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23 Spray Farm Land - Raised Beach

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 for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location901776. Coast adjacent to the end of Spray Farm Lane, Bellarine, 3 km southwest of Point Richards.
Image: Sites of Significance Port Phillip Bay
Site 23, Spray Farm Road raised beach deposits
AccessSpray Farm Lane, off Geelong-Portarlington Road.
Ownership/Managing AuthorityCrown land (Port of Geelong Authority) below high water mark; private land above high water mark.

Site Description
Spray Farm Lane ends on a low promontory, formed at the point where the bluff that lies behind Point Richards reaches the coast. To the south of Spray Farm Lane the bluff swings inland behind an infilled embayment. Just west of the land, the terrace filling this embayment has an eroded edge, providing a clear section of the terrace material lying on buried shore platform cut in soft Moorabool Viaduct Sand. The terrace is comprised of a 30 cm thick bed of rounded gravel and broken shell, including well-rounded boulders of quartz and ironstone up to 10 cm long. This material is a beach deposit emplaced approximately 1 m above the level of present day beaches. Overlying this is a dark sand bed (possibly also a beach) and on top of this is a mixed deposit of sand, broken shell and soil. Part of this upper horizon is derived by active hill wash from the bluff. The terrace extends south and becomes swampy at the mouth of a small gully. It is then fringed by a sand beach and low sand ridges.

Significance
State. Of particular importance is the beach deposit stranded up to one metre above the level of presently forming beaches. It comprises an excellent example of a deposit which could be interpreted as being indicative of a slightly higher sea level in the mid or late Holocene. The morphology of the bluff and terrace materials therefore make an important interpretation site for the study of former sea levels in Port Phillip Bay.

Management Considerations
Class 1. The site should be retained without modification. There is no need for protective structures, as the best way of maintaining the exposure is to allow occasional marine erosion to keep the site clear. Filling, building, excavation, or reclamation of the terrace, or beach nourishment should be not permitted, as these would cover or extensively modify the significant features.

References
Ladd, P.G. (1971)

Image: Sites of Significance Port Phillip Bay
Site 23, Gravels and shells of raised beach deposit, Spray Farm Road
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