14.4 Princetown - Relict Spits

This information has been developed from the publications:

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 Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the Shire of Otway (1984) by Neville Rosengren.

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 (external site) section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location:	14-875154. Two hundred metres west of the sports ground at Princetown.	The large, gently ridged sand body at Princetown is probably a relict flood tide shoal with a series of recurving spits developed at a time of greater tidal inflow into the Gellibrand estuary.
Access:	From Princetown recreation reserve.
Ownership:	Private land.
Geomorphology:	Small elongate depressions and ridges with relief of less than 1 metre are probably relict spits in the infilled estuary of the Gellibrand River. The spits curve gently upstream reflecting the influence of flood tide currents and westerly wind direction across the inlet.
Significance:	State. These are small but distinct landforms that indicate a stage in the development of the river mouth when sea levels were slightly higher or the river entrance was broader and more strongly tidally influenced than now.

Site 14.1 to 14.4

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