Port Phillip Bay

Port Phillip Bay is the main body of water south of the city of Melbourne.

Covering 1,950 square kilometres, Port Phillip is the entrance to Australia's busiest port and is one of Victoria's most popular recreational destinations. Although Port Phillip is commonly referred to as 'the Bay' or 'Port Phillip Bay', Port Phillip is actually not a bay at all. It's a local port area that is actually made up of over 16 bays.

The first British to enter Port Phillip Bay were HMS Lady Nelson, commanded by John Murray and HMS Investigator commanded by Matthew Flinders, in 1802. The first settlement in Port Phillip Bay was near Sorrento, 1802-1804

The Port Phillip Bay heads (entrance) is just 245 metres wide, leaving 60 metres on either side of ships entering and leaving the bay. Nearly half of Port Phillip is less than 8 metres deep. Its greatest depth is 24 metres.

Every year millions of people enjoy its coastline, beaches and coastal parks. Other pastimes include boating (shipwrecks and marine reserves), scuba diving and fishing.

A recreational boating guide for Port Philip is available. You can download the Port Phillip Recreational Boating Guide map or call 13 1963 (parkweb.vic.gov.au) to ask for a free copy.

Popular things to do

Piers and jetties - The piers and jetties of Port Phillip are popular destinations for a range of recreational activities including short walks, sightseeing,..

Marine national parks and sanctuaries - Port Phillip's marine national parks and sanctuaries are magnificent places for exploring marine life, snorkelling, scuba diving, swimming, low speed..

Fishing - With a surface area more than 35 times the size of Sydney Harbour, there's endless scope for fishing adventures in..

South Channel Fort - The South Channel Fort is a reminder of Port Phillip Bay's early history as part of the defence lines for..

The Rip - The Rip offers spectacular wall diving and challenging drift dives. You'll see amazing colour and diversity in the marine creatures...

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Port of Melbourne

Port of Melbourne Web Cams

Port of Melbourne Corporation ('PoMC') manages Australia's best connected port.

The Port of Melbourne is the largest container and general cargo port in Australasia and one of the top four container ports in the southern hemisphere.

The establishment of a port in Melbourne extends back almost 180 years to the arrival of John Pascoe Fawkner aboard the Enterprize in 1835.

From its early development the port has grown with the city and now handles over 2.5 million containers annually with around 3050 ship visits each year.

Content: wikipedia, Parks Victoria, portofmelbourne