199. Forrest Bluff and Caves

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:	Woolamai – 528346. 2 km west of Woolamai Waters.	Site 199, Forrest Caves area
Access:	Churchill Road.
Ownership:	Crown land and private land.
Geology/Geomorphology:	Highly fractured basalt is overlain by weathered tuff which at Forrest Bluff forms steep and unstable earth cliffs 15 m high. The Shearwater Observatory is sited close to a cliff sector where the rate of cliff recession in these easily erodible materials appears to be relatively rapid. Forrest Caves are tunnels extending into the shore platform across a mass of fallen basalt and tuff blocks. 200 m to the east the tuffs are overlain in the cliff top by a 2 to 4 m thick bed of white sandy clay similar to beds below the dunes at Cat Bay. Jenkin (1974) regarded these as extensions of the Warneet Beds. At The Colonades in the south-east of the site are basalt columns 6 to 8 m high.
Significance:	Regional. Despite the steep and exposed nature of the south coast of Phillip Island sea caves are poorly developed. Forrest Caves therefore represent an accessible example of this landform. The earth cliffs near the Shearwater Observatory possibly represent some of the most rapidly eroding cliff sectors in the Westernport area.
Management:	Class 2. Restriction of vehicle movements and diversion of pedestrian traffic to better defined access ways are necessary to prevent degradation of the dunes and coastal bluffs.

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