National Parks and Reserves

Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary is located in the north east corner of Port Phillip Bay, a mere 30 minute drive from Melbourne. The park protects 290 hectare of a typical Port Phillip western shoreline which makes it the largest park in Victoria’s system of marine national parks and sanctuaries.

The park is largely protected from the hype of the suburbs by the coastal dunes and adjacent wetlands of the Point Cook Coastal Park and Cheetham Wetlands. Off the coast a series of basalt cliffs rise from the muddy seafloor, the remains of a larval flow that poured across the plains thousands of years ago.

A combination of narrow sandy beaches, rocky reefs and mud flats, this park hosts a huge diversity of marine and coastal life. Pods of bottlenose dolphins visit the sanctuary and in summer, swarms of jellyfish pulsate over the reef.

Conditions can change in parks for many reasons. For the latest information on changes to local conditions, please visit the relevant park page on the Parks Victoria website.

Be bushfire ready in the great outdoors. Refer to the Bushfire Safety section on the Parks Victoria website for tips on how to stay safe.