Teachers and students are reminded that activities involving the collection or removal of any material, including animals, plants, shells, rocks, sand or seaweed, are not permitted within the Bunurong Marine National Park.
Activities along the coast, including the Dinosaur Discovery and Rockpool Rambles, must take place at low tide. Tide times are charted here for Inverloch or can be downloaded from Marine Science Australia. (The times for Point Lonsdale are close enough to Inverloch tide times.)
Thanks to an unusual set of environmental and geological conditions the range of marine life in the Bunurong Coast is diverse and unique. The area features extensive reefs and an unusually rich array of marine plants, including seaweeds and seagrass.
Within this area lies the Bunurong Marine National Park, stretching about 5 km from Cape Paterson to Eagle's Nest Beach and three nautical miles out to sea. Adjacent to the national park is the Bunurong Marine Park & Coastal Reserve, which stretches along the coast for about 17 km from Coal Point to Wreck Creek and 1 km out to sea from the high water mark.
This fragile environment is easily damaged by human activities such as urban development, pollution and intensive fishing. The Anderson's Inlet catchment area is also affected by farming practices and land clearance.
The coast from Cape Liptrap to Cape Paterson was first surveyed in 1841 by George Douglas Smythe and initially broken up for selection in the 1870s. Coastal development from Cape Paterson to Venus Bay quickly followed the establishment of the mining town of Wonthaggi in 1910.
In the last two decades coastal towns such as Inverloch have grown dramatically, as more tourists, holiday makers, retirees and families discover the Bass Coast region. This has put huge pressure on this environmentally sensitive area as well as increasing the demand on local services and infrastructure.
