5. Winchesters Bluff ("Tallandbar")

This information has been developed from the publication:

Sites of Geological and Geomorphological Significance in the South Gippsland Marine and Coastal Parks (1989) 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. Reference should be made to the most recent reports. See the Earth Science Heritage (external link) section of the Geological Society of Australia website for details of geological heritage reports, and a bibliography.

Location	277034 Bluff and cliff on the eastern shore of Shallow Inlet five hundred metres of the Caravan Park.	Cemented gravel blocks at base of bluff, "Winchesters"
Access:	Walk from Caravan Park.
Significant Features:	At the base of the high bluff are boulders and large blocks of a massive, cemented conglomerate comprised of large rounded quartz gravels and occasional reef quartz crystals enclosed in a firm siliceous cement. Many of the larger gravels clasts are angular and have been little modified by weathering or transport. Pebbles weathered from the boulders form a gravel beach around the bluff and gravels have drifted down the inlet. In places where the gravels have been re-cemented. The gravels are Haunted Hill Formation and overlie Palaeozoic sediments that outcrop in the bluff. Firm grey muds form a lagoonal terrace at the base of the bluff.
Significance Level:	Regional. The site is an unusual facies in the Haunted Hills Formation. No equivalent outcrops occur in the Shallow Inlet park.
Management Issues:	The outcrops and boulders should be left in situ and allowed to break down and contribute to beach gravels. No material (either boulders or gravel) should be removed from the site e.g. to provide paving for boat ramps.
Research & Monitoring Requirements:	The origin of the various quartz materials that comprise the gravels has not been determined. Detailed mapping of the Pliocene and Palaeozoic rocks at the site is required to determine origin and relationship of the strata.
Public Interpretation Possibilities:	The site should be included on descriptive/interpretative publications.
Main References:	Smith, A. S. (1969). 'The geomorphology of Shallow Inlet, Victoria.' B.Sc. (Hons) Thesis. Dept. of Geography. Univ. of Melb.

Shallow Inlet (south and north)

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