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88. Pelican Point - Coastal Deposits

This information has been developed from one or more of these publications:

  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Westernport Bay Catchment (1984) by Neville Rosengren.
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Western Region of Melbourne (1986) by Neville Rosengren
  • Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance on the Coast of Port Phillip Bay (1988) by Neville Rosengren.
  • Sites of Environmental Significance in the Flood Plain of the Upper Yarra Valley Region (1983) by Neville Rosengren, Douglas Frood and Kim Lowe (as part of a study of Sites of Environmental Significance by the University of Melbourne for the then Upper Yarra Valley and Dandenong Ranges Authority).
Geological heritage sites, including sites of geomorphological interest and volcanic heritage sites, are under regular revision by the Geological Society of Australia, especially in the assessment of significance and values. Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage section of the Geological Society of Australia website (external link) for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:Tooradin – 590680 to 615680. Coastal area extending from 1 km south-east of Tooradin to Pelican Point.
Image: Sites of Significance Westernport Bay
Mangrove and salt marsh zones
at Pelican Point, Site 88
Access:No public road access is possible. The nearest public road is the South Gippsland Highway.
Ownership:Crown land and private land.
Geomorphology:The site contains sandy intertidal flats, chenier ridges, mangrove and salt marsh zones, backed by Holocene and Pleistocene sand ridges. The Holocene dunes are parallel and follow that trend of the coastline but the Pleistocene ridges are irregular. Between the dune ridges are swampy depressions. The intertidal zone has a sandy substrate and this accounts for the relatively narrow mangrove fringe compared with the wide saltmarsh zone, the reticulate pattern of tidal creeks, and the poor development of tidal creeks across the salt marsh. At the base of several of the tidal channels are outcrops of freshwater peat which are part of the swamp deposits underlying the Koo-Wee-Rup plain.
Significance:Regional. The area includes a tidal drainage pattern not widely represented in Westernport Bay. It also includes a vegetation sequence related to geomorphology, with Eucalyptus woodland and Melaleuca swamp on the sand ridges behind the salt marsh zone. The age of the various sand ridges needs more detailed study. This is one of the few coastal exposures of the freshwater peats.
Management:Class 1. Further drainage and clearing of any area in the site should be prohibited. Land reclamation projects, development of boat launching or other marine facilities should be prohibited.


Image: Sites of Significance Westernport Bay
Mangrove (A), salt marsh (B), cheniers (arrows),
brackish pools (C), Melaleuca swamp (D),
Holocene sand ridge (E), Cranbourne Sand ridge (F).
Pelican Point, Site 88
Image: Sites of Significance Westernport Bay
Tidal channel exposing freshwater peat of
the Koo-Wee-Rup Swamp, Site 88
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