Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site facts for kids

The Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site is a very important wetland area in Australia. It is recognized internationally under something called the Ramsar Convention. This means it's a special place for nature, especially for waterbirds. The site was officially named on 15 December 1982. It is known as Ramsar Site No. 266.

Many parts of this site are also called "Important Bird Areas" by an organization called BirdLife International. This is because they are super important for different kinds of wetlands and waterbirds. They are also vital for the orange-bellied parrot, which is a very rare bird.

The Ramsar site is made up of six separate areas. These areas are mostly along the coast of Port Phillip and on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria. Together, they cover a huge area of 229 square kilometers. The protected wetlands here include shallow ocean waters, estuaries (where rivers meet the sea), freshwater lakes, and seasonal swamps. You can also find intertidal mudflats (muddy areas covered by tides) and seagrass beds.

What Makes Up the Ramsar Site?

The Port Phillip Bay Ramsar site includes several different important places:

• Part of Point Cook, including the coastline from Skeleton Creek to the Point Cook Coastal Park.
• A large part of the Western Treatment Plant, plus the nearby Spit Nature Conservation Reserve and Avalon Airfield.
• A coastal strip on the north side of Corio Bay. This includes Point Wilson, Point Lillias, and Limeburners Bay.
• Swan Bay, which is at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula.
• The Mud Islands in western Port Phillip.
• The Lake Connewarre wetland area. This includes Lake Connewarre, Reedy Lake, Murtnaghurt Lagoon, and the Barwon River estuary. These are all in the south-western Bellarine Peninsula.

Environment and Wildlife

The Ramsar site is a home for many different plants and animals. It's a key spot for biodiversity in Victoria.

Plants of the Ramsar Site

The various parts of the Ramsar site are home to 579 types of non-marine plants. About 40% of these (247 species) are not native to Australia. The site protects three plant species that are threatened across Australia. It also protects 22 species that are threatened in Victoria. One of the nationally threatened plants is the spiny rice-flower (Pimelea spinescens). This rare plant has been found at the Western Treatment Plant.

Animals and Birds of the Ramsar Site

This site is especially important for waterbirds. It was chosen as a Ramsar site mainly because it is a vital habitat for these birds. It's internationally important for 14 different species of waders. These are birds that feed in shallow water or mud. The site supports at least 1% of the total population of these birds along the East Asian – Australasian Flyway. This flyway is like a superhighway for birds migrating across Asia and Australia.

The 14 wader species include:

• Double-banded plover
• Red-kneed dotterel
• Grey plover
• Pacific golden plover
• Banded stilt
• Red-necked avocet
• Pied oystercatcher
• Curlew sandpiper
• Red-necked stint
• Sharp-tailed sandpiper
• Eastern curlew
• Ruddy turnstone
• Common greenshank
• Marsh sandpiper

All the main parts of the Ramsar site support threatened animals. This includes all the most important places where the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot spends its winters. This parrot is one of the rarest birds in the world.