Yesterday was beautiful Melbourne spring day with temperature 25 degrees plus and clear sky. Melbourne is at the end of its tough lockdown period. Coronavirus cases have started to drop as well. We miss beach and decided to take kids to our beautiful local Marine Sanctuary. Beautiful corner of Point Cook to visit. Away from the hustle and bustle of suburbia. Located on the sheltered sandy shores of North-Western Port Phillip, the Point Cook Marine sanctuary is one of the most prolific areas of marine life in the bay. A combination of narrow sandy beaches, rocky reefs and mud flats, this park hosts a huge diversity of marine and coastal life.

This sanctuary houses a variety of habitats including intertidal and subtidal reefs, sandy beaches, subtidal soft sediment reefs as well as seagrass beds. The reefs support an abundance of species including filter-feeders, invertebrate herbivores, sea stars, anemones, ascidians, crustaceans, sharks, shellfish as well as multiple fish species. The sanctuary is particularly important as its sandbanks provide habitat for approximately 50 species of shorebirds some of which are threatened. Threatened fish species that may use the sanctuary as habitat include Yarra pigmy perch, Australian grayling and Spotted galaxias.

Visitors to the park need to be careful as it can have detrimental impacts on the flora and fauna of the area. Accessing areas of the park such as the wetlands that are off limits to the public without a guide can lead to degradation, erosion and can cause disturbance to the birds on feeding grounds or roosting sites.Disturbing these bird species that are breeding, feeding or roosting can lead to decreased survival rates particularly for species that are specialized.

The park is largely protected and please be respectful of the area to make sure it continues to serve its purpose. Great place to escape and explore, especially good for young kids who love getting out into nature. We went for a long walk and kids enjoyed it as well. Only 2  kilometres from our home definitely will be back to see more of it.