and almost approaches a semi arid climate BSk with a mean annual rainfall as low as 425 millimetres 17 in comparable to Nhill or Numurkah whilst the eastern shores less shielded by the Otways receive as much as 850 millimetres 33 in Summer temperatures average around 25 C 77 F during the day and 14 C 57 F at night but occasional northerly winds can push temperatures over 40 C 104 F whilst in winter a typical day will range from 6 C 43 F to 14 C 57 F Port Phillip is often warmer than the surrounding oceans and or the land mass particularly in spring and autumn this can set up a bay effect similar to the lake effect snow seen in colder climates where showers are intensified leeward of the bay particularly in Melbourne s eastern suburbs Beaches edit Further information Beaches in Port Phillip nbsp Port Phillip as seen from Frankston on the eastern shore of the bayPort 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 However stand up paddle boarding SUP kite surfing and wind surfing are very popular 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 St Kilda Beach Brighton Beach Sandringham Beach Dromana BeachRivers and creeks edit Rivers Yarra River Maribyrnong River Patterson River Little River Werribee River Creeks Elwood Canal Mordialloc Creek Kananook Creek Sweetwater Creek Balcombe Creek Chinamans Creek Cowies Creek Hovells Creek Kororoit Creek Islands edit Due to its shallow depth several artificial islands and forts have been built however despite the depth it only hosts a few true islands Many sandy muddy banks and shallows exist in its southern reaches such as Mud Islands but most islands are located in the marshy shallows of Swan Bay Some of the bay s major islands include Swan Island Mud Islands Duck Island South Channel Fort artificial Pope s Eye artificial Surrounding mountains and hills edit nbsp Arthurs Seat 305 m high and Dromana Bay in southern Port Phillip nbsp Kitesurfing at Rye with Arthurs Seat in the backgroundArthurs Seat 314 m Mount Martha 160 m Mount Eliza Olivers Hill Flinders Peak 364 mSurrounding lakes edit Albert Park Lake Cherry Lake Lake Borrie Lake Carramar Lake Illawong and Lake Legana of Patterson Lakes Lake Connewarre Lake Victoria RAAF Lake Sanctuary Lakes artificial Salt LagoonEcology edit nbsp Jellyfish washed up on Port Melbourne beach nbsp Blue blubber jellyfish in Port PhillipJellyfish are a familiar sight in Port Phillip and its waters are home to species such as Australian fur seals bottlenose dolphins 26 common dolphins 26 humpback whales 26 and southern right whales 27 Many other cetacean species may also migrate off the areas The smooth toadfish is one of the most common fishes in muddy areas 28 The bay has many endemic species including the bluedevil fish and fantastic sponge walls on the Lonsdale wall in the heads of the bay It also hosts breeding colonies of Australian fur seals Occasionally Australian sea lions 29 New Zealand fur seals subantarctic fur seals and leopard seals may come into the bay as well 30 Certain individual southern elephant seals may frequent the bay as well 31 Swan Bay adjacent to Queenscliff is an important feeding ground for waterbirds and migratory waders The Mud Islands off Sorrento are an important breeding habitat for white faced storm petrels silver gulls Australian pelicans and Pacific gulls Salt marshes in the northwestern sections of the bay such as that in the Werribee Sewage Farm and the adjacent Spit Nature Conservation Reserve are within the Port Phillip Bay Western Shoreline and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site listed as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and the critically endangered orange bellied parrot is found at three wintering sites with saltmarsh habitat around Port Phillip and the Bellarine Peninsula A variety of seabirds such as Australasian gannets 32 nest on artificial structures in the bay Port Phillip contains 3 Marine Sanctuaries managed by Parks Victoria to protect and conserve the bay s biodiversity ecological processes and the natural and heritage features Port Phillip s marine water quality is monitored by the Environment Protection Authority of Victoria 33 Original flora and fauna edit In 1906 George Gordon McCrae wrote two letters to a local schoolmaster at Dromana Mr G H Rogers His subject was his earliest recollections of an idyllic boyhood spent at Arthur s Seat Run location of the historic McCrae Homestead on the southern shore of the bay part of the Mornington Peninsula In the letters he described in detail the natural history of the area in the 1840s and the species he particularly remembered 60 years later In 1939 Charles Daley read an article before the Royal Historical Society of Victoria based on these letters which was published in its journal in 1940 the year after a large bushfire in January 1939 hastened the disappearance of much of the original surviving wildlife from the area The names of the species reflect the titles given to them by the original European settlers of the bay 34 The animals he observed as a young boy were immense droves of kangaroos brush kangaroos or wallaby paddy melon bandicoots two varieties great opossum two varieties ring tail flying squirrel flying mouse dingoes or wild dogs in the gullies that were caught in box traps with sliding doors porcupine ant eater or echidna that were at the back of Arthur s Seat mountain the great iguana tree lizard 5 feet python and the rock or sleeping lizard The trees were coast banksia honey suckle and grass trees with crowns for thatching The gum of Xanthorrhoea australis was used for carriage varnish In the waters of the bay he described scallop shells which were used as an oil lamp with a bulrush wick banks of cockles covered with birds grey and white gulls a 13 16 lb size schnapper ground off Mt Martha Point mutton fish or venus ear bait 35 coatfish parrot fish leather jackets 36 flathead dog fish 37 sting rays 38 shark tailed rays 39 and pig fish 40 that he thought to be very old On the beaches could be sighted pelicans penguins grey and grey white gull called bungan by aborigines the Bunurong Mayone bulluk clan small white and lavender gull pied oyster catchers terns cormorants the little sandpiper and musk ducks In the swamps which have since been filled in were The Nankeen bird with one long white feather behind the ear The rail The bittern The snipe and jack snipe Several ducks wood duck black duck Teal Spoonbill Black swan Geese Cranes Blue and white coots Water hens Kingfishers here and there and swamp or ground parrot with the barred tail feathers In the scrub by the waterholes were honey eaters warblers red coat robins emu wren with 2 long feathers in tail Laughing jack ass everywhere butcher bird also known as shrike or whistling jackass Quail where coverage good in bottom of scrub turkey at Boneo and the big swamp off the property On the flats were found spur wing plovers minas and leatherheads In timbers near the flats were many varieties of parrots Lorry Rosella Blue mountain or honeysuckle parrot Sulphur crested white cockatoo Black cockatoo of two kinds Grey cockatoo with scarlet crest and Corella or cockatoo parrot Among the cherry trees in the garden at the homestead were bronzewing pigeon and satin birds love birds and honeyeating parakeets Birds of prey were eagle hawks falcons and owls some white and of great size Cetaceans edit nbsp Endemic Burrunan dolphin in the baySmall numbers of common dolphins have become residents in eastern parts of the bay since the late 2000s 41 In recent years the numbers of southern humpback and southern right whales entering the bay of Port Phillip have shown increases 42 Unlike in Portland and on Great Ocean Road Southern Rights in eastern Victorian waters are still critically endangered 27 and in very small numbers however presences of cow calf pairs in the bay in recent years indicate that Port Phillip was possibly once a wintering calving ground for these whales 43 44 They swim very close to shores to take rests in shallow sheltered waters sometimes just next to piers in Frankston 45 Burrunan dolphins edit The bay is home to about 100 to 150 of the recently described species of bottlenose dolphin the Burrunan dolphin Tursiops australis The other 50 or so of this rare species are to be found in the Gippsland Lakes 46 Shellfish reefs edit Port Phillip has lost over 95 of native flat oyster and blue mussel reefs since European settlement 47 In 2014 the Port Phillip Shellfish Reef restoration project set about restoring shellfish reefs at two locations off Hobsons Bay near St Kilda and off Corio Bay near Avalon 300 000 native Angasi oysters were laid on limestone rubble over a 600 square metre area The project aimed to improve marine biodiversity water quality and fish habitat 48 49 50 Environmental issues edit Like the Yarra which flows into it Port Phillip faces the environmental concerns of pollution and water quality Litter silt and toxins can affect the beaches to the point where they are shut down by the EPA 51 In 2008 the owner and master of Hong Kong registered container vessel MV Sky Lucky were found liable for illegally disposing garbage into Port Phillip convicted and fined 35 000 52 An Environmental Management Plan has been adopted for 2017 2027 in order to improve and ensure the water quality is helping the marine life flourish as well as divide the supervising of the Bay between the government community and industries 53 Shipping editHistory edit nbsp Container crane and ship at the Port of Melbourne nbsp Port Phillip with Spirit of Tasmania ferry in port in Melbourne nbsp Chinaman s Hat and Australian fur seals nbsp Elwood Beach amp Port Phillip nbsp Point Ormond near Elwood Victoria 2009 The southern section of the Bay near the Heads is covered by extensive sand banks known as the Great Sand A shipping channel was dredged in an east west direction from the Heads to near Arthur s Seat late in the nineteenth century and maintained ever since Early shipping used piers at Sandridge Port Melbourne but later moved to various wharves along the Yarra River which make up today s Port of Melbourne 54 The Melbourne Harbor Trust and Geelong Harbor Trust were responsible for the piers and wharves in their respective cities they are now the government owned Port of Melbourne Corporation and the privately operated GeelongPort Today the Port of Melbourne has grown to become Australia s busiest commercial port serving Australia s second largest city and handling an enormous amount of imports and exports into and out of the country The Port of Geelong also handles a large volume of dry bulk and oil while nearby Port of Hastings on Western Port handles steel and oil products In 2004 the Victorian Government launched the Port Phillip Channel Deepening Project to deepen the existing shipping channels and the lower Yarra to accommodate deeper draft vessels The lower Yarra sediments were identified as likely to be contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals and were to be contained within a sealed berm clear of the shipping channels south of the Yarra entrance The vessel chosen for the dredging is the Queen of the Netherlands 52 environmental groups recreational fishing groups and divers groups formed the Blue Wedges group to oppose the proposed channel deepening and dredging with organised protests carried out culminating in the group taking action in the Federal Court in January 2008 against the Commonwealth to stop it signing off on the project 55 On 15 January 2008 it was announced that their appeal was dismissed 56 with dredging starting soon after The government announced the completion of works in November 2009 ahead of schedule and 200 million under budget 57 Shipping channels edit South Channel Extends from the area of the rip in an easterly direction where it terminates off the coast of Arthurs Seat Vessels with a draught of 14 0m can be navigated through the channel at all tides This is the main commercial shipping channel in the south of the bay allowing large ships access between the entrance of the bay and its middle regions West Channel Extends from the area of the rip heads towards the north west and ends off the coast of St Leonards The depth varies in May 1998 there was a minimum of 4 1 metres Non commercial vessels are still navigated through the channel however it is no longer used for commercial shipping The Rip Also referred to as the heads for shipping purposes vessels with a draught of 14 0m can be navigated through the Heads during any height of tide However the passage of vessels can be restricted when the current through the rip is too strong The flow through the Rip can be up to 8 knots dependent on the range of tide and environmental conditions Melbourne Channels Extends northwards through Hobsons Bay towards Station Pier and the entrance to the Yarra River It is dredged to a depth of 15 5 metres and is the main shipping channel through the north of the bay into Melbourne s ports and docks The channels include Melbourne Channel Williamstown Channel Port Melbourne ChannelGeelong Channels Begins off the coast of Point Richards and runs in a westerly direction through Outer Harbour and into Corio Bay where it splits in two heading north towards the modern Port of Geelong and south towards Cunningham Pier The main Geelong channels are dredged to 12 3m The City Channel while once used for wool exports is no longer used for commercial shipping The channels include Point Richards Shipping Channel Wilson Spit Shipping Channel Hopetoun Shipping Channel City Channel Corio ChannelShipping and cargo docks edit Bulk Grain Pier Corio Quay Cunningham Pier Gellibrand Pier Lascelles Wharf Point Henry Pier Point Wilson Pier Princes Pier Refinery Pier Station Pier Webb DockFerries edit Searoad Ferries operates a vehicular ferry service across the mouth of the bay between Queenscliff and Sorrento using two roll on roll off vessels Between Sorrento Pier Sorrento And The Cut Pier QueenscliffPort Phillip Ferries run twice daily fast ferry services between Melbourne Docklands and Portarlington on the Bellarine Peninsula and Docklands and Geelong In 2017 they commissioned a new Incat ferry Bellarine Express In 2019 it was joined by another Incat ferry of the same design Geelong Flyer which runs the service to Geelong Ferries also run from St Kilda to Williamstown Victoria across Hobsons Bay These ferries like the many recreational cruises mostly operate for tourists and run around the bay in various locations Spirit of Tasmania Ferry passenger and vehicles Between Spirit of Tasmania Quay Geelong And Devonport TasmaniaOther features editFlagship edit Enterprize 1997 Is Melbourne s Flagship a replica of the Enterprize 1830 the tall ship that brought the first European settlers to Melbourne She sails around Port Phillip throughout the year visiting ports at Geelong Williamstown Portarlington Rye and Blairgowrie Lighthouses edit Eastern Lighthouse 58 1854 1883 McCrae Queenscliff High Light 1843 1862 Queenscliff Queenscliff Low Light 1863 Queenscliff Point Lonsdale Lighthouse 1902 Point Lonsdale Port Melbourne Lighthouses 1924 Port Melbourne South Channel Pile Light 1874 Port Phillip West Channel Pile Light 1881 Port Phillip Williamstown Lighthouse 1840 1849 1934 Williamstown Shipwrecks edit Some of the more significant and historic shipwrecks in the bay include William Salthouse sunk 600 metres northeast of Pope s Eye 1841 Clarence sunk after running aground 1850 Will O the Wisp sunk after running onto the sandbank William Sand West Channel 1853 Mountain Maid sunk off Swan Island after a collision with SS Queen 1856 Joanna sunk after going around on the West Bank 1857 City of Launceston sunk after a collision with Penola 1865 Eliza Ramsden sunk near the South Channel 1875 Wauchope beached at Portsea after she caught fire and part of her cargo exploded 1919 Ozone scuttled off Indented Head 1925 HMAS Cerberus scuttled in Half Moon Bay Black Rock 1926 HMAS J3 scuttled in Swan Bay 1926 HMAS J7 scuttled off Hampton Beach 1926 River Burnett the first ship to survive hitting Corsair Rock 1955 Tourism editThe bay is one of Victoria s most popular tourist destinations Many residents of Melbourne holiday on the shorelines of the bay particularly the Bellarine South west near Geelong and Mornington south east of Melbourne Peninsulas most annually either camping in tents caravan or villas in caravan parks sharing rental houses or staying in holiday homes Recreation and sport edit nbsp Kitesurfing at St Kilda on Port Phillip AustraliaPort Phillip s mostly flat topography and moderate waves make perfect conditions for recreational swimming kitesurfing windsurfing sailing boating snorkeling scuba diving stand up paddle boarding SUP and other sports Port Phillip is home to 36 yacht clubs It also hosts the Melbourne to Hobart and Melbourne to Launceston Yacht Races Port Phillip is also home to a number of marinas including large marinas at St Kilda Brighton and Geelong For the 1956 Summer Olympics it hosted the sailing events 59 Dozens of lifesaving clubs dot Port Phillip especially on the east coast from Altona to Frankston These clubs provide volunteer lifesaving services and conduct sporting carnivals Port Phillip is also known as a temperate water scuba diving destination The shore dives from beaches and piers around the Bay provide a wide variety of experiences on day and night dives Boat diving in Port Phillip provides access to a remarkable variety of diving environments including wrecks reefs drift dives scallop dives seal dives and wall dives Of particular interest are the five scuttled J Class World War 1 submarines and the Ships Graveyard off Torquay With 3 Marine Sanctuaries and easily accessible piers Port Phillip is also popular for recreational snorkeling There are also a number of bike paths including the Bayside Trail and the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail nbsp Melbourne skyline c 2005 viewed from Hobsons BaySee also edit nbsp Victoria portalFort Nepean Fort Pearce Fort QueenscliffReferences edit Close David Khyber January 2021 Buckley Batman amp Myndie Echoes of the Victorian culture clash frontier Sounding 1 Before 1840 and Sounding 2 Dispossession At Melbourne pp 22 157 ISBN 9780992290405 Parks Victoria Archived from the original on 23 February 2015 Retrieved 23 February 2015 Bowler J M 1966 Port Phillip Survey 1957 1963 The Geology amp Geomorphology PDF Memoirs of the National Museum of Victoria Melbourne National Museum of Victoria Retrieved 13 September 2013 Marine geology of Port Phillip Victoria Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 48 3 8 November 2010 Eidelson Meyer 2015 Yalukit Willam The River People of Port Phillip Melbourne City of Port Phillip p 58 Gary Stuart 14 April 2011 Port Phillip Bay once high and dry news in Science Australian Broadcasting Commission Retrieved 13 September 2013 Historical earthquakes in Victoria Kevin McCue Rockhampton CQU Queensland See Fig 1 Map seismicity of Victoria to 2009 Payne and others 1 The Earthquake in Victoria The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser NSW Thu 9 July 1885 Page 2 2 Victorian resources online Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay 1988 by Neville Rosengren 3 Soil Landform Mapping Mornington Peninsula Shire Researchgate Marine Geology of Port Phillip Victoria G R Holdgate B Geurin M W Wallace and S J Gallagher 4 Lee Ida Mrs Charles Bruce Marriott 1915 The Logbooks of the Lady Nelson with the Journal of Her First Commander Lieutenant James Grant London Grafton and Company p page needed OL 6580132M Lee 1915 pp 134 149 a b Norman Houghton The Story of Geelong Archived 28 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Memorable incidents in Australian history The Sydney Morning Herald 6 October 1857 p 2 Retrieved 13 December 2012 via Trove Port Phillip Conservation Council Excerpts from the Port Phillip Survey 1957 1963 Archived 20 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine Lee 1915 Chapter 6 Ernest Scott Terre Napoleon A history of French explorations and projects in Australia at Project Gutenberg Fleming James 2002 Currey John ed A journal of Grimes survey the Cumberland in Port Phillip January February 1803 PDF Malvern Victoria Banks Society Publications p 43 ISBN 978 0 949586 10 0 Correspondence The Advertiser Adelaide 14 October 1901 p 7 Retrieved 17 January 2012 via Trove Buckley Wild White Man Lived with Blacks The Queenslander 18 March 1937 p 3 Retrieved 17 January 2012 via Trove History of the Mornington Peninsula Mornington Standard Mornington 12 August 1905 p 5 Edition Morning Retrieved 17 January 2012 via Trove Tuckey James Hingston 1805 An account of a voyage to establish a colony at Port Philip in Bass s Strait on the south coast of New South Wales in His Majesty s Ship Calcutta in the years 1802 3 4 London Longman Risdon Cove first landing place The Mercury Hobart 12 September 1903 p 1 Supplement Centenary of Tasmania Retrieved 17 January 2012 via Trove Parks Victoria Port Phillip Archived from the original on 26 October 2009 Retrieved 20 December 2009 a b c Jason Gedamke Australia Progress report on cetacean research January 2006 to December 2006 with statistical data for the calendar year 2006 PDF Retrieved 16 May 2012 a b Fitzgerald E Jefferies R 2011 Southern Right Whale Eubalaena australis Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay Museum Victoria Retrieved on 20 June 2014 Melbourne s Wildlife Museum Victoria 2006 324 Port Phillip Baykeeper 2011 Stray sea lion lobs in Brighton Archived 26 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 20 June 2014 Fitzgerald E Jefferies R 2011 Class Otariidae Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay Museum Victoria Retrieved on 20 June 2014 Edwards Lorna 22 March 2006 Seal s death prompts wildlife protection call The Age Retrieved 20 June 2014 T M Pyk A Bunce and F I Norman The influence of age on reproductive success and diet in Australasian gannets Morus serrator breeding at Pope s Eye Port Phillip Bay Victoria Australian Journal of Zoology Vol 55 No 5 2007 pp 267 274 Victoria Environment Protection Authority Marine monitoring Environment Protection Authority Victoria www epa vic gov au Retrieved 19 December 2023 Daley Charles 1940 Arthur s Seat in the forties 1840s from letters of George Gordon McCrae Victorian Historical Journal Royal Historical Society of Victoria 18 71 57 64 Archived from the original on 20 February 2011 Retrieved 8 November 2010 What Species Venus Ear Scientific Name Haliotis spadicea Archived from the original on 11 July 2019 Retrieved 11 July 2019 Fish Species NZ Leatherjacket fish Scientific Name Parika scaber Australian Museum Prickly dogfish oxynotus bruniensis Port Phillip Marinelife Smooth Stingray Scientific Name Dasyatis brevicaudata Hutton 1875 5 The Australian Museum Shark Ray Scientific Name Rhina ancylostoma Bloch amp Schneider 1801 6 The Australian Museum Eastern Pigfish Gunther 1862 Scientific name Bodianus unimaculatus 7 The Dolphin Research Institute Our Dolphins are Unique Archived 25 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 20 June 2014 Fowles S 2012 Spectators have a whale of a time Apollos View Accommodation Retrieved on 20 June 2014 January 2014 Southern Right Whales ABC News Retrieved on 20 June 2014 Southern Right Whale www swifft net au Archived from the original on 6 March 2016 Retrieved 3 March 2016 Minear T 2014 Whale spotted swimming close to shore in Port Phillip Bay off Bonbeach Chelsea and Aspendale Herald Sun Retrieved on 20 June 2014 Researcher discovers new dolphin species in Victoria Monash University 15 September 2011 Where did Port Phillip Bay s shellfish reefs go Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Victoria 7 October 2018 Archived from the original on 7 October 2018 Retrieved 7 October 2018 Darren Gray 1 August 2014 Shellfish reefs to be restored in Port Phillip Bay The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved 7 October 2018 Shellfish reefs Shellfish reef restoration 7 October 2018 Retrieved 7 October 2018 Choahan Neelima 8 April 2017 Port Phillip Shellfish Reef restoration project underway Illawarra Mercury Retrieved 7 October 2018 Ryan Kellie Summer deluges leave Port Phillip Bay filthy Herald Sun 9 January 2012 Archived copy PDF Archived from the original PDF on 13 November 2013 Retrieved 28 May 2011 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint archived copy as title link coasts Marine and 27 June 2023 Port Phillip Bay Environmental Management Plan 2017 2027 EMP Marine and coasts Retrieved 19 December 2023 History of the port portofmelbourne com Archived from the original on 7 November 2009 Retrieved 8 November 2009 Lucas Clay 5 December 2007 Court threat to channel deepening The Age Lucas Clay 16 January 2008 Bay dredge gets go ahead The Age Dowling Jason 26 November 2009 Labor hails dredging success says bay is clean The Age theage com au Retrieved 27 November 2009 The Eastern Lighthouse at McCrae Lighthouse net au Archived from the original on 3 October 2012 Retrieved 31 December 2012 1956 Summer Olympics official report Archived 12 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine pp 46 7 External links edit Port Phillip Encyclopaedia Britannica Vol 22 11th ed 1911 Large scale map of Port Phillip showing beaches and recreational facilities Port Phillip Sea Pilots Shipwreck Info at Heritage Victoria Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Port Phillip amp oldid 1190636647, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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