Be Bushfire Smart

As well as containing a typically high invertebrate diversity associated with limestone reefs in Victoria, about 20% of the 96 species of sea slugs (opisthobranchs) recorded from this site have not yet been scientifically described.

Point Danger also has a number of important links with European history as a concern to passing ships. In 1891 the reef was struck by the Canadian 3 - masted sailing ship the Joseph H. Scammell. The ship, which had travelled from New York via Cape of Good Hope, struck the reef at night and ran broadside onto the reef after mistakenly thinking that they were approaching Port Phillip Heads. The ship became wedged on the reef and eventually broke up in the heavy seas. Cargo form the ship was scattered extensively along the coast and was soon the target of looters in large numbers.

Just after the lifeboat left the ship with all safely aboard the masts came down. The hull completely broke up during the rest of the day, and as the high seas and tides receded the beach in Zeally Bay and the next four miles east was strewn with parts of the ship, crates and casks of goods, including thousands of cases of kerosene, hardware, rolls of tobacco and pianos. It would have been the modern day equivalent of a major hardware chain store or shopping centre washing up onto the beach. The valuable wreckage sparked off the largest wave of illegal looting, pilfering and smuggling in the Geelong area's history as up to 2000 people would visit the wreck site in one day.

Some concentrated remnants of the hull fittings and cargo can still be located among the reef gullies and crevices of Point Danger, indicating the original wreck site on the reef. Anchors from the Scammell are displayed on Torquay front beach.

Aboriginal Traditional Owners

Parks Victoria acknowledges the Aboriginal Traditional Owners of Victoria - including its parks and reserves. Through their cultural traditions, Aboriginal people maintain their connection to their ancestral lands and waters.
Further information is available from Aboriginal Affairs Victoria AAV and Native Title Services Victoria

Keyhole limpets, crabs and mussels are abundant. Banded Brittle stars and carnivorous worms emerge from under rocks to feed at nightly high tides. The site is also known for its diversity of sea slugs known as opisthobranchs, which unlike the garden slug, appears here in a range of exquisite shapes, colours and sizes.

On the sides of the reef, brown seaweeds with zigzag stems grow profusely on the rocks, giving way to bright green Sea Nymph seagrass beds covering the sand. Eagle Rays patrol the outer reef edge.

Creature Features

Short-tailed Sea-Slug or Nudibranch (Ceratosoma brevicaudatum)
Delicate, beautiful and brilliantly coloured, the sea-slug is one of the larger, more vivid species of nudibranchs to be found at Point Danger. Growing to 15 centimetres in length, they have two tentacles at the front of the head which are chemical sensory organs that are important in finding food and a mate. The short-tailed sea slug is one of the most conspicuous of all seaslugs because of its large size and its bright colours. Its pattern varies but generally has a pink/orange background covered in red, white edged spots.

The term 'Nudibranch' (pronounced noo - dee - brank) is often used to describe the group of marine molluscs that the short tailed sea slug belongs to. These animals have an external pair of feathery gills that are used by the animals to obtain oxygen from the water. In most marine molluscs the gills are hidden inside the body or beneath the shell. Nudibranchs have naked gills hence their name.

Nudibranchs are one of the few creatures that can actually eat sponges that are usually avoided as a prey item because of the toxic chemicals they contain. Some species of sponges also containing glass like needles. Nudibranchs are capable of not only extracting the toxic chemicals contained in the sponge's 'body' but also turning it to use in its own defence. They are unpalatable, even poisonous, to fish and their conspicuous, brightly coloured dots advertise this to would-be predators. Ceratosoma are hermaphrodites and two animals mating play both male and female roles. The eggs are generally orange in colour and are layed in a circular belt of jelly.

Geological, Hydrological and Landform Features

Point Danger is formed from cliffs of yellow limestone that are slowly crumbling into the sea. Blocks and slabs litter the beach, merging with a narrow rock platform that stretches around to the west. A small reef that lies just offshore of the point often isolated from the beach by a deep sandy channel and exposed only on the lowest of the summer tides. The top of the reef is covered with a network of small boulders, seaweed beds, crevices and pools.

Ocean swell diminishes as it is refracted around Point Danger and the outlying reefs but can still produce string waves if the wind is from the east.

• enjoy the marine environment without removing the plants and animals
• minimise your impact while diving and snorkelling by:
  • being careful to avoid damage to marine life caused by fins
  • developing good skills in buoyancy control
  • securing all gauges and pressure hoses to avoid snagging them on objects
• take any rubbish home with you - do not dump rubbish into the sea
• avoid stressing marine life by not chasing or grabbing free-swimming animals
• exercise great care if approached by large marine animals (including birds) & avoid blocking their paths if moving
• take care where you anchor your boat (anchor in sand, rubble or mud, avoiding sensitive areas, and use mooring buoys where provided)
• do not pollute the water with sewage - ensure that if your vessel has an onboard toilet that it has an approved sewage holding facility and that sewage is disposed of appropriately on land
• take the time to learn more about Victoria's marine animals and plants and the habitats they depend upon
  

SCUBA diving is a potentially high-risk activity and should only be undertaken by appropriately qualified people that have completed recognised training and certification. Victoria's cool water environments can be extremely challenging to those used to diving in warmer waters so ensure that local knowledge is sought before undertaking a dive in a new location. Dive charter operators can provide some of the best advice on diving in Victoria.

Marine National Park and Marine Sanctuaries Resource Kit – This education resources kit contains a comprehensive collection of many materials produced by Parks Victoria in relation to the Marine National Park system including lesson ideas for teachers and links to other resources.

• Great Otway National Park
• Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary
• Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary
• Point Addis Marine National Park