Shorebirds at Point Cook Coastal Park.
Image: Jenni Meaney
Source: Museum Victoria
Shoreline at Point Cook Coastal Park.
Image: Jenni Meaney
Source: Museum Victoria
Saltmarsh environment at Cheetham Wetlands.
Image: Jenni Meaney
Source: Museum Victoria
Shorebirds with Melbourne city in the background.
Image: Jenni Meaney
Source: Museum Victoria
Life on the water’s edge is shaped by the tides.
Wading birds find abundant food in the sand and shallow waters
Over summer they feed and rest after a long migration
Then fly to Asia to breed and raise chicks
Victoria’s coastal wetlands are significant places for wildlife. Many are listed in international conventions to protect the habitat of migratory birds. Close to Melbourne, the western shoreline of Port Phillip Bay, Bellarine Peninsula, the Edithvale–Seaford wetlands and Western Port are visited by hundreds of thousands of migratory waders each year. Species such as the Eastern Curlew, Red-necked Stint and Bar-tailed Godwit rest and feed here each summer before flying north through Asia to breed.