An Ecological Powerhouse — The Bellarine Peninsula and the Geelong Coast

Why the Bellarine and the western shoreline of Port Phillip Bay matter — to Victoria, to Australia, and to the world.

A Region of Two Stories

There are two ways to describe the stretch of coast running from Melbourne's western suburbs, around the shoreline of Port Phillip Bay, and out along the Bellarine Peninsula to Queenscliff and Ocean Grove.

The first story is about growth. Greater Geelong alone has been adding around six thousand new residents a year. Families are arriving every week, drawn by housing that is still more affordable than Melbourne, a connecting rail line, and a lifestyle built around the water and the remarkable natural environment in which they now live.

The second story is about what is already here, and has been for tens of thousands of years: one of the most ecologically significant landscapes in Australia. Saltmarsh and seagrass meadows that rank among the most productive ecosystems on Earth. Migratory shorebirds that connect this coastline to Siberia, Alaska, Japan and China.

These two stories are now colliding.

The Existing Ramsar Site — and the Case for Extension

At the heart of this region sits the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar site — one of just sixty-six wetlands in Australia recognised under the international Ramsar Convention as a Wetland of International Importance.

It supports thirteen nationally and internationally listed threatened species — among them the Eastern Curlew, the Hooded Plover and the extraordinarily rare Orange-bellied Parrot.

Protection above and below the waterline

Just offshore, two marine national parks and six marine sanctuaries protect the reefs, kelp forests, and marine life beneath the surface — from Jawbone at Williamstown to Marengo Reefs near Apollo Bay.

Development vs Environment — what is happening?

The Karaaf Saltmarsh

The Karaaf saltmarsh stretches from North Torquay to Breamlea and then towards the Blackrock Wastewater Treatment Plant. It is currently receiving nearly half a gigalitre more stormwater each year than before surrounding development. The marsh is being slowly smothered by the runoff from the suburbs growing up around it.

We will be publishing a full article on the Karaaf Saltmarsh shortly.

The Anglesea River

The Anglesea River — long regarded as one of the most ecologically intact rivers in the region — is now in serious trouble. The draining of the Lower Eastern View Aquifer is considered the primary cause.

We will be publishing a full article on the Anglesea River shortly.

The marine sanctuaries and marine national parks face a different but equally serious pressure.

Recently 70 fisheries compliance officers were removed from Parks Victoria. Protection written into law means nothing if there is no one to enforce it.

The protection of this region's ecological values has been weakened at the advisory level.

The current Victorian Government abolished two independent oversight bodies: the Victorian Environment and Conservation Council and the Marine and Coastal Board.

And then there is the Ramsar story.

In 2019, an expert committee identified fifteen wetland areas that met the criteria for Ramsar listing. Earlier this year, the Victorian Government recommended just four. Five sites that independent scientists found qualified were declared not to qualify.

A landscape worth fighting for

This region's natural assets are still largely intact, still internationally significant, and still capable of thriving alongside a growing population — but only if that growth is managed with the environment genuinely at the table.

This is, by any reasonable measure, an ecological powerhouse. It is time it was treated like one.

Article 1 of the Amplifying Voices for Nature series.