Call of the bay
Mark Hawthorne finds a plethora of diversions, from
boating to bathing to biking.
The harbour has always been Sydney’s playground, a stretch of
water that lies at the very heart of the Emerald City’s cultural
identity.
By contrast, Melburnians are somewhat more blase about Port
Phillip Bay even though, at 1950 square kilometres, it’s 35 times
the size of Sydney’s famous waterway, has 260 kilometres of
coastline, and is Australia’s busiest container port.
Even the threat of channel deepening, and the arrival this month
of the dredges, has stirred up the emotions of relatively few
concerned protesters.
But the bay remains one of the state’s most popular recreational
places. Little wonder - almost 3 1/2 million people live around its
edge.
With most kids back at school, and summer to swelter on for some
weeks yet, the bay offers some welcome relief from the daily
grind.
Swimming
Tim Flannery tells a great story about his childhood in
Melbourne. The environmental crusader recalls swimming at Beaumaris
with his cousin in the 1960s and finding his first fossils.
“We could just swim out a bit into this world of fossils. There
were shark’s teeth and a whale jawbone.” The discoveries set him
out on his scientific journey.
Swimming in the bay remains popular three decades on.
The main swimming beaches are Port Melbourne, South Melbourne,
Middle Park, St Kilda, Elwood, Hampton, Brighton, Sandringham, and
Williamstown - these are patrolled by lifesavers on weekends and
public holidays from November to March.
Brighton Beach is famous for its beach boxes, but Half Moon Bay
Beach is one of the more stunning, and feels a world away from the
city. The views of Red Bluff and White Cliffs have inspired many
artists, and the bay is home to the remains of HMVS Cerberus.
There is a good guide to Melbourne’s beaches at www.bayside.vic.gov.au.
Snorkelling and diving
Around Half Moon Bay and Black Rock Beach, there are safe places
to snorkel, especially when the bay is calm and the tide is
out.
Nearly half the bay is less than eight metres deep, and its
deepest point is just 24 metres. That makes the region magnificent
for diving, especially around The Rip, where there are several
shipwrecks to explore.
Popes Eye, the bluestone foundations of an unfinished fortress
guarding the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, and Portsea Hole, a
depression within the bed of the ancient Yarra River, are the most
popular dives in Victoria.
Both are renowned for their vast array of marine life, such as
manta rays. The bay is one of the few places in the world where it
is possible to dive with seahorses.
Wrecks of the Eliza Ramsden, near Point Nepean, and the William
Salthouse, near Popes Eye, can be dived - although divers are asked
to treat the fragile remains of the William Salthouse with great
care.
Bayplay at Portsea has a range of adventures. Snorkel trips
start from $65 and full-day dive adventures cost $165. You can even
skydive over the bay for the most spectacular view. See
bayplay.com.au.
If you require a PADI diving certificate, there are many
world-class schools in Melbourne.
Bayplay will do a four-day PADI Open Water course for $560.
Melbourne Diving School (www.melbournediving.com.au)
offers the course for $630. Aquatic Adventures (www.aquaticadventures.com.au)
does the Open Water course for $599, or a course that includes the
Advanced Open Water Diver certificate for $990.
Nature
The sheer size of the bay offers an incredible diversity of
habitat, from colourful coral reefs to inspiring wetlands.
The popular diving spots at Popes Eye and Portsea Hole are part
of Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. It covers 3580
hectares, and snorkelling and scuba diving are allowed.
The wetlands around Point Cook are home to the world-renowned
Cheetham Wetlands and more than 200 species of birds.
Each years tens of thousands of migratory birds descend on the
wetlands. Some come from as far away as Japan, Siberia and New
Zealand. A tower complex has been built to provide a viewing point
within Point Cook Coastal Park, and also provides some insights
into the indigenous history of the region. See www.parkweb.vic.gov.au.
Fishing
It’s the world’s most popular pastime, and fishing the bay has
long been an integral part of Melbourne’s history.
Fishing in the bay is permitted from the piers at Port
Melbourne, Middle Park, St Kilda, Brighton and Sandringham.
Much has changed, especially around Mordialloc Creek.
Once the working-class end of the the bay, property prices have
boomed, but Mordy is still the place to go if you want to rent a
fishing boat.
Local landmark Pompei’s is out of the market, since more than 20
boats were vandalised over the Christmas break.
Two companies still operate, but locals warn getting out of
Mordialloc Creek can be tricky at low tide.
Blue Line Boats (9580 2902) has an extensive fleet of boats
available for hire, and is perfect for first-timers or those who
just want to potter about for a couple of hours. It’s also popular
with school groups.
Keen fishermen tend to use Allnutt Boat Hire at 1 Bowman Street,
a third-generation family business run by Colin Allnutt that has
operated for more than 75 years. The cute wooden boats are strictly
for fishing only, and start at $22 an hour midweek and $24 an hour
on weekends.
Allnutt provides Victorian fishing licences, ready-to-use
fishing lines, tackle, bait and free advice. It operates from
sunrise to sunset, weather permitting. You can find Allnutt Boat
Hire at tinyurl.com/23mcvd.
At Beaumaris, Keefers Boat Hire has also been operating for
decades.
Those wanting a slightly larger boat can contact Melbourne
Fishing Charters, which operates fishing trips from Melbourne three
times daily. Phone 9882 2061.
St Kilda Fishing Charters offers fishing trips for groups of up
to 30 people with barbecue meals, and operates from St Kilda
Marina. Phone 9776 2200.
Bike riding
Weekend visitors to Melbourne’s bayside suburbs will have noted
the local penchant for middle-aged men to don tight-fitting lycra
and pedal together en masse from latte stop to latte stop.
The need to do this on the main road not only leads to colourful
pelotons but means the purpose-built bike path along the bay lies
virtually unused, even on weekends. Perfect for families to ride
safely and slowly and take in the views.
The path begins near Brighton, and is easily accessed from
Brighton Beach railway station. It then snakes for 27 kilometres
all the way past Beaumaris to Carrum.
A much easier prospect is the urban trail from Timeball Tower,
Point Gellibrand in Williamstown to Bay Street, Brighton. At 18
kilometres, and fairly flat, the path follows the shores of Port
Phillip Bay.
Highlights include Gem Pier, where HMAS Castlemaine is open to
the public.
A small punt carries walkers and cyclists across the Yarra under
the West Gate Bridge (it runs weekends and public holidays,
10am-4pm). The trail continues through Port Melbourne, Albert Park
and St Kilda.
Eating
An eating guide to the bay would fill a book, but there’s no
better way to enjoy the waterfront than with fresh fish and
chips.
One of the best in town is 212 Half Moon, at Black Rock.
A Melbourne institution is Clamms Fast Fish, at 141 Acland
Street, St Kilda.
London-based Australian sommelier Matt Skinner, who is head of
wine for Jamie Oliver’s 15 restaurant group, visits Sandy’s Fish
and Chips in Sandringham when he comes home.
Closer to town is Rex Hunt’s D’lish Fish at Beacon Cove, 105
Beach Street, Port Melbourne. Also recommended is Clarendon Fish
and Chippers at 293 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne.
Right in the heart of town, at 25 Newquay Promenade at
Docklands, is Fish Bar - although the fish comes in a box, rather
than white paper.
Sailing
Landlubbers keen to kick their terrestrial habits can do a
learn-to-sail course at Williamstown with the Royal Yacht Club of
Victoria.
Eight hours of sailing practice and theory are spread over two
days under the tutelage of the Sailing Academy’s Paul Bartley. The
introductory course costs $265. For the RYCV, see
rycv.yachting.org.au.
More learn-to-sail courses are available at Brighton,
Sandringham, St Kilda, Footscray, South Melbourne, Westernport,
Frankston and Docklands. There are plenty of others, with some
offering training on catamarans and others giving a keelboat
introduction.
Smaller in scale, the Elwood Sailing Club Training Centre runs
dinghy sailing classes throughout the year, as well as windsurfing
lessons. Sailing lessons are available for adults and children aged
10 years and above. The nine-week course costs $200 for three
hours’ sailing a week, and the club provides boats and life
jackets. See elwoodsc.com.
The Yachting Victoria website is the best place to start looking
for the nearest club. See vic.yachting.org.au and tinyurl.com/2qnqjj.
Dolphins
The Muir family has been bringing people and dolphins together
in Port Phillip Bay for more than 20 years. Polperro Dolphin Swims
(www.polperro.com.au) runs
two trips a day for up to 25 passengers from October to April.
Swimmers don wetsuits, masks and snorkels and hang off ropes as
the Polperro gently cruises the bay. A close encounter is at the
discretion of the wild bottlenose dolphins but the obliging
creatures rarely disappoint.
There’s often some time with Australian fur seals as well.
The four-hour adventure costs $110 a swimmer, $50 for an adult
observer and $30 for a child observer.
Other operators handling dolphin swims include Sea All at
Queenscliff (see www.dolphinswims.com.au) and
Moonraker at Sorrento (www.moonrakercharters.com.au)
If you would like to help, you can become a dolphin spotter for
the Dolphin Research Institute (www.dolphinresearch.org.au).
Spotters help the Community Dolphin Watch program around Port
Phillip Bay, Westernport and the Gippsland Lakes by helping to
track dolphin movements.
Posted
on
Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 at 12:04 am under