Point Nepean National Park

Audio Guides Transcript

The award winning audio guides were produced in March 2011 to bring the history of Point Nepean

alive through the narration of its many stories. Parks Victoria worked together with iTours

Australia, a company which combines technology with sound research and contemporary

storytelling techniques, and community to capture the natural and social history of Point Nepean

for visitors to learn from and enjoy. There are over 30 audio topics.

Available in English, the tour can be downloaded for free at www.parks.vic.gov.au or visitors can

loan (no cost) an iPod Nano with headphones in the park for the day.

This transcript of the audio guides as been prepared for hearing impaired visitors.

The content is for personal use only and cannot be reproduced without express

permission from Parks Victoria. Download this copy before your visit, or request a

hard copy at the Information Centre.

For further information call the Parks Victoria on 13 1963.

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Content

Chapter Title Page

1 Welcome to Country #

2 Welcome to Point Nepean National Park 3

3 Quarantine Station - Lime mortar and the Sullivan family 4

4 Quarantine Station - The Ticonderoga’s legacy of horror 5

5 Quarantine Station - The perfect location for enforced isolation 6

6 Quarantine Station - The Yellow Flag 7

7 Quarantine Station - Mixed blessings 8

8 Quarantine Station - First class hill-top; third class beach-side 9-10

9 Quarantine Station - Taking quarantine seriously 11

10 Quarantine Station - From World War I to Spanish Flu 12

11 Quarantine Station - “Just my rotten luck” 13

12 Quarantine Station - Isolated and shunned 14

13 Quarantine Station - The Officer Cadet School 15

14 Quarantine Station - A day in the life of an Army Cadet 16

15 Quarantine Station - Search pockets for grenades 17

16 Quarantine Station - Safe haven for Kosovars 18

17 Fort Nepean - The nation’s most protected port 19-20

18 Fort Nepean - No luxuries at Fort Nepean 21

19 Fort Nepean - Females at Fort Nepean? You bet there were! 22

20 Fort Nepean - The shots that signaled Australia to war. 23

21 Fort Nepean - Deep sea graves 24

22 Around the Park - Prime Minister Harold Holt is missing 25

23 Around the Park - The SS Cheviot’s final hour 26

24 Around the Park - Not so Happy Valley 27

25 Around the Park - Guns, bazookas and antitank warfare 28

26 Around the Park - A bright night light 29

27 Around the Park - Ready aim fire 30

28 Around the Park - Communication and cattle 31

29 Around the Park - A sad and lonely end 32

30 Around the Park - Magnificent marine habitat 33

31 Around the Park - Parrots, plovers and nightlife 34

32 Around the Park - Our rare Moonah Woodlands 35

# This script does not include the text for the Welcome to Country

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Chapter 2 Welcome to Point Nepean National Park

Welcome to the Point Nepean National Park, an isolated wind-swept peninsula of rare and delicate coastal

habitat and rich cultural heritage. For over one hundred years Point Nepean protected Melbourne and

Victoria from war and disease, and today the remains of these activities can be viewed and explored.

Fort Nepean, which is located right at the tip of Point Nepean, was built in the late 1800s. Many of the

original fortifications are still in place including concrete gun emplacements connected by a network of

bricked tunnels.

Of particular interest are the disappearing guns – part of late 1880s warfare. They were originally located

atop Eagle’s Nest and at Fort Nepean.

A visit to the Quarantine Station offers a unique opportunity to see an infectious disease processing facility

still in place. Here you will find a community of hospitals, a disinfecting complex, a morgue, cemetery and

much more.

From the 1950s the station was home to the Officer Cadet School. Take a walk through the Range Area - so

named after the firing ranges that were located throughout.

Parks Victoria acknowledges that this is the traditional land of the Bunurong / Boonwurrung people and

includes the Mornington Peninsula. The special association and connection with the land continues and

remains strong. For thousands of years the park was seasonally visited by the Bunurong / Boonwurrung

people and extensive shell middens are evidence of their occupation and activities. Please respect their

heritage and leave these important places undisturbed.

For the less adventurous, relax in the shade of the Moonah trees – bent into wild shapes by long exposure

to the winds. They are part of a healthy coastal habitat complete with wildlife including echidnas,

bandicoots, wallabies, reptiles, insects and many wading and migratory sea birds.

Walk, cycle, jog or take the Shuttle Bus. There are no café facilities available. No water is available beyond

Gunners Cottage, so be prepared before you leave. Point Nepean National Park is a place of outstanding

natural and cultural heritage. Leave plants in place, please give all wildlife ‘right of way’, keep to the tracks

and enjoy your visit.

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Chapter 3 Quarantine Station - Lime mortar and the Sullivan family

The 1840s and 1850s was a time of intensive growth in Melbourne. Building sites were dotted throughout

the colony.

The British preferred their buildings to have the clean lines and decorative details afforded by brick,

despite timber being more readily accessible. Lime was the central ingredient in brick mortar, and so

limestone was in hot demand.

Dune limestone found along the Point Nepean coastline led to the area’s first major industry.

Lime is extracted from the limestone when it is subjected to intense heat. Early processes involved

building a pyre of wood, brush and limestone. The end result was a mixture of lime and ash. Kilns were

then introduced to produce a cleaner lime. These were cone-shaped and hand-dug into the limestone

coastal hillside and lined internally with hand-made bricks.

The cone shape construction was open at the top and allowed the limestone to be fed from above and the

lime to be collected at beach level. The lime was then transported by barge to Melbourne.

At the industry’s peak, 17 lime-burning kilns dotted the Nepean Peninsula servicing 25 barges. Two

operated here at Point Nepean, one run by William Cannon, the other by Patrick Sullivan and family.

The Sullivans lived here prior to the Quarantine Station. Their kiln was located on the beach beneath

hospital accommodation no.1. The Sullivans were forced to leave when the area was acquired for a

Quarantine Station. They built the stone cellar beneath Shepherd’s Hut in 1845. Shepherd’s Hut is the

small white building to one end of the parade ground.

Remnants of the kilns still exist and can be seen from the beach in the cliffs below the Quarantine Station.

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Chapter 4 Quarantine Station - The Ticonderoga’s legacy of horror

As the immigrant ship, Ticonderoga came into view on the 4th November 1852 it was flying a yellow flag

indicating fever. The Ticonderoga was not the first to fly a yellow flag but it was the first to be directed to

Point Nepean, the site recently chosen for a quarantine station’.

Onboard were the surviving passengers of an over-crowded, three-month voyage of horror. Of the 51 crew

and 814 passengers (19 were born on-route), 100 had died and as many as 400 remained seriously ill.

There had been two doctors on board the double-decked ship, but they had been powerless to stem the

spread of typhus – which had quickly taken hold in the lower deck by the unchecked presence of lice

thriving in poor ventilation and unsanitary conditions.

There was no infrastructure at Point Nepean yet, so the hospital ship, Lysander was sent. The Government

schooner, Empire was also dispatched and transported enough food for three days. It was obvious upon

arrival how under-resourced they were. They hastily erected temporary tents to house the sick, but

another 70 people died of the fever before the drama was abated. With no grave diggers available, the

deceased were buried by family members.

The ship had not been well designed for passenger comfort. The lower deck was barely more than two

metres in height. Passengers were crammed two to a metre wide bed. Sanitary provisions were

inadequate, decks were not swabbed properly or regularly - in fact the lower deck went without cleaning

at all. The deceased were piled ten deep on mattresses and dumped overboard.

Health Inspectors reported the magnitude of the suffering:

“The ship, especially the lower part was in a most filthy state, and did not appear to have been cleaned for

weeks, the stench was overpowering, the lockers so thoughtlessly provided for the Immigrants use were full

of dirt, mouldy bread, and suet full of maggots, beneath the bottom boards of nearly every berth upon the

lower deck were discovered soup and bouille cans and other receptacles full of putrid ordure, and porter

bottles etc, filled with stale urine, while maggots were seen crawling underneath the berths….”

To which Lieutenant-Governor La Trobe remarked that the conditions on board were of no surprise. He

wrote that the emigrants selected for the Ticonderoga had a “… repugnance to cleanliness and fresh air

which distinguish certain classes of the labouring population in Europe.”

So, it seems the passengers were to blame for their state of filth and disease and not over-crowding or lack

of adequate facilities.

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Chapter 5 Quarantine Station - The perfect location for enforced isolation

Quarantining of diseased ships began in 1840 at Red Bluff, now known as Point Ormond (near Elwood).

The ship Glen Huntly was the first to be anchored there after ten deaths at sea and another fifty cases of

fever still requiring medical treatment.

Several more ships were quarantined at Red Bluff. The ill remained on board while the well – but possibly

still infectious – were accommodated on shore. However the 1852 discovery of gold saw a change in the

behaviour of those left on shore. Under cover of darkness they would disappear and head for the

goldfields!

A more remote location was needed. Point Nepean was chosen as the perfect isolated site. As Dr Thomas

Hunt, the Port Health Officer reported in May 1852; “… its position isolated, its anchorage good and easy

of access … The soil is sandy and at all times dry; the air pure. Water is procured by sinking wells …although

somewhat aluminous and impregnated with lime.”

There were no townships and access in and out of the area was difficult. Very few inhabited the point,

aside from the lime burners and seasonal Aboriginal occupation by the Boonwurrung people.

When the plague ship, Ticonderoga arrived in November 1852, there was an urgency to get infrastructure

in place. The lime burners were quickly dispatched with and the few rustic dwellings that they had built

were requisitioned.

Ticonderoga’s healthy passengers, those with stone mason skills, were put to paid work constructing a

stone storehouse. This helped stave off boredom. Still, the conditions on shore remained primitive for

some considerable time. One local remembers seeing the ill sleeping in bark shelters with attendants

waving branches over them to keep off the flies!

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Chapter 6 Quarantine Station - The Yellow Flag

For those that lived along Port Phillip Bay, the sight of an immigrant ship was an exciting one. Like people

the world over, they would clamber to the shoreline, waving their hands and hats in welcome. Those on

board would crush together for a view of their new home, returning the welcome with calls of their own. If

the ship carried armament, a round of gunfire might be heard.

But the sight was dramatically different when a plague ship arrived. There would be no one on deck, no

gunfire. The ship would move slowly, deathly, ghostly. At first, those on shore would be mystified, and

wonder at the deathly quiet. Then the sight of the Health Officer arriving alongside the tall ship would

send a shudder through the onlookers.

Reluctant to set foot on board himself, the health officer might ask for a conditions report from the safety

of his vessel. If the news was black he may have to begrudgingly step aboard and assess the situation for

himself. Then the yellow flag would be hoisted up the mainsail and cries of despair and terror would be

heard from the shore. Flying a yellow flag heralded disease and death and the frightened spectators would

run from its sight – hoping that the disease could not be carried on the wind.

If you worked at the Quarantine Station, the sight of the yellow flag also created anxiety. With little to no

prior warning, the staff at the Station would be helpless to know what plague was about to land on their

doorstep. What would it be this time: typhus, smallpox, cholera, measles or influenza?

The yellow flag has been flown as a symbol of quarantine since the 14th Century. Why the colour yellow

was chosen has many explanations, including the connection to the yellow crosses that were marked on

homes whose inhabitants had disease during the great plagues of 18th Century England.

Years ago, to avoid the spread of infection, ships would be required to anchor for 40 days before landing.

This 40 day wait was known as ‘quaranta-giorni’ the Italian word for 40 days. The word quarantine was

derived from this.

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Chapter 7 Quarantine Station - Mixed blessings

With the yellow flag advertising its plague ridden status an unfortunate ship would anchor off Point

Nepean and await processing. Captains, desperate to be relieved of their human cargo might lie about the

number and nature of death and illness onboard just to get clearance to continue to port. Many an

argument ensued with Health Inspectors, who always won. No ship could leave without the necessary

paperwork so the vessel would remain anchored in Ticonderoga Bay until further notice.

After months at sea this brought mixed blessings for passengers.

For the sick, the voyage was finally over and they would soon be in the care of hospital staff. But for the

healthy this detainment and isolation on top of the indignation of being subjected to disinfection was

beyond acceptable. At times the objections were so strong that police were needed to prevent escapes.

For all, the sight of the sick and dead carried off on stretchers was terrifying, and enough to quell protests.

Was this to be their fate as well? To survive the perils of sea travel just to die on this horrible stretch of

wilderness?

Everyone, regardless of health, would be ferried ashore and taken into the processing rooms. The males

and females would be separated, stripped, scrubbed in hot showers, then lined up, medically examined

and vaccinated.

If you were found to be harboring disease, you were given a red ticket. This indicated you were to be sent

to the isolation ward (which in later years was right next to the morgue). If you were deemed healthy, you

were given a green ticket and sent to other hospital accommodation.

You would watch as your bedding and luggage might be burned, boiled, or in later years disinfected in a

large steam pressure oven. Your clothing would be sent through a formaldehyde gas disinfection process

to kill lingering insects or disease. This process ruined good clothing, and signs pinned to the walls

reminded staff not to send silks, satins, feathers, bonnets and hats through the ovens.

Whether you were happy to be in safe hands, or outraged by the treatment, your voice meant nothing.

Your isolation was for the greater good of all. You had few rights in the law of quarantine.

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Chapter 8 Quarantine Station - First class hill-top; third class beach-side

STEERAGE

Dear dad,

Edward told me that he wrote to you already about the dousing we got at the disinfecting room. You

should have seen the first class passengers sneering at us. I don’t care; I’m finally off that death ship and

am clean!

We have been given big beds in huge rooms. There’s a kitchen and fresh food, including meat. They even

have a bathhouse with hot showers! But they don’t trust us, not like the first class passengers. We have a

superintendent in charge of what we do and where we go. We’re in hospital block number 4, which is next

to number 5, the isolation ward, where they care for the sick. Edward noticed that our building is opposite

the old cemetery. He says this is for ease of transport! He’s got your wicked sense of humour!

Unfortunately we have been divided from Eddy senior! All the men were sent to barracks somewhere.

The days are uneventful. We walk and collect shells. Some of the men swim though I am surprised they

risk it. What about the sharks?

For my part, I like to sit and watch the daily trade of ships and paddle steamers. I have just seen the mail

schooner heading for shore – they only come twice a week, so I better finish this and hand it over.

We are all in good health.

Your loving daughter, Sarah.

SALOON

My dear boy,

We were not been permitted to stay in our cabins as I had previously written. The law requires us to be

housed on shore with the sick! Thankfully not in the same quarters, and a good distance away from the

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steerage passengers. Still, we were outraged and at first refused to move.

When we were finally ferried ashore our luggage was disinfected using formaldehyde! Vile smelling gas. I

suspect my silks are now ruined. Then we were told to shower followed by a vaccination! I understand

why this was necessary for the steerage passengers, but to treat first class in such a way? The indignity of

it all!

We share a large room in a hill top hospital block. After months at sea, can you imagine what our view is?

The sea! I don’t deny it is a pretty view, and if it weren’t for flies during the day, and mosquitoes at night I

might enjoy the panorama!

We are provided with dining facilities and food. I have not seen or smelt a piece of salted pork since

arriving, thank the Good Lord for that! The furniture is very basic; hard little beds, benches and dressing

tables, which must be shared. And showers are communal.

In the evenings we fill our time with chess, draughts or cards and tomorrow your brothers are going

fishing, so at last their boredom will be relieved. I have noticed the single women from steerage relieving

their boredom by disappearing into the undergrowth with the local men! It’s to be expected from such

people I suppose.

But I am not one to complain, so enough of my misery.

We should be released sometime a fortnight hence.

Stay healthy my son.

Love, Mother.

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Chapter 9 Quarantine Station - Taking quarantine seriously

The Quarantine Station began here in 1852 on what was a desolate, windy and unwelcoming stretch of land.

There was little here of use in the early days, aside from a few remaining houses left by the lime burners.

There have been several building phases since.

The first buildings were simple wooden structures. In the late 1850s a Jetty and five two-storey hospital

blocks, numbered one to five beginning at the hilltop end, were erected.

In the 1860s a communal bathhouse was built along with a washhouse outfitted with dedicated facilities to

deal with infected clothing.

A second building phase occurred in the late 1800s. Telegraph communication was making building in remote

locations easier. The Quarantine Station now took on animals as well as people. A jetty for this purpose was

built at Observatory Point. Other infrastructure included a school for residents and a crematorium. The latter

serviced the leprosy patients who were housed well away from the main Quarantine Station.

In 1901 the Federation of Australia was proclaimed and quarantine moved from state to Commonwealth

control. This resulted in a number of new processing policies and infrastructure along with allocating 170

hectares to the defence department.

Medical practices had advanced and quarantine was now a scientific-based branch of preventive medicine.

The Foul Luggage Receiving store, Disinfection and Boiler buildings were designed and became models for

quarantine centres throughout the nation.

The large centrally located Administration Building was erected in 1916. With its handsome façade the

building was an impressive addition to the Station. Except for an intense period during the Spanish Flu

pandemic in 1919 during which twelve wooden ‘Influenza huts’ were built, the need for isolated quarantine

facilities began to lessen.

The army was billeted here during World War II, and the Station became the Officer Cadet School between

1952 and 1985. A final building phase occurred in the 1960s resulting in Army barracks, a library and

gymnasium. The School of Army Health used the facilities between 1985 and 1998.

The Quarantine Station ceased its original role in 1980. In 2009 it became part of the Point Nepean National

Park.

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Chapter 10 Quarantine Station - From World War I to Spanish Flu

Radio Broadcaster

“-TROOPSHIP QUARANTINED-15th NOVEMBER 1918-: WOUNDED AND SICK SOLDIERS HAVE ARRIVED IN

VICTORIA, BUT AS THE VESSEL BY WHICH THEY TRAVELLED TOUCHED AT A PORT WHERE SPANISH INFLUENZA

IS PREVALENT, THE SOLDIERS HAVE BEEN PLACED IN QUARANTINE FOR A WEEK AT PORTSEA.”

Quarantining ships and people usually came in waves. Quiet for months on end, then a rush of casualties

would hit our shores and the Quarantine Station would fill with activity.

Nothing quite prepared the Station, or in fact the nation, for the rush that began in late 1918.

The Spanish flu was a world wide pandemic. It began in June 1917 and continued its dreadful path of

destruction for 3 and a half years. Well over 60 million people died world wide, and almost half a billion were

infected.

Australia managed to ward off the flu for 1 and a half years. This was largely due to strict maritime quarantine

measures. It finally hit our shores in November 1918. During this tense time, 11,800 people – mostly

immigrants and returning soldiers – were quarantined at Point Nepean, with a further 117,410 people

examined during onboard inspections.

The Quarantine Station had coped with pandemics before. If overcrowding was an issue, tents could be

erected, or patients treated onboard ship. But the numbers associated with the Spanish Influenza were

alarming and out of control.

A quick solution was required. Twelve ‘Influenza Huts’ were built in just five weeks, of which 11 still survive

today. They accommodated the ill carried in from the 300 ships that were quarantined during this period.

Despite these rigorous measures, 12,000 people throughout the nation lost their lives to Spanish Flu.

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Chapter 11 Quarantine Station - ”Just my rotten luck!”

“Just my rotten luck! A case of measles aboard our ship, the Irishman, has seen us all committed to

quarantine. And not a small case of measles! 1,295 of us infected on one ship alone! It is now 10 days later

and we are still anchored off Portsea - 800 of us stuck onboard this damn floating prison.

When we first arrived in Port Phillip Bay, the authorities wouldn’t let us leave the ship! They want us all to

suffer together, and I heard that two died in the first few days here.

It is hard to believe that we can still die from measles in 1912, but this is the German Measles, apparently a

very infectious strain. OK, keep us in quarantine; but can we at least stay onshore?

The next thing we hear is that the married men are to be separated from their families, disinfected and

sent to Melbourne town. Well, we’ll not have it! We banded together and refused to leave.

So the Minister was called in and drove down to Portsea with extra police on hand. Apparently we are

being unreasonable, unruly and riotous. Not so sir! We are being harassed and forced into detention! We

are of good health!

This morning they announced that the healthy single men and women would be allowed ashore to stay in

tents. Tents? The place is filled with hospitals and buildings, and we have even agreed to bring our own

bedding. Now they tell us that we CAN be accommodated in the hospitals after they have enclosed the

verandahs in tarpaulins, but most of us still have to stay onboard.

To be honest, by the time they sort out who can stay, who can go and where we are to be housed, we’ll be

at the end of our quarantine time and ready for release.”

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Chapter 12 Quarantine Station - Isolated and shunned

Point Nepean was also used to contain the spread of infectious disease within the Victorian district.

Separate facilities to cope with those suffering from consumption and leprosy were developed in the

1880s.

A small cluster of isolated huts housed the leprosy sufferers between 1885 and the 1930s. Leprosy is a

chronic bacterial infection characterized by skin legions and nerve damage to the hands and feet. It

was once fatal and incorrectly believed to be highly contagious. The camp was located near the cattle

jetty – about 1 and a half km west of the Quarantine Station.

The buildings were painted black inside which may have had something to do with reducing glare on

damaged eyes. The area was known as Leper Station, and staff were not permitted to touch the

patients despite research as early as the 1870s identifying the disease as not transmitted by touch.

A crematorium was built in 1893. Prior to this a death from leprosy usually required a pyre to be built

for cremation. All belongings and bedding were burnt and the rooms disinfected.

It is unclear how many people were housed at ‘Leper Station’ and how they were fed or in fact cared

for. How did they spend their days in such isolation?

The last surviving patients were transferred to Coode Island in Maribyrnong in the 1930s. A cure for

leprosy was found in the 1970s.

The Leper Station no longer exists, but the grave of at least one Chinese leper patient can be seen at

the Point Nepean cemetery.

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Chapter 13 Quarantine Station - The Officer Cadet School

Between 1952 and 1985 the Quarantine Station became the training ground for Australia’s middle

ranking officer program. The Officer Cadet School trained Second Lieutenants for the Australian Army.

Cadets undertook an exhausting 44-week program.

It was a perfect location. Remote and private with protected areas for rifle practice, surveillance

training, and physical endurance activities. The Quarantine Station offered a range of accommodation

for sleeping, dining, socialising and study. The large grassed area to the front of the Administration

Building became the main parade area, and is forever more known as The Parade Ground.

Phil Davies was the last Commandant at The Officer Cadet School. He oversaw the introduction of

women into the training:

“The male chauvinism that I thought might have emerged didn’t. In our field training, and there was a

lot of it at Portsea, there was no leeway given where the women would not participate, and they

carried machine guns and 20 kilo packs. In the theoretical training, that is, tactics, signal training,

military law and all those subjects, the women excelled.”

It wasn’t all fighting and military practice. Social protocols were taught and dance classes were a

requisite. Left footed young men fresh from crawling through the undergrowth with goodness knows

what still embedded in their finger-nails found themselves struggling to Gypsy Tap or Waltz with the

local women.

For two weeks in 1954 The Officer Cadet School reverted back to its original role as a Quarantine

Station when migrant ship, Straithard arrived with a suspected outbreak of small pox. The Army

cleared out during this dangerous time of infection. With little contact from quarantine staff, the sick

and distressed migrants were required to cook for themselves. Their daily food was left in a basket at

the entrance to the Station. It finally came to pass that the outbreak was chicken pox. What a start to

a new life!

Reminders of The Officer Cadet School can be seen at the Rifle Range.

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Chapter 14 Quarantine Station - A DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN ARMY CADET

Radio Broadcaster:

“Welcome listeners to today’s special feature: ‘A Day in the Life’ of an army cadet at the Officer Cadet

School at Point Nepean.

The cadets have been training at the former Quarantine Station since 1952. The intensive program

lasts for 44 weeks, and at the end of this time cadets become Second Lieutenants in the Australian

Army.

The training is rigorous both mentally and physically.

Days begin with the call of a bugle at 0600 hours – that’s army talk for 6am. The cadets then shower,

dress, straighten their rooms and prepare their equipment for the day ahead. Rooms must be ready for

inspection by Section Commanders. Breakfast is at 0700 followed by marching or drill parade.

There are parades for everything: meals, lectures, sport, evening activities, and field instruction – even

for church on Sundays. Punishment for missing a parade is joining the Defaulters Parade (chuckle) and

also being given the kinds of chores we all like to avoid! These all occur on the Parade Ground, which is

an expansive grassed area right at the water’s edge.

Mornings are filled with weaponry practice at Point Nepean’s various ranges including rifle and

machine gun ranges, mortar and rocket launch ranges and even hand grenade field practice. Lunch is

followed by more instruction including field-radio practice and strategy planning.

The toughest tasks are the physical endurance tests. These include completing a demanding obstacle

course or jogging up and down the Point Nepean hills in full battle kit – boots, weapons, packs; the lot!

This is no easy feat, but we want our soldiers to be in the peak of health and fitness, don’t we

Australia?

And just when most of us would be considering a sit down, the cadets change uniform at 16.30 (that’s

army for 4.30pm) and contribute to a variety of team sports offered at the school. This fills their time

until they change into formal wear for an early dinner, which is followed by study time and a final

parade at around 10pm. There is not a lot of time to socialize, but I can’t see how they would have the

energy! The Military Tattoo ends the day and all is quiet until the bugle calls again.”

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Chapter 15 Quarantine Station - Search pockets for grenades!

School of Army Health

After the Cadet school vacated the Quarantine facilities in 1985, the Department of Defence moved

its medical School of Army Health here. The area became known as Norris Barracks and played an

important role in training personnel to cope with the extremes associated with medical requirements

on the battlefield.

The Army Medical Corps has supported every action in which Australia has been committed. Their

role is pivotal in the welfare of soldiers facing the most horrific conditions imaginable.

The stirring tale of Simpson and his donkey, now a well-known part of Australian national history, is

the story of Jack Simpson (Kirkpatrick) who was serving in the 3rd Field Ambulance. For more than a

month he used a lost donkey to transport 300 injured soldiers to the relative safety of the Gallipoli

beaches. He died saving those he served with complete disregard of his own welfare.

Medical training for such conditions was the focus at Norris Barracks. Hygienic conditions and the

latest medical equipment were rarely available in battle. So training needed to teach medical staff to

function intelligently under extreme duress, when their life was as much at risk as those they were

serving.

Battlefield first aid, makeshift procedures and natural remedies were important to know and practice.

Training guidelines included an unusual list of Dos and Don’ts:

‘Don’t use loaded rifles as splints’,

‘Don’t forget to remove ammunition and loaded revolvers from casualties. Search pockets for

grenades’

‘Don’t hoard stretchers, the field ambulances are very short of them and there is barely sufficient

reserve’

‘Don’t forget to help the man in front’, and above all else,

‘Don’t complain about what you have not got; see what you can do with the things you have got!’

Which is exactly what Simpson did. Perhaps this is good advice for us all.

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Chapter 16 Quarantine Station - Safe haven for Kosovars

The Bosnian War in 1999 saw the decimation of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The

Serbian-Albanian conflict was ferocious and bloody. As part of our global humanitarian responsibility,

and at the request of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Australia offered short-

term sanctuary for 4,000 Albanians from the disputed territory of Kosovo.

This act of generosity became known as Operation Safe Haven and involved a special Bill being passed

in parliament to allow for Federally supported temporary residency in Australia. The visas were issued

for three months with extensions allowed until it was declared safe to return.

Point Nepean’s Quarantine Station became the home for 400 Kosovars.

During this time the Kosovars were treated to Australian hospitality. They were given bilingual

support, school and a weekly allowance. Various charitable and cultural organisations participated

and the families were entertained with visits to museums, zoos, festivals and special events.

By June 1999 it was declared safe for return home. Some Kosovars had already returned to attend to

urgent family matters. Like refugees the world over, as long as home is safe that is where they would

rather be.

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Chapter 17 Fort Nepean - The nation’s most protected port

Melbourne was once the most protected city in Australia. As a colony of the British empire, Australia

was seen as vulnerable to attack from her enemies. Melbourne was a major trading port, so Port

Phillip Bay became the heaviest defended harbour in the southern hemisphere.

Defence included forts at Queenscliff, Point Nepean, Fort Franklin at Portsea, Swan Island and an

artificially created island called South Channel Fort. This created a ring that protected entry into Port

Phillip Bay and was known as the ‘Gibraltar of the South’.

Point Nepean was well fortified. In order of construction, the batteries were: Fort Nepean, Eagle’s

Nest, Fort Pearce and Cheviot Hill.

Fort Nepean began in 1880 and was designed to engage enemy ships as they tried to enter the bay. It

was serviced by artillerymen who were ferried from Fort Queenscliff. The fort consisted of three,

eventually four, gun emplacements that were serviced by a series of pits, tunnels, and observation

posts built into the dunes and sandstone. Explosives were held in underground rooms called

‘ammunition magazines’ which were connected to gun emplacements by a series of vertical lifts.

The artillerymen worked in the passages and compartments below ground. To reduce any risk of

explosion, ammunition and associated components only came together at the gun site. When

entering the magazine, uniforms and boots were removed to reduce sparks. Special overalls and

canvas shoes – later rubberized – were worn.

Light was needed in the tunnels, so oil lamps were placed in specially glazed niches that eliminated

flammables from entering the magazines.

In 1888 the accidental cutting of submarine telegraph cable linking Australia to Britain sparked a fear

of war. Disappearing guns were installed at Fort Nepean and Eagle’s Nest. These intriguing guns

remain one of the highlights of a visit to Point Nepean. The hydraulics enabled the gun to be raised for

20

firing then the power of the gun’s shot forced it to recoil back down. Not only did this protect the

location of the gun, but it also allowed loading to occur in the relative safety of the pit.

These guns were replaced in 1910 with the long-range 6-inch Mark VII guns that could engage the enemy

well out at sea. The disappearing gun at Eagle’s Nest was not replaced. Instead it was buried and only

recently rediscovered.

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Chapter 18 Fort Nepean - No luxuries at Fort Nepean

“I was called up to serve when World War II was declared in 1939. Fort Nepean was quite remote; no

roads, just sandy tracks so you had to walk your gear in. It was cold and windswept in winter, and

humid and mosquito infested in summer. And flies all year round! There was no running water, and

only cold showers.

Accommodation was at Fort Pearce in fibro huts with iron bunk beds; two joined together separated

only by a ‘decency’ board. I was given a large hessian bag and directed to a pile of straw. I was to fill it

as my mattress!

I was a gun sergeant for the 6-inch Mark VII guns and stationed at the same battery that had fired the

first shot of the war. The guns were mounted on a pedestal base in an exposed area. This base had

been adapted from when they were disappearing guns. One of the duties I had was to stand in the pit

and apply range readings. The first time the gun went off I was stunned and this was the beginning of

my hearing loss.

We were in a watch system of three – one on, one in reserve and one off. This included engineers who

were also stationed at the barrack, although we didn’t communicate with them much; they lived

separately to us. Their job was to man the searchlights which operated intermittently so as not to

disclose our location. But we had one sentry beam on continuously and this light helped spot vessels in

trouble. I helped rescue crew from one after we spotted it with the light.

Life was routine, attend the guns or participate in other duties. Not much social life. If you wanted to

go anywhere you had to walk out from the base and try to hitch a ride into Portsea or Sorrento. Then

you’d have to walk all the way back, in the dark, along those sandy tracks.

That’s about it really. I was at Fort Nepean for two years, except for a stint in the Quarantine Station

when I contracted dengue fever.”

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Chapter 19 Fort Nepean - Females at Fort Nepean? You bet there were!

“I was amazed to find that people didn’t know women had served at Fort Nepean. Well I was one of

many, so I’m living proof!

I was stationed at Fort Nepean between 1943 and 1945 during the second world war. The first things I

remember when I arrived at Pearce Barracks were the sound of crashing waves on the beach, the taste

of salt in the air, and the smell of fresh paint! (Small chuckle) Apparently the men had quickly painted

over graffiti in the bathroom. It gave us a laugh, but we welcomed the consideration.

We were thrown right into things. I was a gunner, meaning I manned the guns. Our shifts were in two

lots of 8 hours: from 4pm to midnight, then midnight to 8am. The next 8 hours were divided.

If you were not already on the night shift, your day began at 0600 hours – which is 6am. 6.30 in

winter. You’d stand by the foot of your bed for roll call, then shower and breakfast. If you were not on

duty, you filled your time with cleaning fatigues, showers, laundry … And we had to keep the coppers

burning to fuel the hot water.

We had our own facilities, but dined at the officers’ mess. The food was OK, but the main meal was

served at 6pm, then nothing til 7am breakfast, and by then we were starving!

On duty at the larger batteries would be one male officer and two female gunners. The first girl was

the signaler; the second was the range finder. There was one desk, one hot-line phone and just one

chair – which the officer got to use! That was life for 8 hours a day.

I was often alone for 8 hr shifts at a smaller battery. But I had no complaints about the isolation – the

chair was all mine!

There was no transport for us at the Point. We had to walk everywhere or take the boat if we needed

to get to Queenscliff. On the way back we would disembark at Fort Nepean then have to walk up 117

steps. But sometimes there were about 120 or 170 steps depending upon how rough the crossing had

been. And there were times when it could be really rough!

So, remember me next time someone tries telling you that there were no women at Fort Nepean!

23

Chapter 20 Fort Nepean - The shots that signalled Australia at war

It was the 5th August 1914. Germany had declared war on Russia and Australia was likely to join

Britain if it went to war. Fort Nepean was fully manned and at the ready.

The captain of the German coal steamer, Pfalz had come to the same conclusion. The ship was being

loaded with coal at Victoria Dock, Melbourne, but nerves got the better of the captain, and he

ordered the loading stopped and the engines fired. He wanted to reach the safety of the open seas.

Pfalz steamed as fast as possible towards the Heads, which that day wasn’t going to be a difficult

crossing. Relieved to have open seas in his easy sights, the captain relaxed. It was 12.40pm.

At Fort Nepean the soldiers were tense, especially the gunners manning the large, long-range 6 inch

Mark VII guns. These huge weapons had replaced the five disappearing guns and two quick-firing,

short-range guns that had been installed in the late 1800s. There were now two Mark VII guns at Fort

Nepean, and two at Fort Pearce.

Australia was declared at war at 12.45pm. Fort Nepean was ordered to stop the Pfalz. Signals were

sent, but ignored. There was nothing for it. The soldiers aimed one of the massive guns and sent a

single shot right across the bow of the ship. It was a perfect warning shot – no casualties.

Pfalz turned about and the crew was arrested. The ship was found to be carrying 4-inch guns, with

plates drilled onto the deck to mount them. Had the ship crossed into open seas, it could have

become a significant threat. As it turned out, it did serve in the war, but as an Australian troop ship

named Boorara.

The beginning of the second world war began in similar circumstances. On this occasion a small Bass

Strait freighter, the Woniora was on her way into the bay on the 3rd September 1939. News of the

impending war had just been delivered and all ships were to be stopped and examined before

entering the harbour.

The order to stop was given, but the little freighter ignored it. Again the Mark VII guns aimed their

sights and a warning shot whizzed across the bow of the ship. The frightened captain quickly

identified the ship as the freighter Woniora and it was permitted to continue its journey.

These gunshots were the first fired by Australia for both World Wars and came from Mark VII guns at

Fort Nepean. These guns are now displayed nearby, at the Fort’s former parade ground.

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Chapter 21 Fort Nepean - Deep sea graves

As an island continent, our fledgling Australian colony relied on shipping to connect us to the rest of

the world. Despite the dangers of sea travel throughout the 1800s, hundreds and thousands of sea

voyages were taken in the most treacherous of waters. The entrance to Port Phillip Bay is known as

one of these dangerous crossings.

The bay is accessed through a narrow entrance between Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale where only

one kilometre is sailable. A third point at Queenscliff completes a triangle body of water well known

for its rocky reefs and turbulent rip.

A shallow marine bed known as the ‘Rip Bank’ marks the Heads. This reef drops suddenly to 30 then

90 metres, and this inconsistent sea level, along with fast flowing tidal streams causes the rip. This

crossing is rated as one of the most dangerous in the world. It is little wonder then that more than

100 shipwrecks have occurred here.

Matthew Flinders, one of Australia’s great pioneering explorers got his ship, Investigator stuck on the

muddy bottom during his first expedition into the bay in 1802. Luckily for the crew Flinders was skilled

enough to free the ship. But the experience had an impact on him and he wrote of the crossing to

warn others.

Not so lucky was the clipper ship Corsair, in 1874 and the newly built barque Eliza Ramsden, in1875.

They both hit a large submerged rock known as Corsair Rock, but without any loss of life. The Corsair

sank, while the Eliza Ramsden managed to free herself before sinking in the bay. She is now a prized

diving destination.

The SS Petriana sank after hitting the rock in 1903. She was the first oil spill recorded in Australian

waters. Other steam ship casualties include Cheviot, 1887, Australia, 1904, Thistle, 1945, and Time, in

1949.

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Chapter 22 Cheviot Beach - “Prime Minister Harold Holt is missing”

(News reader) “Here is a news flash on this day, the 17th December 1967. Our Prime Minister Mr Holt

is missing. At 12 o’clock today he went for a swim on the ocean side of the Portsea back-beach at an

area called Cheviot Beach.

He was with a friend, Alan Stewart of Armadale. Both were strong swimmers and keen snorkelers, and

frequently swam the chilly Bass Strait waters. But the sea was turbulent today and after a few

moments Stewart realised that he could no longer see the Prime Minister.

An intense land, air and sea search is continuing, but there are growing fears for Mr Holt.”

Prime Minister Harold Holt was never seen or heard from again, despite Australia’s biggest search

operation ever executed for an individual.

Harold Holt had been Prime Minister for less than two years when the tragedy occurred. He regularly

swam at the beaches near his holiday house in Portsea. He especially liked the privacy of Cheviot

Beach which, due to the military presence at Point Nepean, was a restricted area.

His death created world headlines. After all, how many other countries had completely lost their

leader before? His swimming skills and familiarity to the beach fueled plenty of conspiracy theories,

including a sensational CIA plot complete with snipers, submarines, deep-sea operatives, a leaded

body bag permanently attached to the sea floor, assassins blending in with the search parties, and

then all concerned executed one by one over the ensuing years.

The truth is probably more ordinary. Cheviot Beach is known to have a tidal rip, and is located near

dangerous reefs. His disappearance is likely to be due to an unfortunate accident in a notorious

stretch of dangerous waters.

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Chapter 23 Cheviot Hill - The SS Cheviot’s final hour

It was the 19th October 1887 and a strong southwesterly was blowing. It was not a great night to be out on

the seas g but this was not the first time the SS Cheviot had encountered such weather. And there was a

schedule to keep, people waiting in Sydney and a full cargo of wine, metals and foodstuffs to be delivered.

So the ship steamed towards the Port Phillip Heads, oblivious to its impending doom.

For those of you not familiar with the Heads, it is the narrow rocky opening that divides the sheltered

waters of Port Phillip Bay from the wild oceans of Bass Strait. There is a notorious rip that creates

turbulence above and below the waters, and a large submerged rock called Corsair Rock.

For several moments on that fateful day the Cheviot thought it had made it through. Then the propeller

either failed or hit Corsair Rock. “All hands on deck! Set the Sails.” There was panic onboard and the crew

frantically tried to turn the drifting ship.

Distress flares were fired as the ship hit the reef. A lifeboat was launched from Queenscliff, but couldn’t

make it through the Heads. Captain Richardson did all he could, but to no avail. The ship crashed into

rocks and began to break up. Passengers who stayed below were trapped and drowned as the ship split in

two. Others were thrown overboard and battered against the rocks.

The lifeboat reached the ship some 7 hours later, and managed to save 18 lives. Three others escaped in

the dingy, one swam to shore and two were rescued by a rope fired from the beach. As dawn broke, the

damage was assessed. 35 lost, 24 survivors and another ship sent to a watery grave by the infamous

entrance to Port Phillip Bay.

Cheviot beach now bears the ship’s name. In the 1950s Minister Harold Holt, a keen snorkeler, salvaged

two portholes and a length of chain believed to be from the Cheviot. Later, as Prime Minister, Mr Holt,

himself, succumbed to the hazards of Cheviot Beach – but that is another story entirely!

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Chapter 24 Happy Valley - Not so Happy Valley

There is a quirky turn of phrase that Australians like to use. They twist a description to be the opposite of

what it actually means. For instance, those with red hair are nicknamed ‘Bluey’.

So when a group of soldiers were forced to live in awful accommodation in a remote, humid, wet, dirty,

mosquito-infested camp that they all hated, they called it Happy Valley.

Officer:

“The purpose of our enforced stay in Happy Valley was to man two long-range 6 inch Mark VII guns that

had been installed in 1942. Japanese dive-bombers became a huge threat during World War II. We moved

the guns from very exposed emplacements at Fort Pearce to more camouflaged locations at Cheviot Hill.

Now the Happy Valley barracks were cramped. Each hut slept 12 men in bunk beds with, oh just a small

space between for all our gear – our guns, our tin hats, our coats. And most nights were shared with

scorpions and mosquitoes. Ah, those damn mosquitoes were dreadful! Our tank water had to have a layer

of Kerosene on top to prevent the mossies from breeding! We had to drink that foul water.

And the flies - the mess was right out in the open where we battled the flies for every bite we took. We put

out fly traps that collected hundreds, but they stunk so bad we had to get rid of them.

The area was used for Italian Prisoners of War at some stage. Those poor men – to be interned at Happy

Valley; because it was not a happy place, it was miserable.”

Take the Cheviot Hill Discovery Walk to see views from the highest place at Point Nepean. This trail takes

you through some of the picturesque Moonah woodlands, and past a cleared area that was once the

Happy Valley Camp. This walk links to the Range Area Walk.

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Chapter 25 Range Area - Guns, bazookas and antitank warfare

From 1952, the Quarantine Station was shared with the Officer Cadet School. Students were trained at the

school to become Second Lieutenants in the Australian Army.

Weapons training was a daily cadet activity and included shooting and hand grenade practice along with

anti-tank warfare. Practice stations were located throughout the Range Area and illustrate the seriousness

of the cadet’s practical training.

There were three 25 metre Pistol and 9mm Sub-machine Gun Ranges. Officers in the Army were more

likely to carry pistols than rifles, so pistol training was much more intensive for officer cadets than for

infantrymen. Targets would be attached to wiring between posts and cadets would stand or lie at shooting

blocks. These ranges can still be seen on the Range Area Walk and Defence Road.

Other places no longer accessible in the Range Area include the pitted remains of foxholes and dugouts as

part of hand grenade practice and a shooting course set up to test three distinctly different firing reflexes.

This course was known as a Gallery, Snap and Sneaker Range.

There was also Harrison’s Bowl, a demonstration space for anti-tank weapons such as small mortars, rifle

propelled grenades and rocket launchers.

After such intensive military use, the ranges were carefully examined for unexploded artillery shells

(known as U.X.O). The paths are safe, although it is advisable to keep to the tracks at all times.

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Chapter 26 Range Area - A bright night light

Named for the nation’s most famous of soldiers,

Built like a fort with its battlements plain,

Set in a firing range; scrub, sand and boulders,

Suitable place for the Army to train.

The poem was written by artist and Australian Naval Officer Dacre Smyth. It’s about the Monash Light,

which stands 47 metres above sea level on an exposed hilltop in the Range Area. The light was built in

1930, and transferred to its present site 2 years later.

Monash Light is one of several navigational lights that are located on land and in water. They guide ships

towards the safety of deepwater channels and away from the underwater obstacles and rocky coastline.

Its white beam can be seen for 18 nautical miles, which is just over 33 kilometres in distance.

The light is named after Sir John Monash who rose to be a well-respected member of our civil engineering

and military services. He fought in the first world war and was the Commanding Officer at Fort Nepean

between 1897 and 1908. Many other local features carry his name such as the district of Monash, Monash

University and Monash Freeway.

The original brick structure resembles a fort, and as the poem suggests, this is a nod to its cultural location

and its namesake. A marble plaque set into the brickwork bears the name MONASH.

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Chapter 27 Range Area - Ready, aim, fire

The Range Area Walk will take you to places used for military training during the life of the Officer Cadet

School. The Rifle Range is, in particular, an impressive site. This long stretch of land was kept free of

vegetation and used for long distance shooting practice. Here the cadets practiced with rifles, sub-machine

and machine guns.

The firing range is six lanes and 400 meters in length with firing mounds at variable distances.

At one end of the shooting range you will see the firing mounds still in place. These were used to support

rifles during shooting practice. At the other end you will notice stop butts. Stop butts were mounds of

earth, thick metal sheeting or concrete construction that stopped the bullets going any further. Targets

were mounted at the stop butts.

The stop butt mounds were later updated to an American DART system, which looked something like a

dartboard. The remnants of the DART system are still evident as steel hatched pits along the east side of

the range.

The white-bricked tower you can see was used for observation.

As with everything in Point Nepean National Park, this is a heritage site. Please leave everything as you find

it.

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Chapter 28 Coles Track - Communication and cattle

Not only was Point Nepean used to Quarantine people but also livestock. In 1878 a cattle jetty was built 1.5

km west of the Quarantine Station, near Observatory Point, and connected to a series of cattle yards. It was

in use between 1885 and the 1930s and prevented the spread of disease such as the foot and mouth virus.

A small collection of huts nearby was used to house those suffering from leprosy. The coastal scrub has now

grown over the remains of these structures.

What still exists of both the jetty and the cattle yards are visible from the Coles Track. Coles Track was built

in the 1940s for a telephone line as part of Melbourne’s defences during World War II.

At the end of the track, where it meets Defence Road you will find the remains of two Machine Gun

Emplacements. Of all the facilities developed in Australia, very few were engineered fortified structures

especially designed for machine guns. These fortresses were known as pillboxes due to their hexagonal or

oval shape resembling pill containers.

The two along the Coles Track are unique and are mounted on a knoll overlooking the Nepean beach. There

was some concern of an attack from within the bay, perhaps from forces landing on the beach. However

unlikely this might have seemed, it was better to be prepared for all eventualities, and each emplacement

supported two machine guns. Barbed wire was also strewn across the beach to prevent the enemy from

landing.

The Coles Track is also a great location to see echidnas. Echidnas are shy and will retreat into the

undergrowth or dig into the soil if they hear you coming, so tread quietly.

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Chapter 29 Point Nepean Cemetery - A sad and lonely end

There are few cemeteries that tell such sad stories. Stories of dashed hopes and destroyed dreams, of

being struck down by disease at sea or here in quarantine and buried far from home, of giving birth or

being born into a world of virus and plague with little chance of survival.

The Point Nepean Cemetery is filled with these stirring tales.

The original cemetery was started after the arrival of the plague ship Ticonderoga in 1852. 100 passengers

had died en-route from typhus, and another 70 were to lose their life on shore.

They were hastily buried close to the beach where it was quickly noticed that erosion would soon expose

the remains. Bodies were relocated two years later to this more suitable place.

Several tombstones represent the victims of that fateful, awful voyage. One tells the horror of the McRae

family who lost five members of their family within two months at sea.

The new cemetery became the resting place for about 300 people, including quarantine deaths, and

victims from shipwrecks or accidents. Some of our early settlers are buried here, as is one leprosy patient

and three unfortunates from the shipwreck Cheviot.

Some of the bodies were not removed from the Quarantine Station for another hundred years. These

include Ticonderoga victim third-mate William Boyle, and month old Jane Maw. Their graves now sit just

outside the cemetery perimeter.

The original cemetery can be found at the Quarantine Station and is marked by an Egyptian styled stone

burial vault.

The Walter Pisterman Heritage Trail begins here at the Point Nepean Cemetery and takes you through

pristine coastal bushland to the beach. Echidnas and other wildlife are regulars along the path. The trail

joins the Coles Track.

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Chapter 30 Marine National Park - Magnificent marine habitat

Is the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park Victoria’s best-kept environmental secret? It might be for its

rock pools, tidal mudflats, intertidal sandy beaches and underwater gorges support a huge diversity of

animals and plants existing in unique marine habitats. 90% of our marine life is found nowhere else on

earth.

Imagine diving into meadows of emerald green seagrass, forests of dark green kelp, and deep gorges

colourfully lined with yellow, red, and orange sea-sponges. There you would be delighted by the iridescent

blue spots of the sapphire coloured Western Blue Devilfish as it shyly peeks out from a crevice or a rock

shelf; or be amazed at the range of patterns and colours of the sea-snails.

The Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park is extensive, covering 3,580 hectares. It includes areas around

Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale, Swan Bay near Queenscliff, Popes Eye (which was built in the bay to

support a fort but never finished), nearby Mud Island (which is located near Popes Eye inside the Heads

opposite Portsea), and a highly popular dive site, a marine gorge called the Portsea Hole.

The rocky shoreline is also part of the park and supports invertebrates including marine snails and worms,

starfish, crabs and other crustaceans, along with coastal plants, geology and indigenous heritage.

From Point Nepean you might spot Bottlenose Dolphins, Australian Fur Seals and Little Penguins. The

Southern Right Whale is a seasonal visitor to Bass Strait, and in rare moments in the bay itself.

34

Chapter 31 Around the Park - Parrots, plovers and nightlife

There is a good reason to thank the Quarantine Station and the Army for their occupation of Point

Nepean. By restricting access to the site the landscape was saved from major environmental disruption.

Parts of the park have needed little or no restoration, while in others there have been significant steps

taken to bring back the original habitat – particularly the Coastal Moonah Woodlands.

Wildlife that are under threat elsewhere continue to thrive here. Species include migratory wading birds,

parrots and honeyeaters, marsupials, lizards, snakes and insects.

Echidnas can be spotted along Coles Track, and Black Wallabies can be seen at the Range Area.

If you hear the distinctive chatter of parrots, you might catch a glimpse of our colourful Crimson and

Eastern Rosellas. They come in to dine on native seeds located throughout the park. They also look for tree

hollows in which to nest. Tree hollows take years to form and often only appear on aged or dead trees.

Such trees are left as important habitat for our native parrots.

Hooded Plovers are a welcome sight along the beaches and dunes. Look for a light coloured, short, stocky

bird with a black head and white collar. They have red beaks, red eyes and orange legs. They build their

nests in primary dunes, which are at risk from foot-traffic, foxes and ravens. Hoodies need a protected

area, like Point Nepean, to survive.

You would be very lucky to spy the White-footed Dunnart, but even if you did, you might mistake it for a

mouse. These tiny nocturnal marsupials are brownish in colour with a long slim tail. They are insectivores,

and prey on beetles, bugs, worms and the occasional skink. They nest in the grasslands, scrub and heath.

The Long-nosed Bandicoot is also a resident at Point Nepean National Park. These small illusive marsupials

are nocturnal. They have a highly sensitised snout that can smell grubs or worms just below the surface,

and will dig them out with incredible speed.

The remnant coastal vegetation supports a high number and diversity invertebrates including beetles,

spiders, butterflies, caterpillars, dragonflies and cicadas. A rich diverse insect life is often the sign of a

healthy ecosystem. Insects and the plants they rely on are the foundation of land-based ecosystems.

Reptiles, birds and mammals rely on their presence for food and to ensure the survival and distribution of

plants.

Before complaining about coastal insects, give a thought to the important role they play in a vast number

of food chains and life cycles. If you didn’t think of it this time, bring your binoculars on your next

visit.

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Chapter 32 Around the Park - Our rare Moonah Woodlands

There is a very special habitat native to Point Nepean. It is the Coastal Moonah Woodlands and is the

largest and most intact habitat of its kind along the Port Phillip coastline.

The habitat bears the name of the dominant tree species, the Moonah tree. Moonah trees are part of the

Melaleuca family. Their presence, along with she-oak, tea-tree and coastal banksia form a protective

canopy that allows smaller shrubs, grasses, sedges and flowering herbs to flourish. They also support

threatened orchids, of which several species are found at Point Nepean.

Moonah trees can withstand nutrient deprived soils, lack of water and intense winds. Buffeted by the

harsh Point Nepean weather, they twist into fascinating shapes. These strange deformed trees produce

tiny leaves along their branches upon which white ‘fluffy’ cone-shaped flowers bloom.

Before Moonah trees dominated, this landscape also supported casuarina – or she-oaks. These trees were

largely destroyed when early settlers discovered that she-oaks burnt at very high temperatures but

produced little ash. Throughout the Victorian coastline she-oaks disappeared into the ovens and limekilns

of the early settlers.

The result at Point Nepean was a tangled mess of tea-tree, weeds and some struggling Moonah trees.

When the Officer Cadet School moved in, the landscape became littered with exploded and unexploded

artillery shells, more commonly referred to as U.X.O, which stands for Unexploded Ordnance.

To ensure visitor safety a controlled burn removed the understory so that U.X.O could be detected and

removed. Artillery shells were found from grenades, shoulder-fired rockets, and anti-tank rocket missiles.

The burning helped restore ecological balance. It destroyed weeds and reduced the proliferation of tea-

tree. The Moonah trees had the chance to grow again and create the open woodlands that so many of the

native wildlife and plants depend upon. Ultimately this will lead to a much more diverse and abundant

habitat.

The End.