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PP78. Balcombe Creek - Blind Estuary

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:264627. Lower reach of Balcombe Creek at Mt Martha.
Image: Sites of Significance Port Phillip Bay
Site 78. Balcombe Creek estuary

Access:		Mirang Ave off Watson Road.

Ownership/Managing Authority:

Crown land, Shire of Mornington (various reserves).

Site Description:
The lower reach of Balcombe Creek opens into a broad, shallow tidal lagoon fringed by sedge, reedswamp and swamp scrub. This lagoon is connected to Port Phillip Bay by a sandy channel, deflected and sometimes closed by beach and spit growth. When the entrance is open, the lagoon becomes a broad expanse of mudflat at low tide, drained by shallow channels.

Significance:
Regional. This is the only major estuary on the east coast of Melbourne to retain any significant geomorphological values. It is an example of an estuary that is frequently closed by spit growth, the typical situation of small estuaries on the Victorian coast. It illustrates the depositional environment of enclosed lagoons and the role of vegetation in developing estuarine shorelines.

Management Considerations:
Class 2. The site should not be dredged, filled or otherwise reclaimed. It should be maintained as a ‘working’ model of the estuarine depositional environment.


78. Tooradin - Arcuate Ridge
Site 78. Balcombe Creek estuary and lagoon

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