The Best Rockpools in Melbourne and Victoria
Exploring rockpools is endless hours of fun for the whole family at any time of year. Whether it's crabs, starfish, shells, sea sponges, sea urchins, snails, little fish darting about, anemones or some other hidden creature, there's plenty to find among the rock pools when the tide goes out.
During the warmer months make sure you've slipped, slopped and slapped before heading out to the rockpools. It is also a good idea to wear some shoes with good grip when clambering over the rocks.
Don't forget to check low tide times to maximise your rockpool exploration time.
Something to note is that some Victorian beaches are home to the potentially deadly blue-ringed octopus. Children should be warned about its dangers and supervised as required.
The best rockpool locations in the Melbourne area are:
Port Phillip Bay
- Point Gellibrand (Battery Road, Williamstown. There is a nice playground close-by)
- Rickett's Point Beaumaris (in front of 1st Beaumaris Sea Scout boat shed, near 444 Beach Road, Beaumaris)
- Rickett's Point Beaumaris (west of Beaumaris Life Saving Club, carpark entrance near 411 Beach Road, Beaumaris)
Mornington Peninsula
- Sorrento Ocean Beach is a popular spot for rockpools and some of the pools are even big enough for a dip (250 Ocean Beach Road, Sorrento)
- Portsea Ocean Beach and London Bridge (London Bridge Road, Portsea)
- Bridgewater Bay (St Johns Wood Road, Blairgowrie)
- Flinders Ocean Beach and Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary (Flinders Ocean Beach Entry Road, Flinders. Sheltered rock pools, coves and a shallow reef on the ocean side. The reef is formed from ancient basalt which has weathered in such a way to allow marine creatures to hide within crevices and cracks or under loose rocks.)
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- Flinders Blowhole (Blowhole Track, Flinders)
- St Paul's Beach, Sorrento (102 St Pauls Road, Sorrento). Note: The stairs down to the beach have been blocked off for safety reasons and the beach is no longer accessible.
- Each end of Smiths Beach has some large pools which you can snorkel in (239 Smiths Beach Road, Smiths Beach)
- Ventnor Beach has some pools to explore (608 Ventnor Beach Road, Ventnor)
- Take a dip in a pool at Kitty Miller Bay (southern end of Kitty Millers Bay Road, Ventnor)
- You can also take a dip at Forrest Caves (Phillip Island Road, Newhaven - turnoff is 100m east of intersection with The Esplanade)
Bellarine Peninsula
- The sandstone platform below the Point Lonsdale lighthouse (1 Point Lonsdale Road, Point Lonsdale)
- Under the cliffs at Queenscliff (Santa Casa beach, 25 Henry Street, Queenscliff)
Outside Melbourne some great places are:
Gippsland
- Walkerville in South Gippsland has plenty of shallow pools and little sandy coves to explore.
- At Kilcunda, the surf beach has extensive areas of rock pools to investigate at low tide.
- At Cape Paterson Cape, the Surf Beach (reached by 128 Surf Beach Road) has rock pools to explore, while the Cape Paterson Bay Beach (reached by Bay Beach Road) has a large man-made pool for swimming.
- Between Cape Paterson and Inverloch explore the shore and peer into the rockpools at the Caves, Flat Rocks, Eagles Nest and Shack Bay (very easy for the little ones to walk around). The best time to access the rock platforms is within an hour or so of low tide, for the best opportunity to see the greatest range of marine life.
- Picnic Bay beach at Wilsons Promontory has rockpool habitats at both ends of the beach to explore.
- At Croajingolong National Park in East Gipplsland, explore Thurra Campground Beach, where tracks from Point Hicks Lighthouse lead to rockpools next to the remnants of an old jetty.
- Also in East Gippsland, Yeerung Gorge in Cape Conran Coastal Park has deep dark rockpools to be explored.
Great Ocean Road
- Explore rockpools in the secluded coves at the base of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet
- Sunnymead Beach is another place to explore in Aireys Inlet
- There is an expanse of rockpools at Marengo Beach on the outskirts of Apollo Bay
- Blanket Bay in the Great Otway National Park has a beautiful protected beach with great rockpools to explore at either end
- Point Addis Marine National Park
Web Links
→ Tide Predictions for Victoria
→ Melbourne Tide Times (Tides Chart)
