Welcome to the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, a marine protected area located in the vicinity of the bay of Port Phillip, between the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas, in Victoria, Australia.
The marine national park is assigned the IUCN's Category II of the United Nations’ List of National Parks and Protected Areas, showing that the park is managed by Parks Victoria primarily for ecosystem protection and recreation.
The six separate sites in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park were created on 16 November 2002, expanding and giving stronger protection to areas previously collectively termed the Harold Holt Marine Reserve system. The park stretches along the coastline of Victoria for approximately 40 km, covering an area of 3,580 hectares (8,800 acres) that is located about 60 km (37 mi) southwest of Melbourne. The closest towns to the areas include St Leonards, Queenscliff, Portsea and Point Lonsdale.
The marine national park includes seagrass meadows, kelp forests, intertidal and subtidal rocky reefs, sandy beaches, and deeper marine environments, providing protection to a wide range of native animals. The park is home to many species of waders, waterbirds, and seabirds, including Australian fur seals, Burrunan dolphins, fish, and a variety of marine invertebrates. The park also protects areas and items of historic, archaeological, and cultural significance.
The Ramsar Convention lists Swan Bay and Mud Islands as parts of the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site as wetlands of international importance. Therefore, additional and overlapping protection is given to some areas of the marine national park under the convention.
The Port Phillip Heads Marine National