Point Cooke Homestead

Shore Dive | Shore access

Point Cooke Jetty Ruins
© Parks Victoria

Depth: 2 m (6.56 ft) to 3 m (9.84 ft)

Level: Open Water and beyond.

Point Cooke Homestead is a popular diving and snorkelling site just west of the Point Cook Homestead and further west of Point Cooke. It lies in the Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary, faces south into north-western Port Phillip This is mostly a shallow dive, around two or three metres depth, and is popular for both day and night dives. There is good parking, and the historic old homestead and a cafe, are close by.

A narrow sandy beach separates the land from the sea. Off the coast, a series of low basalt reefs rises from the seafloor, the remains of a volcanic activity and a lava flow across the western plains thousands of years ago. The beach at Point Cooke Homestead receives low waves, which build a low, narrow beach fronted by shallow, intertidal sand and rock flats up to 200 metres wide. The old Homestead Jetty crosses the beach nearby, but is now in ruins.

Diving and Snorkelling at Point Cooke Homestead

Point Cooke Eagle Ray
© Phil Watson

For the shallow version of this dive, head south-south-west from the shore and once on the outer edge of the reef, head east. Follow the outer edge of the reef. The ruins of an old jetty mark a nice safe exit point.

Beneath the water, countless marine animals and plants can be found. Exposed sections of rock support a range of life including tube worms, anemones and many different colourful algae. Prickly sea urchins are abundant near crevices, while sponges grow plentifully in dark corners. Small sharks and skates patrol the surrounding eelgrass beds and muddy seafloor.

If you venture offshore a little beyond the inner reef areas, e.g. out to the Diana shipwreck, the Point Cooke Homestead dive is renowned for many interesting shark varieties, especially Port Jackson Sharks. Fish abound and the algae vary in size and colour from other parts, probably due to the fertilisers in the runoff from the Werribee River.

Pods of bottlenose dolphins visit the sanctuary and in late summer, swarms of jellyfish pulsate over the reef. You may be lucky enough to encounter an entertaining fish called the Southern Blennie or be able to spot a Pipefish hidden in the seagrass. On the right day, you may come across large aggregations of Southern fiddler rays, basking in the shallow sandy areas.

The Diana shipwreck lies 296 metres, bearing 201°, south-south-west of the Point Cooke Homestead dive entrance point.

Point Cooke Homestead Dive Site Map | © The Scuba Doctor

Point Cooke Homestead Parking

Location: End of Homestead Entrance Road, Point Cook, Victoria 3030.
MELWAY Ref: Page 199 K2

Parking: There is parking at the end of Homestead Entrance Road at the Point Cooke Homestead. From Melbourne follow the M1 to Central Ave (41) in Altona Meadows. Take exit 14 from M1 and travel south on Point Cook Rd. Turn left into Point Cook Homestead Road and at the end turn right into Homestead Entrance Road in Point Cook. Before gearing up check out the water. If you see lots of white water, head on home.

Facilities: The historic old homestead and a cafe, are close by.

Warning: Always go with a buddy and carry a dive knife. Make sure you tow a dive buoy with dive flag.

Entry/Exit: Walk about 225 metres south west from the car park at the homestead, down to the shore.

Ideal Conditions: There is little background swell in this part of Port Phillip — the water is calm when the wind is still. In moderate winds the waves are choppy and under 0.5 metre. Best with light to moderate offshore north-westerly to north-easterly winds, or light onshore easterly to westerly winds. Not diveable in strong southerly winds. Avoid after rains due to the rain runoff reducing viability. Though high tide is ideal, you are able to dive at here on any tide. See WillyWeather (Point Cook) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary

Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary is located in the north-east corner of Port Phillip, a mere 30 minute drive from Melbourne. The park protects 290 hectare of a typical Port Phillip western shoreline. Pods of bottlenose dolphins visit the sanctuary and in summer, swarms of jellyfish pulsate over the reef.

The Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary extends from the high water mark to between 750 m and 1.1 km offshore, marked by a series of inwater navigational marks. The shoreline boundary is 3.4 km long, beginning at the onshore marker west of the Point Cook Homestead and running east along the foreshore around Point Cooke to the onshore marker at the southern boundary of the Cheetham Wetlands.

Point Cooke Bathymetry
Source: Parks Victoria

Aboriginal tradition indicates that the sanctuary is part of Country of Boon Wurrung people.

Diving and snorkelling sites at Point Cooke include two heritage listed shipwrecks — Diana (inside the sanctuary) and Henrietta (outside the sanctuary). Many small fish and invertebrates can be seen on the rocky reef.

See also Parks Victoria: Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary,
Park Note: Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary, and
Taxonomic Toolkit for the Marine Life of Port Phillip Bay.

Point Cook Map | © Parks Victoria

You are not permitted to carry a spear gun while snorkelling or scuba diving in Point Cooke Marine Sanctuary.

Boon Wurrung / Bunurong country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Boon Wurrung / Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation. This truly ancient Country includes parts of Port Phillip, from the Werribee River in the north-west, down to Wilson's Promontory in the south-east, including the Mornington Peninsula, French Island and Phillip Island, plus Western Port. We wish to acknowledge the Boon Wurrung 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.

 

Point Cooke Homestead Location Map

Latitude: 37° 55.652′ S   (37.927528° S / 37° 55′ 39.1″ S)
Longitude: 144° 47.475′ E   (144.791244° E / 144° 47′ 28.48″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map | Get directions
Added: 2021-02-05 10:47:19 GMT, Last updated: 2022-04-19 18:51:48 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Diana, Point Cooke, 296 m, bearing 201°, SSW
Point Cooke Marine Santuary.
Point Cook, Port Phillip.
Depth: 2 to 3 m.

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.