Point Leo Surf Beach

Point Leo Surf Beach is an attractive, well-maintained beach and reserve, offering safe family bathing in summer, with the chance of some good point and reef breaks during higher winter swell.

Point Leo is composed of low, basalt bluffs and the Point Leo Surf Beach lies at the base of the vegetated bluffs, with extensive intertidal rock platforms at each end and some rock reefs offshore. It is 500 m long and faces almost due south, however its location several kilometres inside the wide entrance to Western Port Bay affords considerable protection from high ocean waves.

Waves average 0.5 m and combine with the sand to build a wide beach, fronted by a narrow, attached bar. At high tide, the waves usually surge up the beach without breaking, while a continuous bar with a shorebreak is present at low tide. Rips are rare, only occurring during and following high waves.

The beach is backed by Point Leo Foreshore Reserve, which contains a public park with most facilities required for a day at the beach, including a camping area and the surf lifesaving club, formed in 1955.

Swimming - A relatively safe patrolled beach.

The beach has a General Beach Hazard Rating of 4/10 (Moderately hazardous)

Cost:

A $4 per car parking fee is applicable if you are coming to Point Leo during the season. It is payable each Saturday and Sunday from 8 am to 4 pm between late September until the end of the Easter School holidays 2018, and every day over the summer school holidays.

Point Leo is an entirely self funded public reserve and receives no financial assistance from local, state or federal governments to manage 50 ha of public land. This includes the maintenance of five public toilet blocks, 4 kms of roads, two playgrounds, 25 ha of mown open parkland, the camping reserve and 3 kms of coast line. It is run by a volunteer Committee of Management. The only income to run the park is the money collected from parking and camping fees.

Information about the Point Leo Shoreline

The red-capped plover (charadrius ruficapillus) is a tiny wader bird, named for the striking reddish cap sported by the male of the species. The female is duller, and their chicks are mottled, camouflaging perfectly with the sand. Red-capped plovers feed upon small crustaceans and other invertebrates, which they peck out from the sand. During winter, they shelter between clumps of washed up seaweed.

A rarer resident is the hooded plover (thinornis rubricollis), a medium sized wader with a black hood and bright red eyes and beak. Like the red-capped plover, the 'hoody' runs back and forth along the shore, pecking tiny invertebrates from the sand. Hoodies are endangered in Victoria, and need our protection.

Both red-capped and hooded plovers lay well-camouflaged, speckled eggs in a shallow scrape in the sand, leaving them extremely vulnerable to trampling by beachgoers or predation by pet dogs.

Unleashed dogs are a serious threat to both plover species because they're much more likely to encounter eggs or chicks as they explore. People walking on the soft sand above the high tide mark can easily trample eggs or chicks, or drive chicks away from their nests. Adult plovers will try to lead predators (including dogs and humans) away from their nest by feigning a broken wing. These birds are perfectly healthy and need to be left alone. If a plover is displaying this behaviour, then you are too close to a nest.

To protect these beach-nesting birds, we need only make minor changes to our behaviour:

during the breeding season (august to march) walk along the beach below or on the high-tide mark, rather than in the soft sand above it
always keep your dog on a leash
be observant of the beach around you in case you unwittingly approach a nest.

When exploring rock pools, it is important to be aware that there are some species which are dangerous to humans. The blue-ringed octopus (hapalochlaena maculosa) is a tiny, browny-yellow octopus that hides in shells and under rocks. When threatened, they flare up with bright blue ring and may bite with a venom that causes paralysis and can result in heart and respiratory failure. If bitten, let someone know immediately as paralysis can occur quickly and emergency assistance, including CPR, will be needed.

Cone snails are another beautiful species that must be avoided. These predatory snails capture and subdue their prey by shooting venomous darts into them! Although not as deadly as their tropical relatives, they can inflict painful wounds and cause fainting and semi-paralysis. Never pick up a cone shell!

To avoid dangerous beach inhabitants, follow a few simple rules:

Don't put your hands where you can't see them - not under rocks, ledges or into weeds.
don't pick up shells or animals if you cannot confidently identify them.
remember, if you aren't sure, don't touch!

While walking along the beach, you may come across marine wildlife that seems out of place. Most of the time, the animal is healthy and behaving naturally, and needs to be left alone. It is important to know when this is the case, and when the animal needs to be reported to the ranger's office. If you believe that a seal or other animal is a danger to other beachgoers, or is in fact itself in danger, then you should report the animal to rangers, who will deal with it directly,

Australian fur seals (arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) are frequent visitors to Point Leo beaches. By law, people must stay 30m away from any seal on land, whether a person is on the beach or in the water. Dog walkers are required to keep a distance of 50m. Seals can be unpredictable and aggressive, move surprisingly quickly on land and have sharp teeth. Dogs and seals may also exchange diseases. Feeding seals is also prohibited and can result in seals becoming sick and an aggressive nuisance to other beachgoers. It is for the safety of all beachgoers, their pets and our wildlife, that these rules are in place.

From time to time, penguins, shearwaters and other seabirds appear on our beaches. Unlike seals, a seabird sitting or lying on the beach during the daytime is likely to be sick, entangled, injured or in poor body condition. Never approach or handle penguins or other seabirds. If they can, they will try to escape you by flying or running away, and may hurt themselves or put themselves out of reach of the rangers. These birds are easily stressed and can die as a result. Report seabirds immediately to the ranger's office; where rangers will deal with them directly.

Access for Dogs:

Dogs are prohibited from the beach between 9am and 7pm throughout the Daylight Saving period. Outside of these times, dogs must be on leash at all times.

Review:

Located at the end of Western Parade where there is a car park, toilets, shelter with BBQ, unshaded tables and Point Leo beach kiosk which is open during holiday periods. The beach is patrolled, in season, by the Point Leo Surf Life Saving Club.

A path and boardwalk leads past the clubrooms down to the beach area which is long and sandy with minimal seaweed. Entering the sand dunes behind the beach is prohibited in order to protect them.

Rubbish bins are provided but there were no water taps to be found.

This is a Surf beach and so due care needs to be taken since waves can be large and there is a danger of rips.

A free loan of a beach wheelchair is available from the Lifesaving club. Contact Andrew on 0448 218 223 or the Point Leo Ranger.