Point Cook Coastal Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Point Cook Coastal Park Victoria
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
Point Cook Coastal Park Location in Victoria
Nearest town or city	Point Cook
Established	1978
Area	8.63 km2 (3.3 sq mi)
See also	Protected areas of Victoria

The Point Cook Coastal Park is a huge park that covers about 863 hectares (that's like 2,132 football fields!). It includes the amazing Cheetham Wetlands. The park stretches from the RAAF Williams Point Cook Air Base along the coast towards Laverton creek. It's about 20 kilometers southwest of Melbourne, right on Port Phillip Bay. Next to the park is the Point Cook Marine Sanctuary, which protects the ocean waters nearby.

About the Park

The Point Cook Coastal Park was created in 1978 and first opened to the public in 1982. Over the years, different groups managed the park, and now Parks Victoria looks after it. This park is a special piece of land set aside for public use and conservation.

The park is a great place for fun activities like picnicking, bushwalking, bird watching, and swimming. It also has important areas for conservation, like Spectacle Lake and the Ramsar-listed wetlands. These wetlands are recognized internationally for their importance. The park also has interesting historical and cultural sites. You'll find shelters, barbecue areas, walking trails, and an information center for visitors.

The plants in the park have changed a lot over time because the land was used for farming before it became a park. Parts of the Cheetham Wetlands were even used to make salt starting in the 1920s. Now, the park has many different types of plants, depending on the land's shape and natural features.

Amazing Wildlife

Land Animals and Plants

The Point Cook Coastal Park and Cheetham Wetlands are home to seven different types of plant communities. These include grassy wetlands, coastal woodlands, and saltmarshes.

The wetlands and eastern part of the park are part of a bigger area called the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar site. Ramsar sites are super important worldwide because they protect threatened species or migratory shorebirds and water-birds. They also protect rare wetlands. These areas provide valuable homes for many rare or threatened plants and animals. The park supports 22 threatened plant species in Victoria. Two of these are endangered, four are vulnerable, and 12 are considered rare.

Many animal species also live here. A total of 29 animal species found in the park are protected under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. This includes seven critically endangered species and 28 vulnerable ones. The park is also a vital stop for migratory birds. Under agreements with China and Japan, the park provides habitat for 40 and 36 listed migratory bird species, respectively. Plus, 49 more species are listed under the Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. Tens of thousands of shorebirds use the wetlands throughout the year.

Here are some of the threatened bird species that use the park:

• Endangered:

* Australian bustard (Ardeotis australis) * Orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) * Little tern (Sterna albifrons)

• Vulnerable:

* Fairy tern (Sterna nereis) * Plains-wanderer (Pedionomous torquatus) * Hooded plover (Charadrius rubricolis)

• Rare:

* Blue-billed duck (Oxyura australis) * Cape Barren goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) * Freckled duck (Stictonetta naevosa) * Grey goshawk (Accipiter novaehollandiae) * Little bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) * Brolga (Grus rubicundus) * Eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis) * White-bellied sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) * Black falcon (Falco subniger) * Ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus)

Rare reptiles like the swamp skink (Egernia conventryi) and the vulnerable striped legless lizard (Delma impar) might also live in the park.

Marine Life

The Point Cook Marine Sanctuary covers 290 hectares and protects 3.9 kilometers of coastline next to the park. This sanctuary has many different underwater homes, like rocky reefs, sandy beaches, and seagrass beds. These areas are full of life, including sea stars, anemones, crustaceans, sharks, shellfish, and many types of fish. The sandbanks in the sanctuary are especially important because they provide a home for about 50 species of shorebirds, some of which are threatened.

Threatened fish species that might live in the sanctuary include:

• Yarra pigmy perch (Edelia obscura)
• Australian grayling (Prototroctes maraena)
• Spotted galaxias (Galaxias truttaceus)

History and Culture

The Point Cook Coastal Park is very important to the Boon wurrung people, who are the original Indigenous inhabitants of this land. There are many significant sites throughout the park, including places where stone tools were made and shell middens (ancient piles of shells). Most of these important sites are near the coastline or the Point Cook homestead. The Boon wurrung people are involved in protecting these areas today. The Point Cook Homestead itself is also historically important and was built in 1857.

Threats to the Park

Introduced Species

Introduced species are one of the biggest problems for the park. These are plants and animals that don't naturally belong here. Pest plants (weeds) and animals can harm the natural ecosystems. They compete with native species for food, homes, and breeding spots. Weeds like serrated tussock and African boxthorn can change the types of plants that grow in the park.

Pest animals like rats, rabbits, and mice eat native plants and cause damage to the land, leading to Erosion. Feral and domestic cats, dogs, and foxes hunt native wildlife, especially shorebirds. In the marine sanctuary, invasive species like the sabellid fan worm and the northern Pacific sea star are spreading and outcompeting native marine life.

Erosion

Erosion is when soil and sand are worn away, especially from coastal dunes and saltmarshes. This happens mainly because of wind and waves. It gets worse if there aren't enough plants to hold the soil, or if too many people walk in sensitive areas.

Water and Pollution

The Cheetham Wetlands need water pumped from Skeleton Creek to stay healthy and full of different plants and animals. Pollution from sewage, storm-water runoff (which can carry heavy metals, oils, and litter), and runoff after heavy rain (with chemicals and nutrients) can harm the park's biodiversity. Too many nutrients can cause harmful algae blooms. Litter, especially plastics, is also a big problem because it can hurt or kill wildlife that eat it or get trapped in it.

Public Access

Sometimes, visitors can accidentally harm the park's plants and animals. If people go into areas that are off-limits, like certain parts of the wetlands, they can damage the soil, cause erosion, introduce new species, or disturb birds that are feeding or resting. This can be especially harmful to rare or specialized bird species. Vehicles driving in sensitive areas have also caused damage in the past.

Protecting the Park

Parks Victoria manages the Point Cook Coastal Park. Their job is to balance public recreation with protecting the environment and the park's history. They have divided the park into seven zones, each with its own goals. They use a plan called "Linking People and Spaces" to make sure people can enjoy the park while also keeping it healthy for the future.

The park also aims to teach visitors and local residents how important the park's natural and cultural values are. This helps everyone respect and protect the area.

A big part of protecting the park is controlling introduced plant and animal species. Parks Victoria also watches important species and creates special plans to help threatened ones. Mapping the quality of different habitats helps them make sure high-quality natural areas continue to thrive. They also work with local residents and the Wyndham City Council to make sure pets don't enter the park and harm native wildlife.

Keeping the water flowing into the Cheetham Wetlands is super important for its health. So, plans are in place to improve the pumping system from Skeleton Creek. Parks Victoria is also working with the Wyndham City Council to make sure new buildings near the park don't harm the environment.

Because the eastern part of the park is included in the Port Phillip Bay and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site, it gets extra protection as an internationally important wetland. This means there are goals to protect and improve the ecosystems and habitats, and to stop things like erosion from harming the wetlands. Monitoring and limiting damaging activities are key to keeping the park's amazing biodiversity and providing safe homes for threatened species, especially migratory birds like the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot.