Rufous Fantail

Western Port

Summerland

PeninsulaWATTS RD

BACK BEACH RD

RD

BERRYS

RD

RD PH

ILLIP

ISLA

ND

RH

YLL-

NEW

HAVEN

RD

BEACH RD

BEACH

RO

CK

RD

WimbledonHeights

Churchill

Island

SunsetStrip

San Remo

VEN

TNOR

SETTLEMENT RD

COWES-RHYLL

RD

HARBISON RD

CO

GH

LAN

RD

McFEES RD

PYRAM

ID

VENTNOR

GAP

RD

WO

OLAM

AI

BEACH

RD

Cape Liptrap

Coastal

Park

Candowie

Reservoir

Lance Creek

Reservoir

Scr

ew

Wonthaggi Heathland&

Coastal Reserve

Western Port

BASS

HW

Y

SOUTH

H

WY

THE SHUN

TOFF

STANLEY

RD

LOC

H-

WONTHA

GG

I

RD

GUYRD

CORINELLARD

AG

AR

RD

SOLDIERS RD

GRANTVILLE

-

GLEN AVLIE

BA

SS

HW

Y

RD

RD

LO

CH

-

WONTH

AGGI

RD

GLEN

ALV

IE

RD

WEST CREEKRD

WONTHAGGI

KO

RU

M

BU

RRA- LYNNESRD

BASS

HWY

CAPE

PATERSO

N

IN

VER

LO

CH

-

KO

NG

WA

KR

D

BASS

HWY

BASS

HWY

Anderson

Bass

Grantville

SouthDudley

WONTHAGGI

INVERLOCH

Dalyston

TheGurdies

Woodleigh

Kernot

Krowera

Almurta

Queensferry

Woolamai

GlenForbes

Ryanston

ArchiesCreek

WestCreek

LanceCreek

GlenAlvie

Kongwak

Outtrim

WattleBank

South

Gippsland

Shire

French Island

Cardinia

Shire

Cape Liptrap

Coastal

Park

Bass

Coast

INVERLOCH-VENUS BAYRD

CAPE PATERSON-IN

VERLO

CH

Bass Strait

Venus

Bay

Anderson

Inlet

to Korumburra

to Leongatha

to Tarwin

Lower

RD

Grantville

Nature

Conservation

Reserve

GIPPSLAND

Corinella

RD

RD

RD

NYORA

-

ST. HELI

ER

RD

GURDI ES- ST. H

ELIE

RRD

RD

WOODLEIGH-ST. HELIER RD

DUN

BABBIN

STEW

ART

RD

DA

LYSTON-

ES

G

B

LEN

RD

FOR

RD

LOCH -

KERNOT

EDEN

McG

RATH

RD

RD

DA

LYSTON

GL

-EN FORBES RD

WOOLAMAI RD

BASSRD

TREW RD

TU

R-

NBU

LL

WO

OLAM

AI

DALY

ST

NO

-

MILL

RD

Rail

Tra

il

GLE

NFO

R

BES

CAM

ERO

NS

T

LO

CH-W

ON

TH

AG

GI

RD

KONG KWA RD

GLEN

AVLIE

RD

Bass

Rievr

Bass

River

River

MOUT

H

OF

POW

LETT

RD

Powlett

Cr

HarmersHaven

PHILLIP ISLAND RD

COWES

Rhyll

Newhaven

SmithsBeach

CapeWoolamai

SunderlandBay

Ventnor

Silverleaves

Penguin

Parade

SanRemo

Kilcunda

CapePaterson

Pioneer Bay

TenbyPoint

CoronetBay

to Melbourne

Jam Jerrup

to Phillip Island

P IH IL DL P ISLA

RN

D

to

Bass Coast

Mainland

COWES YL- LRHDR

HARBISON RD RHYL

L-NEW

HAVEN

RD

McIL

LRAIT

HRD

REID ST

Rhyll InletMarsh

Area

BASS

HW

Y

Bass Strait

Churchill Island

PHILLIP

ISLAND RD

NTO

VN

E

R

RD

8

7

Swan

Lake

Grantville

PioneerBay

GUR ID ES -

RRD

ST

L

HE

IE

DUNBABBIN

RD

SMYTHE

ST

WesternPort

Bass Strait

Quarry

The GurdiesNature

ConservationReserve

Corinella

Fishers

Wetland

SummerlandPeninsula

Penguin

Parade

GUY RD

JAM

IESO

NST

O’CONNOR RDCORINELLA

RD

Western Port

Boat RampPier

ISLAN

D

Bass Coast Shire, Mainland The Gurdies Nature Reserve

Bass Coast Shire, Phillip Island

1

Corinella Foreshore Reserve

Fisher’s Wetland3 McIllraith Rd / Rhyll Inlet5

Cape Woolamai Peninsula4

LEGEND

LEGEND

Oswin Roberts Reserve6

10 Bird Watching Locations

Main Road / Highway

Local Road

Tracks

Phillip Island

Nature Park (PINP)

Urban Areas

0 1000 2000

metres

Parking

Main Road / Highway

Local Road

Tracks

Reserve / Public Land

Urban Areas

kilometres

0 2 4

10 Bird Watching Locations

Central Access Track

Parking

Bird Hide

6

8

3

4

5

7

46

9

5

2

9

1

1

3

2

MOUTH

OF

POW

LETT

RD

10

11

This reserve protects one of the few significant

remnants of coastal woodland on Western Port.

There is a small wayside stop opposite Pioneer Bay on

the Bass Highway. Another access point is via

Dunbabbin Road, off Stuart’s Road. There is a good

parking area with magnificent views over Western Port.

Near the top of the main trail a side track to the north

leads to a gully where Bassian Thrush, Rufous Fantail and

Eastern Whipbirds can be found.

Other birds seen in The Gurdies Nature

Reserve include parrots, thornbills, robins,

treecreepers, sittellas and honeyeaters.

Raptors can be seen overhead and

Powerful Owls have also been

sighted. An added bonus for

plant enthusiasts is the wide

variety of orchids flowering

throughout much of the year.

Cars may be left at either end of this 3-4 km walk, at

O’Connor Road or Jamieson Street. Alternatively

starting at the jetty carpark allows the walk to be done

in two shorter sections. The northern section, from the

rotunda to Jamieson Street, leads to a regenerating

heathland. Beach and seabirds roost and feed among the

mangroves, while small scrub birds are returning to the

heathland.

To reach the southern section, walk or drive along the

road past the caravan park to Settlement Point, then

follow the track along the southern coast on the high

cliffs. The track passes through a variety of habitats,

including low coastal scrub, native grassland, she-oak

dominated coastal woodland and, finally, a substantial

stand of Coastal Banksias at O’Connor Road.

(The walk can be extended to Coronet Bay). The bird

list includes a variety of bush and scrub birds. An

occasional sea eagle may be seen.

Two wetlands adjoin the road to Churchill Island.

Fisher’s Wetland is on the left side of the road.

It is a large wetland, which dries out, leaving a few

deep holes with permanent water during prolonged

dry seasons.

Three tracks leave the carpark. One skirts the

north-eastern edge of Fisher’s Wetland on a

boardwalk and continues into bushland.

The second crosses the road and leads to the

bridge via a boardwalk beside a saltmarsh.

A third track leaves the

northern end of the

carpark leading to a

birdhide overlooking the

western side of the

wetland and on to the

end of Churchill Road

through saltmarsh

beside Swan Bay.

Access this spot from the intersection of

Cowes-Rhyll Road and Rhyll-Newhaven Road. Take the

road heading north from this intersection and follow

the first dirt road on the left (McIllraith Road). Park at

the end of the road and look over the entrance of

Rhyll Inlet. At high tide the sand pit and rocks are

popular wader roosts and in summer a range of

international waders can be seen. A telescope or good

binoculars will be useful here.

Follow the track to the west for an interesting

bird walk with great scenery. It leads down to a

boardwalk among the mangroves and rejoins

the track to Conservation Hill

carpark and a lookout

overlooking

Rhyll Wetland, a

large nesting site for

ibis in a wet spring season.

2

Mouth of the Powlett River9Situated on the Bass Highway between

Kilcunda and Wonthaggi, this is an excellent

site with a range of habitats. Ocean beaches

(Hooded Plovers), river flood plains

(Blue-winged and Orange-bellied Parrots)

and banksia groves (honeyeaters and thornbills)

offer a range of interesting birds.

This reserve on Harbison Road, bought by

Florence Oswin Roberts in the 1930s to protect the

koala habitat, is the largest accessible bushland left on

Phillip Island. Several tracks lead

through the reserve.

Birds often seen

include a variety of honeyeaters,

parrots, thornbills, pardalotes,

silvereyes and other bush birds.Silvereye

CapeBarrenGoose

White-eared Honeyeater

EasternCurlew

Short-tailed Shearwater

Parking in the southern carpark of the surf beach

allows easy access to a number of walking tracks on

the peninsula. Hooded Plovers are often seen on

the ocean beaches and the walk to the headland

often rewards birdwatchers with views of a range of

raptors, including White-bellied Sea-Eagle.

Keep a lookout for albatross and other pelagic birds,

especially in winter. At dusk, from September to

April, vast flocks of

Short-tailed Shearwaters

can be seen returning to their

rookeries on the clifftops

InverlochCaravan Park

CU

TTRIS

SST

CU

TTRIS

S

ST

Anderson Inlet

MEANDERRI

DR

LINDSEY CL

INVERLOCH-VENUS BAY RD

Screw

Creek

Scre

w

Cre

ek

OLD

FORD

RD

HEATHERGV

MEANDERRI

DR

GuidePark

WonthaggiWetlandReserve

GuidePark

WonthaggiWetlandReserve

WonthaggiWetlands

RifleRangeWetlands

BaxtersWetlands

Bass

Strait

to

Wonthaggi

ToPhillipIsland,Melborune

4McIllwraithRd/RhyllInlet

LEGEND

BassCoastShire,Wonthaggi Wonthaggi10

10 Bird Watching Locations

Main Road / Highway

Local Road

Tracks

Reserve / Public Land

0 200 400

metres

Parking

LEGEND

MainRoad/Highway

LocalRoad

Tracks

Reserve/PublicLand

05001000

metres

UrbanArea

BirdWatchingLocationA

BirdHide

11

A

C

B

D

E

H

I

G

F

Bird

Bass Coast Shire

Trails

Hooded Plover

Screw Creek walking track is at the eastern end of

The Esplanade. An excellent walking track leading

through the camping area and across the creek

takes you up to the Bluff where there are very good

views across the inlet toVenus Bay and Point Smythe.

Any number of small bush birds, gulls, egrets,

White-faced Herons, honeyeaters and the

occasional raptor can be seen.

Just across the bridge, to the right of the

walking track, is a swash way where it is

possible to catch sight of an

emu-wren or Orange-bellied Parrot

in the right season.

If you take the walk along the

creek bank you also have the

opportunity to see grebes,

ducks and other waterfowl.

Abouthalfwaybetweenthetworoundaboutsnearthe

PenguinParadeyouwillfindthecarparkfor

SwanLakeonthesouthsideofthemainroad.

Parkthereandfollowtheshort,wellmarkedtrack

throughcoastalbushtotwobirdhideslookingonto

SwanLake.Takeyourtimetofindagreatrangeof

ducks,teal,CapeBarrenGeese,wrens,grebesand

raptors.

Threats to birds include: predation by domestic

dogs, cats and foxes, development and land clearance

into bird habitat, drainage and salination of wetlands,

grazing and trampling of wetland and

stream/river verges by stock/humans,

trampling/disturbance of nests and nesting birds by

humans and their dogs especially on beaches and

ingestion of fishing tackle and bait bags by birds.

Help reduce these threats by keeping cats indoors,

especially at night, walking dogs on leash at all times

and heeding signs indicating threats to wildlife.

Please remember that snakes and other

hazards are a vital part of any bird habitat

and that care should always be taken when

venturing into their territory.

Warning!

Western Port Bird Observers Club (WESBOC) Telephone: (03) 5956 9401

Penguin Group (Australia)

Authors: Ken Simpson and Nicolas Day with PeterTrusler

BookTitle: Field Guide to the Birds of Australia, 7th edition

Illustrations: 43, 59, 75, 125, 117, 279, 173, 85, 99, 255, 115, 203, 237 and 269.

Reproduced with permission by Penguin Group (Australia)

Product Design: Karl Cao

Acknowledgements

Original cartographic data supplied by Bass Coast Shire Council 2009, for all maps depicted on this

product, particular attention has been taken to ensure accuracy of publication.

Bass Coast Shire Council and publishers DO NOT accept responsibility of any errors / omissions.

The Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve data supplied by ParksVictoria.

Bird Observation and Conservation Australia (BOCA)

Telephone: (03) 9877 5342 / 1300 305 342

Postal Address: PO Box 185, Nunawading VIC 3131

Website: www.birdobservers.org.au

Bass Coast Shire Council -Visitor Services

(manages visitor information centres in Bass Coast Shire)

Postal Address: PO Box 118, Wonthaggi VIC 3995

Telephone: 1300 366 422

basscoast@basscoast.vic.gov.au

www.basscoast.vic.gov.au / www.visitbasscoast.com

Contacts

SummerlandPeninsulaCircuit8Thispeninsulacoversthewesternendof

PhillipIsland.ThePenguinParadeisattheentrance.

Fromtheroundabout,followthesealedroadwest.

TurnofftotheCatBaycarpark(about500mfrom

theroundabout)andparkfacingtheoldjettyin

CatBay.Variouscormorants,including

Black-facedShagoften,restontheposts.

Returntothemainroadandcontinuewest.Other

carparksalongthecliffsleadtointerestingbeaches.

ParkatTheNobbiescarparkandexplorethe

boardwalks.WatchoutforCrestedTerns

gannets,gulls

(Pacific,Kelp

andSilver),

LittlePenguinsand

SootyOystercatchers

whichroostandnestinthisarea.

Useyourbinocularsoratelescope

tocheckoutthesealsonSealRocks.

Forabitmoreadventure,travelalong

thetrackbacktothePenguinParade,

stoppingatanyofthelookouts.Thesearegood

spotstosea-watchforalbatross,gannetsand

jaegers.Watchoutforraptorsoverthepeninsula.

Thereisalsogoodbirdingtobefoundinsomeofthe

bushclosetotown:

E

G

CampbellStreetbushrunningparallelto

CampbellStreet F

EasternAreaRailTrail,offCapePatersonRoad

WesternAreaRailTrail,accessoppositethe

WonthaggiWetlands H

WonthaggiBushland

ReserveoffElizabethStreet

TankHill,offReedCrescent E

G

H

II

Wonthaggiisfortunatetohavethreewetlands

withinashortdistanceofthetown.

WonthaggiWetlands,offSouthDudleyRoadare

closetothemainroadandhaveeasywalking

tracks.Thereisavarietyofwaterandbushbirds.

Baxter’sWetlandisreachedbydrivingtothe

westernendofCampbellStreetandwalkinga

shortdistancethroughregeneratedbush.

Someofthespecialsherehaveincluded

MagpieGeeseandGlossyIbis.Thereisabird

hidewithexcellentmorningviews.

RifleRangeWetlandsisaccessedfromthe

westernendofReedCrescent.Thisareaisa

partoftheWonthaggiHeathlandsandwas

regeneratedbydirectseedingprocessesin

2005.Thereisagoodbirdhideandeasy

walking.In2007thespeciescountwas

between90and100species.

Baxter’sandWonthaggiWetlandshavewater

allyearround,buttheRifleRangewaterisvery

lowinsummer.Agoodselectionofwaterbirds

andbushbirdswillbeseenateachofthesites.

Lyingsome5kilometrestothesouth-westofthe

town,theWonthaggiHeathlandisan

excellentexampleofcoastallandscapewith

avarietyofdifferentbirdhabitats.Thereisa

networkofverygoodwalkingtrackswhich

leadyouthroughdryandwetheathlands,coastal

wetland,coastaldunesandactual

beachfront.Youmightcatcha

glimpseofaSouthern

Emu-wrenintheheathland

oraHoodedPloveronthe

beach.Therearealsohoneyeaters,

raptors,EasternRosellas,

Blue-wingedParrots,wrensand

thornbills.

A

B

D

C

Bass Coast Shire, Inverloch

SwanLake7

Screw Creek, Inverloch11

Golden-headedCisticola

CrestedTern

White-facedHeron

Black-shoulderedKite

Responsible birdwatching should always be done

with the welfare of the birds in mind. Try not to

disturb their feeding, resting or roosting by watching

from a distance. Keep interference to a minimum and

encourage others to do the same. Keep to defined

tracks and roads. Respect the rights of landowners and

other birdwatchers. Never disturb habitat or approach

too close to achieve a better view or photograph.