THE BALNARRING COASTLINE - PICTORIAL HISTORY - 1873 to 2017

THE BALNARRING COASTLINE - PICTORIAL HISTORY - 1873 to 2017

I have published this free, comprehensive on-line, research project which describes in words and pictures the history, geomorphology, heritage and evolution of the Balnarring Coastline, extending from Somers to Point Leo and nearby areas, centred on Balnarring Township, 80 km south of Melbourne, located on Westernport Bay.

The Project includes many public-domain out-of-copyright images, drawings, maps, engravings and photographs, dating back to the 1870s, supplemented with recent photos and videos taken by the author.

It's at 

Balnarring Coastline Pictorial History

Point Leo to Shoreham coastal hike - Westernport Bay

These pix were taken on February 14, 2012.

They show the coastal environment on a 4 km (return) beach hike from Point Leo to Honeysuckle Point at low tide.

Plenty of action from school groups learning to surf!

Pt Leo is 80 km south of Melbourne, on Westernport Bay.

See all of the Photos of my visit, and check out my YouTube video!

Exploring Crunchie Point - Point Leo, Westernport Coast

These pictures were taken on April 17 2011 at Crunchie Point, on the Westernport Coast, 80 km south of Melbourne.

This location is within the Point Leo precinct.

The tide was low, exposing marvellous rock pools.

The views across the Bay towards Phillip Island were excellent.

My visit was a 3 km hike from the Point Leo Boating Club, then on to Crunchie Point, out to the the rockpools, up the stairway to the main walking track, past the camping ground, and back to the car.

See all of the Photos

Point Leo beach-hike, Westernport Bay

The Point Leo beach is on Westernport Bay, 70 km south of Melbourne.

I visited this beautiful coastline on Wednesday afternoon September 8, 2010.

My 3 km beach-hike took me past the Angling Club, around the Point, out to the reefs (low tide!), then up to the cliff top, and along the cliff-top walk, passing the Lookouts.

An interesting lagoon was discovered just off the cliff-top.

The views were glorious, with coastal panoramas across the Bay and along the coast and surf-beach.

It was a warmish day, about 18 degrees!

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Crunchie Point, Pt Leo Coast

Crunchie Point is in the Point Leo settlement, about 80 km south of Melbourne, on Westernport Bay.

My visit was on Tuesday aftrernoon February 2, 2010.

From the car park above East Beach, I followed the cliff top trail, then down the staircase to the east beach, past the Boat Club, then on to Crunchie Point and the West Beach.

A group of young Surf School students provided interesting action!

My return was up the western staircase, then back through the camping ground to the car, about 3 km in all.

This was on a very hot day, 35 degrees!

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Exploring the Point Leo Reefs - Westernport Bay

On Wednesday December 30, 2009, an extremely hot day - 36 degrees - I went down to Point Leo, on the Westernport Coast, 70 km south of Melbourne.

I think that everyone in Melbourne had the same idea - I estimated that there were at least 6,000 thronging the beach!

From the car park on Western Parade, I followed the main walking track along the top of the cliffs, then descended to the beach near the Pt Leo Boat Club and jetty.

From there, I walked along the beach past Bobbanaring Point, then out to the southernmost part of the vast exposed reef.

The tide was very low!

Many visitors were exploring the reef and rockpools - lots small boats were in action nearby - thousands of people were frolicking in the surf.

This beachwalk was about 5 km in total.

The Photos show the variety of activities, several candid-camera shots, and the many small brightly colored temporary igloo-type tents which had sprung up along the beach!

Point Leo Coast - East Creek - Westernport Bay

On September 11, 2009, a very windy day, I visited Point Leo, Westernport Bay, 65 km south of Melbourne.

My 4 km (return) hike started at the Pt Leo Public Park, adjacent to the Boat Club, then east along the Foreshore Reserve, past Gus' Lookout, crossing the East Creek Estuary, to a turnabout point about 2 km from the start.

East Creek originates several km to the north, near the town of Red Hill.

See all of the Photos of my visit!

Point Leo Coastal Hike to the Reef, Westernport

Point Leo is a small settlement on Westernport Bay, about 70 km south of Melbourne.

It has an excellent surf beach, and extensive reefs are exposed at low tide.

I visited Pt Leo on Wednesday afternoon May 20, 2009, doing a 4 km (return) beachwalk from the car-park west to the big reef.

There was a very low tide, exposing the reefs, but not much surf!

See the full set of Photos

Point Leo to Merricks Coastal Walk

Point Leo is a small settlement on Westernport Bay, about 70 km south of Melbourne.

It has excellent beaches, and extensive reefs are exposed at low tide.

I visited Pt Leo on Monday February 9, 2009, doing a 6 km (return) beachwalk from the car-park to Merricks Beach.

The tide was out, and the vast reefs were exposed.

The views were spectacular, north to Sandy Point, and east to Phillip Island.

Many seabirds were nearby, looking for fishes!

See the full set of Photos of my visit!

Coastal Walk at Point Leo, Westernport Bay

I visited the Point Leo Coastal Reserve on Westernport Bay on March 18, 2009.

Pt Leo is about 70 km SE of Melbourne, and offers surfing, safe swimming, boating, fishing, water birds, glorious coastal views, a camping ground, general store, walking tracks, and rock-pool exploring.

At low tide, vast reefs are exposed, where many exciting and interesting sea creatures may be observed.

There are excellent views of the coastline from the lookout at Crunchie's Point, just above the Boat Club. On this occasion, Phillip Island and the Nobbies/Seal Rocks were clearly visible across Westernport Bay 11 km to the east. The West Head at Flinders, was also prominent to the south-west.

My visit included a 4 km return beachwalk north-east towards Merricks Beach.

See the full set of Photos of my visit!

Point Leo Coastal Walk

Point Leo is a small settlement on Westernport Bay, about 70 km south of Melbourne. It has an excellent surf beach, and extensive reefs are exposed at low tide.

I visited Pt Leo on Monday February 9, 2009, doing a 5 km (return) beachwalk from the car-park.

As it was a weekday, and temperature was down to about 19 degrees, there wasn't much activity there, apart from a school group trying out their cricketing skills on the beach!

I passed an echidna, a resident of the nearby bushland, on the access track to the beach on the sand dunes!

See the full set of Photos!

Beachwalk - Shoreham to Point Leo

Shoreham is a peaceful coastal settlement about 100 km south of Melbourne, on Westernport Bay.

On January 30,2009, I visited Shoreham, at low tide, and undertook a 4 km (return) Beachwalk to Pt Leo.

This was during a ferocious heatwave, with the shade temperature reaching 45 degrees - the temperature on the beach was a more comfortable 33 degrees!

See the complete set of Photos of my trip!