Description of the attraction
Not far from Melbourne is the Port Phillip Marine National Park, which occupies 35, 8 square meters. km. waters of the bay of the same name between the Bellarin and Mornington peninsulas. The park consists of six distinct clusters: Swan Creek, Mud Islands, Lonsdale and Nipin Capes, an artificial fortification at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay called the "Bishop's Eye", and a popular divers' deepening of the seabed Portsy Hole.
For a long time, the Port Phillip Bay area has been a popular holiday destination for residents of Melbourne and other nearby cities, which puts a certain anthropogenic pressure on vulnerable marine ecosystems. In addition, navigation is very developed in the bay, which also adversely affects the wildlife of these places. In 2002, the Port Phillip Marine National Park was created to protect the inhabitants of the waters of the bay, as well as for the rational use of recreational resources.
Among the ecosystems of the park, taken under state protection, there are vast underwater "meadows" covered with algae, rocky reefs located in the intertidal zone, sandy beaches and habitat of deep-sea marine animals. Here you can find various species of herons, waterfowl and seabirds, as well as Australian fur seals, bottlenose dolphins, a huge number of species of fish and marine invertebrates. There are several places of historical, archaeological and cultural value in the park.
Some areas of the park, such as Swan Bay and the Mud Islands, are also protected by the international Ramsar Convention as wetlands of particular importance for migratory birds.
The landscapes of the park are interesting. The aforementioned Portsy Hole seabed depression is part of the flooded valley of the Yarra River, which plummets to a depth of 32 meters, while the surrounding depth is barely 12 meters. This area is characterized by an abundance of fish and a variety of algae, sponges and corals. Portsy Hole is also popular with divers of all stripes, who regularly dive here.
5 km from the town of Portsay is the so-called "Eye of the Bishop" - the unfinished foundation of the fortification at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Construction began as early as the 1880s, dumping chunks of blue sandstone onto a sandbank until a horseshoe-shaped reef formed. However, construction soon ceased, as it turned out that the weapons in the fortresses on the nearby Swan Island and the forts of Queenscliff and Nipin were sufficient to protect the entrance to the bay and the shipping channels. Today, this artificial reef houses a navigational beacon. In addition, the reef is an important site for the Australian gannet, which nests on its rocks. Here, white-breasted cormorants settle down for the night and ordinary turnstones get their food.
The southern coast of Swan Bay attracts treasure hunters from all over the world: it is believed that in one of the coastal caves the treasures of the pirate Benito Bonito, nicknamed the "Blood Sword", are hidden. It is said that it was here that he hid the gold mined off the western coast of America before he was caught and hanged.
