Buckleys Cave

Shore Dive | Shore access

Buckleys Cave | © Unknown

Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 10 m (33 ft)

Level: Advanced Open Water and beyond.

Buckleys Cave at the foot of Point Lonsdale lighthouse on the Bellarine Peninsula is named after William Buckley, an escapee from Sorrento who was reputed to have lived in the cave from 1803 until his return to white civilisation in 1835.

This is the starting point for some very interesting shore dives. Access is not difficult, especially at low water. Access is via the path from the lighthouse, past Buckley's Cave, straight into the water, or out onto the platform.

From here you can explore Mushroom Rock, and the shark gutter. The area is part of the Harold Holt Marine Reserve.

The highlight of these shore dives are the many wrecks that have been hammered onto these reefs from the seaward side. The wrecks of the Glaneuse, George Roper, Black Boy, Holyhead and Gange all lie here abouts.

These shore dives are for experienced divers only. Skill is required to pick the conditions and times the site can be dived. Best to dive at slack water.

Location: Point Lonsdale, Victoria 3225
MELWAY Ref: Page 499 J7
Beach Marker: 1B

See WillyWeather (Rip Bank) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

The Rip & Tides Warning: Always keep an eye on sea conditions throughout any shore or boat dive within "The Rip" (aka "The Heads"). This is a dangerous stretch of water, where Bass Straight meets Port Phillip, which has claimed many ships and lives. Please read the warnings on the web page diving-the-rip before diving or snorkelling this site.

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park

This site lies in the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. The park is made up of six separate marine areas around the southern end of Port Phillip: Swan Bay, Mud Islands, Point Lonsdale, Point Nepean, Popes Eye, and Portsea Hole.

Thirty-one of the 120 shipwrecks known to have occurred within a 10 nautical mile radius of Port Phillip Heads are thought to be within the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park in Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean.

Aboriginal tradition indicates that the Bellarine Peninsula side of the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park is part of Country of the Wathaurung people, and the Mornington Peninsula side, including Mud Islands, is part of Country of the Boon Wurrung people.

Port Phillip Heads Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

Point Lonsdale Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

Point Nepean Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

Popes Eye Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

Portsea Hole Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

Mud Islands Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

You are not permitted to carry a spear gun while snorkelling or scuba diving in Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park.

Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Wathaurong (Wadda-Warrung) people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes the coastline of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-east, the Bellarine Peninsula, and down to Cape Otway in the south-west. We wish to acknowledge the Wathaurong as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge Bunjil the Creator Spirit of this beautiful land, who travels as an eagle, and Waarn, who protects the waterways and travels as a crow, and thank them for continuing to watch over this Country today and beyond.

Buckleys Cave Location Map

Latitude: 38° 17.562′ S (38.292699° S / 38° 17′ 33.72″ S)
Longitude: 144° 36.844′ E (144.614067° E / 144° 36′ 50.64″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2012-07-22 09:00:00 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-06 19:30:03 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Glaneuse, 146 m, bearing 249°, WSW
Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park.
Point Lonsdale, Bellarine Peninsula.
Depth: 2 to 10 m.

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DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.