Port Phillip

From CruisersWiki

Port Phillip, often known as Port Philip Bay, incorporates Corio Bay to the west and joins Bass Strait with Victoria's capital city Melbourne and Victoria's largest regional city Geelong. The bay is large, covering approximately 1,930 km² (745 mi²) with a shoreline of approximately 264 km (164 mi) with a single opening to the sea in the south known as "The Heads".

Although the bay is relatively shallow, it is mostly navigable but care is required in the southern area which has two navigable channels: the West Channel usually used by recreational vessels and has a depth of around 4m; and the South Channel that is used by all commercial traffic and has a depth of around 12m. The bay has Yacht Clubs and Marinas dotted around the shoreline.

The Yarra River flows into the northern end of the bay and is the site of both the city of Melbourne and the Port of Melbourne, which is Australia's busiest commercial port. To service this port, Port Phillip Heads and the mouth of the Yarra River were dredged to allow deeper drafted vessels to enter the bay. This work was started in 2004 and finished in late 2009 and has been the source of great controversy by environmental groups.

Charts

Australian Hydrographic Service

AUS 158 Entrance to Port Phillip

AUS 143 Port Phillip - The Rip

AUS 154 Port Melbourne

Weather

The prevailing wind for the West and Central Victorian Coast is South West all year round, but during summer Northerlies and North Westerlies are common, and during Autumn (Fall) Easterlies can prevail for periods. Weather patterns always flow west to east, with low and high pressure systems developing in the Southern and Indian Oceans and travelling across the Great Australian Bight, across Victoria and on through the Tasman Sea, drifting south east to New Zealand.

• Port Philip forecast
• Bass Strait Approaches

Passages

See Victoria.

Islands

See Melbourne.

Communication

See Melbourne

Navigation

The approaches to Port Phillip Bay at "The Heads" whether from the East, South or West, are free from hazards. However, the heads themselves must be approached with extreme care. Due to the larges body of water and the relatively small opening, the area in the middle of the heads, known as The Rip, has tidal streams that can run in excess of 6 knots and large breaking seas can be encountered in wind against tide situations.

The recommended timing of entry through the heads is at 'slack water', which occurs 3 hours after high or low water at Port Philip Heads and the ideal is 3 hours after low water as this allows the trip up the bay on a rising tide with a favourable tidal stream. This information can be found from the Victorian Tide Tables or from the Bureau of Meteorology web site.

When approaching the heads, Point Lonsdale Lighthouse can be seen on the western side, which has a characteristic of a group flash 2 every 15 seconds. At night, the light also displays a single red light to show the first half of an ebbing tide, two red lights to show the second half of an ebbing tide, a single green light to indicate the first half of a flooding tide and two green lights to indicate the second half of a flooding tide. If in any doubt at all call "Lonsdale VTS" (Vessel Traffic Service) on VHF channel 12 or 16 and they will tell you the state of the tide and also conditions at the heads. As a courtesy, it is a good idea to call Lonsdale VTS anyway and ask if there is any commercial traffic. Vessels over 35 metres require a pilot.

There are 4 recognised channels into the heads, east, central, west and four fingers west. These channels are detailed on the Australian chart AUS 158 "Entrance to Port Phillip" and are aligned with 4 lighthouses on Shortland Bluff inside the heads, a high light and 3 low lights, east central and west. The recommended channels for recreational vessels are the west channel or four fingers west, these channels keep you away from commercial traffic that uses the central channel.

Hazards at the heads include Lonsdale reef on the western side and corsair rock on the eastern side. Neither of these hazards come into play if you are aligned with any of the recognised channels.

Contact Customs and Quarantine for information on anchorage/berthing.

Berthing

• Melbourne Melbourne /wiki/Melbourne |  – port of entry ||  – harbour ||  – marina |
• Geelong Geelong /wiki/Geelong |  – port of entry ||  – harbour ||  – marina |

Marinas & Yacht Clubs

Anchorages

Port Phillip Bay is well protected from the elements and most places should provide a good anchorage. Just be sure not to drop the hook inside the shipping lanes and you'll be fine. It would be advisable to ensure you're not moored in an environmentally protected area as well, such as parts of Swan Bay.

Amenities

See individual marinas and either Melbourne or Geelong.

Provisioning

See individual marinas and either Melbourne or Geelong.

Eating out

See individual marinas and either Melbourne or Geelong.

Transportation

See either Melbourne or Geelong.

Tourism

See either Melbourne or Geelong.

Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

Links

• Port Phillip at the Wikipedia
• Port Phillip at the Wikivoyage

References

See Australia.

Comments

We welcome users' contributions to the Wiki. Please click on Comments to view other users' comments, add your own personal experiences or recommend any changes to this page following your visit.

Verified by

Date of member's last visit to Port Phillip and this page's details validated:

• Compiled from research (pilot books, internet, etc.) May, 2017 --Istioploos Travels with S/Y Thetis

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Contributors to this page
Names: Buena Vista, Haiqu