Truganina Coastal Parklands
Encyclopedia
The Truganina Coastal Parklands are located 15 km west of Melbourne
CBD, on the shores of Port Phillip Bay, stretching from Altona
to Altona Meadows
and adjacent to the Cheetham Wetlands and the Point Cook Coastal Park. They were formed through the 'recycling' of more than 300 hectares of parks and former industrial land and are now the largest cluster of parks on Port Phillip Bay, interlinked by cycling and walking trails and featuring a surprisingly high diversity and abundance of landscapes, natural environment and recreational areas, including beachside recreation, picnic & barbecue facilities, grassfields and wildlife conservation areas. The wetlands form part of the Cheetham and Altona Important Bird Area
.
The Laverton Creek which runs south into Port Phillip Bay separates Truganina Park and Altona Treatment Plant on the western side from the other areas on the eastern side. Truganina Park is linked to Explosives Reserve by the Laverton Creek Bridge - a wooden cycle and foot bridge.
mountain ranges, where you can take in sweeping panoramic views of Melbourne
City, Port Phillip Bay and the adjoining Cheetham Wetlands. The 17-metres high mound is topped by a sculpture called the Time Beacon, created by the artist Cameron Robbins and looking out over Port Phillip Bay.
The Truganina Park is home to the endangered Altona Skipper Butterfly
. A concrete drain, which takes stormwater from the adjacent residential Altona Meadows and runs through the Park, is restructured to form the Truganina Wetlands, which filter the stormwater and provide a new habitat for aquatic birds.
The park also contains picnic and barbecue facilities, with future plans for an adventure playground, climbing wall and nature trails. Truganina Park is managed by the Hobsons Bay City Council
.
location and shipped out via the Magazine Pier adjacent to the reserve. These explosives were used in quarrying, mining and other industries throughout Australia. In 2000, after an extensive community campaign to save the site from sale, the site was reserved for conservation and conversion to a recreational parkland.
A series of scientific studies have identified the site as highly significant for its archeological, geological, geomorphological, floral, fauna, cultural and industrial heritage values.
The high metal fence has protected the site from human access so the land has remained isolated for more than 100 years, growing wild, undisturbed by surrounding developments and allowing a separate indigenous ecosystem. The fence evokes a sense of enclosure, seclusion, intrigue for visitors and its continuous nature, without direct visual links to the modified external landscape, creates an atmosphere of tranquility.
Past inhabitation by Aboriginal tribes about 6500 years ago was evidenced by the unearthing of many stone artefacts from the area. The site is regarded to have a high geomorphological significance. It has several broad low ridges up to 1.5 metres high which are believed to have been deposited on the sea floor about 6000 years ago, based on radiocarbon dating of their stratified shell beds.
Distinct areas of native, exotic and saltmarsh vegetation combine with subtle undulations of the remnant dune system, resulting in landscapes of varying characters and exuding a secluded and timeless quality. The reserve is home to 3 bird species of state significance, the White-bellied Sea Eagle
, Nankeen Night Heron
and the Brown Quail
. It also hosts 4 bat species, 8 types of mammals and 2 types of reptiles.
The Hobsons Bay City Council is managing the site and together with the Truganina Explosives Reserve Preservation Society, are restoring the Reserve to its original landscape, including the restoration of the historic Keepers Residence, built in 1897 to house the Officers in Charge of the Reserve.
Public access has been limited to publicized Open Days and specially-arranged group tours while the site is being decontaminated. Decontamination of the site has recently been effected.
which feeds on Chaffy Saw Sedge and the Orange-bellied Parrot
which feeds on Beaded Glasswort and Scrubland species Glasswort. The wetland is an important habitat for migratory wading birds such as pelicans, greenshank
s, royal spoonbills
and birds from as far as Siberia
. It also supports many fish, such as black bream
, common galaxias
, short-finned eel
, flat-headed gudgeon, Tamar River goby
, small-mouthed hardyhead, goldfish
, yellow-eyed mullet and mosquito fish.
The site is archaeologically important as it used to be frequented by Kooris from the Woiworung and Bunurong tribe who foraged the area for its variety of animals, fish and plant food. Historically, Truganina Swamp was a terminal swamp with no defined outlet to Port Phillip Bay. With expanding urban development in Altona, the swamp was acquired by the Board of Works (now Melbourne Water) in 1961 for drainage and flood mitigation. The Laverton Creek channel was constructed to drain water to the Bay and widened to increase its capacity for carrying floodwater. A levee bank was built on the eastern side to protect the adjacent residential areas from floodwater.
The Truganina Swamp became a haven for motorbike and trailbike riders and a dumping ground for cars and industrial rubbish. The Friends of Westona Wetlands were formed in 1993 and had persuaded Melbourne Water to install a fence to keep out illegal traffic and prevent access to ecologically-sensitive areas of the Swamp. This environmental group also worked with local companies such as Hoechst Chemicals (now Qenos) in constructing a bridge (from a disused walkway) in 1997 over the Saline Pond drain near the adjacent Port Phillip Retirement Village and Dow Chemicals in constructing a bird hide in 1998. The bird hide can be accessed from the entrance to Truganina Swamp on Bell Avenue. A walking and cycling trail encircles the swamp and links to the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail
across Queen Street.
Ongoing projects for the Swamp include monitoring of the bird species, Altona Skipper Butterfly and Chaffy Saw Sedge in the area, re-vegetation, seed collecting and progagation.
The site is the last remnant of a formerly extensive series of sand ridges that run parallel to the coast between the mouth of Kororoit Creek
and Skeleton Creek. The ridges consist of well-stratified shell beds and their composition and form suggests that they were not thrown up by storm waves but were formed as sea floor ridges and spits during the mid-Holocene era, when the sea level was 1–3 metres higher than at present. The present alignment of the golf course and its use as an open-space facility preserves the general form of the ridges. The ridges are important for analyzing sea level changes over the last few thousand years. The site is one of a small number of mapped and dated localities on the Victorian coast that indicates higher Holocene
sea levels.
, an internationally-renowned Conceptual Art
ist and a pioneer of Environmental Art
., whose art works are often monumental in scale
In 1998, she planted 6000 endangered trees of varying heights (Red Gum, She Oak and Paperbark
) into 5 intersecting spirals at the Altona Treatment Plant. The tallest trees were planted in the centre of each spiral, followed by the medium-height trees and the shortest trees towards the outer edges, thus forming each spiral into a step pyramid. Her spiral design considers the height and forms of each tree type when fully grown and overcomes the problem of land erosion and desertification at the site.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
CBD, on the shores of Port Phillip Bay, stretching from Altona
Altona, Victoria
Altona is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Altona had a population of 9685....
to Altona Meadows
Altona Meadows, Victoria
Altona Meadows is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Altona Meadows had a population of 18,748....
and adjacent to the Cheetham Wetlands and the Point Cook Coastal Park. They were formed through the 'recycling' of more than 300 hectares of parks and former industrial land and are now the largest cluster of parks on Port Phillip Bay, interlinked by cycling and walking trails and featuring a surprisingly high diversity and abundance of landscapes, natural environment and recreational areas, including beachside recreation, picnic & barbecue facilities, grassfields and wildlife conservation areas. The wetlands form part of the Cheetham and Altona Important Bird Area
Cheetham and Altona Important Bird Area
The Cheetham and Altona Important Bird Area comprises several wetland sites on, or close to, the north-western coast of Port Phillip in Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Collectively they total 1223 ha in area and lie within, or adjacent to, the western suburbs of the city of Melbourne...
.
Constituent areas
The parklands comprise the following areas:- Truganina Park
- Truganina Explosives Reserve
- Truganina Swamp
- Kooringal Golf Course
- Altona Treatment Plant
- Apex Park
- Doug Grant Reserve
The Laverton Creek which runs south into Port Phillip Bay separates Truganina Park and Altona Treatment Plant on the western side from the other areas on the eastern side. Truganina Park is linked to Explosives Reserve by the Laverton Creek Bridge - a wooden cycle and foot bridge.
Truganina Park
Truganina Park is a 25-hectares recreational and conservation park, 'recycled ' from the former Altona Landfill Tip, which was closed in 1998. A key feature of the Park is the 100 Steps to Federation, a stone staircase made from basalt rocks recycled from the Tip. The steps lead to the highest land point between Melbourne and the You YangsYou Yangs
The You Yangs are a series of granite ridges that rise to 364m above the Werribee Plain approximately 55km south west of Melbourne and 22km north east of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia. The main ridge runs roughly N-S for about 9 km, with a lower extension running for about 15 km to the west...
mountain ranges, where you can take in sweeping panoramic views of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
City, Port Phillip Bay and the adjoining Cheetham Wetlands. The 17-metres high mound is topped by a sculpture called the Time Beacon, created by the artist Cameron Robbins and looking out over Port Phillip Bay.
The Truganina Park is home to the endangered Altona Skipper Butterfly
Hesperilla flavescens
The Yellow Sedge-skipper or Yellowish Skipper is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in South Australia and Victoria.The wingspan is about 30 mm.The larvae feed on Gahnia filum.-Subspecies:...
. A concrete drain, which takes stormwater from the adjacent residential Altona Meadows and runs through the Park, is restructured to form the Truganina Wetlands, which filter the stormwater and provide a new habitat for aquatic birds.
The park also contains picnic and barbecue facilities, with future plans for an adventure playground, climbing wall and nature trails. Truganina Park is managed by the Hobsons Bay City Council
City of Hobsons Bay
The City of Hobsons Bay is a Local Government Area in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It comprises the south-western suburbs between 6 and 20 km from the Melbourne city centre....
.
Truganina Explosives Reserve
It is a fenced-in area of 17 hectares of crown land, located 26 km west of Melbourne City at the mouth of Laverton Creek. The site was used for the handling, storage and shipping of explosives from 1901 to 1962. Explosives were manufactured at a Deer ParkDeer Park, Victoria
Deer Park is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Brimbank...
location and shipped out via the Magazine Pier adjacent to the reserve. These explosives were used in quarrying, mining and other industries throughout Australia. In 2000, after an extensive community campaign to save the site from sale, the site was reserved for conservation and conversion to a recreational parkland.
A series of scientific studies have identified the site as highly significant for its archeological, geological, geomorphological, floral, fauna, cultural and industrial heritage values.
The high metal fence has protected the site from human access so the land has remained isolated for more than 100 years, growing wild, undisturbed by surrounding developments and allowing a separate indigenous ecosystem. The fence evokes a sense of enclosure, seclusion, intrigue for visitors and its continuous nature, without direct visual links to the modified external landscape, creates an atmosphere of tranquility.
Past inhabitation by Aboriginal tribes about 6500 years ago was evidenced by the unearthing of many stone artefacts from the area. The site is regarded to have a high geomorphological significance. It has several broad low ridges up to 1.5 metres high which are believed to have been deposited on the sea floor about 6000 years ago, based on radiocarbon dating of their stratified shell beds.
Distinct areas of native, exotic and saltmarsh vegetation combine with subtle undulations of the remnant dune system, resulting in landscapes of varying characters and exuding a secluded and timeless quality. The reserve is home to 3 bird species of state significance, the White-bellied Sea Eagle
White-bellied Sea Eagle
The White-bellied Sea Eagle , also known as the White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's Sea Eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies...
, Nankeen Night Heron
Nankeen Night Heron
The Nankeen Night Heron, Nycticorax caledonicus, also commonly referred to as the Rufous Night Heron, and in Melanesia as Melabaob, is a medium-sized heron. It is found throughout much of Australia except the arid inland, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia...
and the Brown Quail
Brown Quail
The Brown Quail , also known as Swamp Quail, is an Australasian true quail of the family Phasianidae.The Brown Quail is distributed in agricultural areas, wet grasslands, shrublands and freshwater wetlands across much of New Guinea and the Lesser Sunda Islands as well as in northern, eastern,...
. It also hosts 4 bat species, 8 types of mammals and 2 types of reptiles.
The Hobsons Bay City Council is managing the site and together with the Truganina Explosives Reserve Preservation Society, are restoring the Reserve to its original landscape, including the restoration of the historic Keepers Residence, built in 1897 to house the Officers in Charge of the Reserve.
Public access has been limited to publicized Open Days and specially-arranged group tours while the site is being decontaminated. Decontamination of the site has recently been effected.
Truganina Swamp
This 175 hectares wetland, comprising grasses, salt marsh and sedges, is fed mainly by water from Laverton Creek, which originates in Truganina. Truganina Swamp provides habitats for 2 endangered species – the Altona Skipper ButterflyHesperilla flavescens
The Yellow Sedge-skipper or Yellowish Skipper is a butterfly of the Hesperiidae family. It is found in South Australia and Victoria.The wingspan is about 30 mm.The larvae feed on Gahnia filum.-Subspecies:...
which feeds on Chaffy Saw Sedge and the Orange-bellied Parrot
Orange-bellied Parrot
The Orange-bellied Parrot is a small broad-tailed parrot endemic to southern Australia, and one of only two species of parrot which migrate. The adult male is distinguished by its bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and orange belly patch. The adult female and juvenile are duller...
which feeds on Beaded Glasswort and Scrubland species Glasswort. The wetland is an important habitat for migratory wading birds such as pelicans, greenshank
Greenshank
The Common Greenshank is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae, the typical waders. Its closest relative is the Greater Yellowlegs, together with which and the Spotted Redshank it forms a close-knit group...
s, royal spoonbills
Royal Spoonbill
The Royal Spoonbill, Platalea regia, also known as the Black-billed Spoonbill, occurs in intertidal flats and shallows of fresh and saltwater wetlands in Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It has also been recorded as a vagrant in New Caledonia...
and birds from as far as Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. It also supports many fish, such as black bream
Black bream
Black bream may refer to:* One of two porgies in the genus Acanthopagrus.**Southern black bream, Acanthopagrus butcheri**Yellowfin bream, Acanthopagrus australis* Galjoen, Dichistius capensis* Black drummer, Girella elevata....
, common galaxias
Common galaxias
The common galaxias or the inanga , is a species of fish from the galaxiid family that is very widespread in the southern hemisphere. It is a slim narrow fish with a forked tail and as an adult it lives in freshwater rivers and lakes. Common galaxias grows to a length of 40 to 120 mm, but can grow...
, short-finned eel
Short-finned eel
The short-finned eel, Anguilla australis, is one of the 15 species of eel in the family Anguillidae. It is native to the lakes, dams and coastal rivers of south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and much of the South Pacific, including New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, Tahiti, and...
, flat-headed gudgeon, Tamar River goby
Goby
The gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm in length...
, small-mouthed hardyhead, goldfish
Goldfish
The goldfish is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of order Cypriniformes. It was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated, and is one of the most commonly kept aquarium fish....
, yellow-eyed mullet and mosquito fish.
The site is archaeologically important as it used to be frequented by Kooris from the Woiworung and Bunurong tribe who foraged the area for its variety of animals, fish and plant food. Historically, Truganina Swamp was a terminal swamp with no defined outlet to Port Phillip Bay. With expanding urban development in Altona, the swamp was acquired by the Board of Works (now Melbourne Water) in 1961 for drainage and flood mitigation. The Laverton Creek channel was constructed to drain water to the Bay and widened to increase its capacity for carrying floodwater. A levee bank was built on the eastern side to protect the adjacent residential areas from floodwater.
The Truganina Swamp became a haven for motorbike and trailbike riders and a dumping ground for cars and industrial rubbish. The Friends of Westona Wetlands were formed in 1993 and had persuaded Melbourne Water to install a fence to keep out illegal traffic and prevent access to ecologically-sensitive areas of the Swamp. This environmental group also worked with local companies such as Hoechst Chemicals (now Qenos) in constructing a bridge (from a disused walkway) in 1997 over the Saline Pond drain near the adjacent Port Phillip Retirement Village and Dow Chemicals in constructing a bird hide in 1998. The bird hide can be accessed from the entrance to Truganina Swamp on Bell Avenue. A walking and cycling trail encircles the swamp and links to the Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail
Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail
The Hobsons Bay Coastal Trail is a shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, which follows the coast line of Hobsons Bay in the inner western suburbs in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The trail forms part of the western half of the Bayside Trail which encircles Port Phillip...
across Queen Street.
Ongoing projects for the Swamp include monitoring of the bird species, Altona Skipper Butterfly and Chaffy Saw Sedge in the area, re-vegetation, seed collecting and progagation.
Kooringal Golf Club
Kooringal Golf Club is an 18-holes, 6.1 km long, Par 71 course. It was inaugurated in 1946 as the Williamstown Golf Club. In 1958, its name was changed to Kooringal, an aboriginal word meaning “by the water”, when Altona became a separate municipality.The site is the last remnant of a formerly extensive series of sand ridges that run parallel to the coast between the mouth of Kororoit Creek
Kororoit Creek
Kororoit Creek is a major waterway of over 80 km in length in the north-west and western parts of Melbourne. Its headwaters are north of Sunbury at 400m above sea level in ordovician geology...
and Skeleton Creek. The ridges consist of well-stratified shell beds and their composition and form suggests that they were not thrown up by storm waves but were formed as sea floor ridges and spits during the mid-Holocene era, when the sea level was 1–3 metres higher than at present. The present alignment of the golf course and its use as an open-space facility preserves the general form of the ridges. The ridges are important for analyzing sea level changes over the last few thousand years. The site is one of a small number of mapped and dated localities on the Victorian coast that indicates higher Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
sea levels.
Altona Treatment Plant
There are plans to open to the public, the living art sculpture named “A Forest for Australia” by Agnes DenesAgnes Denes
Agnes Denes is an American Land Art artist. Born in Budapest in 1931, her family moved to Stockholm, then New York City. Denes has been a pioneer of both the environmental art movement and Conceptual art....
, an internationally-renowned Conceptual Art
Conceptual art
Conceptual art is art in which the concept or idea involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns. Many of the works, sometimes called installations, of the artist Sol LeWitt may be constructed by anyone simply by following a set of written instructions...
ist and a pioneer of Environmental Art
Environmental art
The term environmental art is used in two different contexts: it can be used generally to refer to art dealing with ecological issues and/or the natural, such as the formal, the political, the historical, or the social context....
., whose art works are often monumental in scale
In 1998, she planted 6000 endangered trees of varying heights (Red Gum, She Oak and Paperbark
Melaleuca halmaturorum
Melaleuca halmaturorum, known as Swamp Paperbark , is a native tree of Western Australia....
) into 5 intersecting spirals at the Altona Treatment Plant. The tallest trees were planted in the centre of each spiral, followed by the medium-height trees and the shortest trees towards the outer edges, thus forming each spiral into a step pyramid. Her spiral design considers the height and forms of each tree type when fully grown and overcomes the problem of land erosion and desertification at the site.
External links
- Cr Tony Briffa JP - Councillor for Altona
- Beautiful Altona
- Picturesque Altona
- Hobsons Bay Community Online Forum
- Attractions of Altona Map
- Facebook Page on Events & Activities in Altona
- Wikitravel Entry on Altona
- "Friends of Truganina Parklands"
- "Truganina Explosives Reserve Preservation Society"
- "Friends of Westona Wetlands"
- "Kooringal Golf Club"
- "Altona Treatment Plant"