Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary is located in the north east corner of Port Phillip Bay, a mere 30 minute drive from Melbourne. The park protects 290ha of a typical Port Phillip western shoreline which makes it the largest park in Victoria's system of marine national parks and sanctuaries. The park is largely protected from the hype of the suburbs by the coastal dunes and adjacent wetlands of the Point Cook Coastal Park and Cheetham Wetlands. Off the coast a series of basalt cliffs rise from the muddy seafloor, the remains of a larval flow that poured across the plains thousands of years ago. A combination of narrow sandy beaches, rocky reefs and mud flats, this park hosts a huge diversity of marine and coastal life. The predominant alga on the reef is a thick brown alga, Ecklonia radiata. Within its fronds it houses countless tiny marine animals and plants. Prickly sea urchins are abundant near crevices, while the exposed sections of rock support a range of life including masses of tube worms, carpets of anemones and meadows of tufting coralline and filamentous algae. In darker corners, sponges grow plentifully. Small skates and sharks patrol the surrounding seagrass beds, feasting on bivalves lying in the sediments. These seagrass beds also act as a nursery for a variety of fish species. Pods of bottlenose dolphins visit the sanctuary and in summer, swarms of jellyfish pulsate over the reef. Before you go Conditions can change in parks for many reasons. For the latest information on changes to local conditions, please visit the relevant park page on the Parks Victoria website. Be bushfire ready in the great outdoors. Refer to the Bushfire Safety section on the Parks Victoria website for tips on how to stay safe.