Be Bushfire Smart

Management Planning

On 8 June 2009 the Federal Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, the Hon. Peter Garrett AM MP transferred the 90 hectares of Commonwealth land featuring featuring the former Quarantine Station to the State of Victoria. Parks Victoria has been charged with the management of the Quarantine Station.

The site will be included in the the Point Nepean National Park, fulfilling the the long-term aspirations of the community to establish a single national park at Point Nepean which would be preserved for future generations.

Further information:
Point Nepean National Park management plan (7.2mb)
Future Directions Statement (June 2009) (348kb)

• Quarantine Station Community Open Day (Sun, 6 Dec 2009)

Explore Point Nepean's historic fortifications and enjoy fabulous ocean and bay views.

Enhance you experience of Point Nepean by downloading the audio guides for one of the four self-guided walks or one of the five audio guides on the history of the area.

Either listen before you make your way to the park or download them onto your MP3 player and listen to them as you enjoy the park.

Quarantine Station Community Open Day - Sunday 6th December

Celebrate the historic opening of the Point Nepean Quarantine Station to the Victorian Community. Enjoy free guided tours, loads of kids activities, free commemorative souvenir booklet, free bike and transporter rides, live entertainment, local produce and Ranger Roo performances.

For further information view the Point Nepean Open Day Flyer.

Cycling at Point Nepean

Visitors can enjoy cycling through the park on any day of the year. You can bring your own bicycle or hire one from the visitor centre. Cycling is permitted all on roads which are open to public vehicles, including the sealed roadway from the Point Nepean visitor centre to Fort Pearce. After purchasing a ticket from the visitor centre, cyclists can continue along the scenic five kilometres to Fort Pearce, which is located one kilometre from Fort Nepean. Cycling is not permitted beyond Fort Pearce as the track is not suitable for bicycles. All bicycles must be left at the cycle rack provided.

Coles Track is for the shared use of cyclists and walkers. Cyclists can ride approximately 2km along the meandering bushland track from Gunners Cottage to Defence Road. This section of the track was completed in June 2009. Further works will connect the Coles Track with the Point Nepean Quarantine Station.

To allow adequate time to explore the fortifications, cyclists must commence their ride two hours prior to closing. Please check with the visitor centre for up-to-date opening times, entrance fees and road conditions.

Safety for cyclists
All bicycle and road regulations apply within Point Nepean. Wear your helmet and remain on the left hand side of the road at all times. The five kilometre roadway is shared with different road users including management vehicles, the park transporter and park visitors driving to Gunners carpark or the former Quarantine Station. Please prepare your bicycle before visiting and carry a suitable repair kit and a bicycle lock.

When being approach or passed by the transporter, stop and wait for it to pass. Do not overtake the transporter unless it is stationary. Point Nepean is not suitable for inexperienced or learner cyclists due to several hills, sharp bends and management vehicles using the roadway. All young cyclists must be over five years old and escorted by and experienced adult cyclist.

• A wide range of hotels, motels, guest houses, bed and breakfasts and camping and caravan parks are available in and around the townships of Sorrento and Portsea.
• Camping is not permitted in the park.
• A transporter service operates daily from the Point Nepean Visitor Centre to Point Nepean with three stops along the way. It also passes the historic Quarantine Station.
• The park closes at 5pm.

Point Nepean entry fees

Adult	Day Pass	$8.10
	Entry and transporter (return)	$16.80
Child (5 - 15 years of age)/ Pensioner	Day Pass	$3.90
	Entry and transporter (return)	$9.90
Family (Two adults and up to four children, Aged under five admission is free)	Day Pass	$20.60
	Entry and transporter (return)	$43.50

Bookings are essential for groups. Call the Point Nepean Park Office on (03) 5984 4276 to book. Bike Hire $16.50 (three hours).

Over the years, including the last 40,000 years of Aboriginal occupation, the area known as Point Nepean has become enriched with environmental and cultural history. The Quarantine Station was established on the shores of Port Phillip Bay in 1852. It was used to protect the colony of Melbourne from ship borne diseases. While the site is yet to be opened to the public check out the Quarantine Station photo gallery for a sneak preview.

The Point Nepean Cemetery contains burials from the 1850s and are historically linked to early European settlement, quarantine, shipwrecks and defence.

Fort Nepean contains an extensive system of fortifications built from the 1880s through to the World War 1 and World War 2. Interpretive displays and audiovisuals are located in several areas and tell the story of defence.

The Australian Heritage Commission has listed the historic values on Point Nepean on the Register of National Estate. The area is also classified by the National Trust for its landscape values, including the western extremity of the Nepean Peninsula.

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

A remote and protected location, Point Nepean is a home to animals including bandicoots and the New Holland Mouse, and its intertidal zone is a habitat for a wide variety of shellfish and marine invertebrates.

Regionally important species include the White-footed Dunnart, Long-nosed Bandicoot, Black Wallaby, Singing Honeyeater, Spiny-cheeked Honeyeater, Blue-winged Parrot and Hooded Plover.

Native vegetation communities include coastal dune scrub and grassy forests, banksia woodlands, coastal heathlands, heathy woodlands, riparian forests, and swamps.

A number of vegetation communities, particularly coastal grassy forests, banksia woodlands and sand heathlands, have been greatly depleted since European settlement and are of particular conservation significance.

• To protect soils and vegetation, please keep to walking tracks.
• Firearms, and dogs and other pets, are not permitted.
• No motorised cycles are permitted. A bicycle lock is recommended when leaving your bicycle for a walk. Parks Victoria and the Licensed Operator take no responsibility for loss, theft or damage to bicycles.
• Fires and camping are not permitted.
• Please take all rubbish away with you for recycling or disposal.
• Don't disturb or remove any plants or animals.

• No swimming
• Some cliffs are unstable. Observe warning signs.
• Ocean beaches can have dangerous undertows and unexpected large waves.
• There may still be unexploded ordnance in the Point Nepean area. Keep to roads and tracks and observe signs.

Point Nepean Section
Walter Pisterman Heritage Walk from Gunners Cottage to the Bay is promoted as being an accessible feature of this site. It is generally accessible, but lacks hand rails and is steep in parts. The most accessible route near the historic fort building leads from the shuttle-bus stop to the Old Barracks site via a tunnel, and back again via Gun Emplacement No.1. Other paths in this area have isolated obstacles such as steps and uneven surfaces limiting their accessibility.

• Arthurs Seat State Park
• Collins Historic Settlement Site
• Coolart Wetlands and Homestead
• Mornington Peninsula National Park
• Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary
• Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park