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The map illustrates Point Cook Homestead site. ,It is set in superb position fronting the beach of the Point Cook Marine Sanctuary. The old bluestone homestead was built in 1857 by the Chirnside brothers as the base of their original pastoral interests. I have tried to give a feeling of something of its history and its unique environment.

THE HOMESTEAD

The original house was built in 1857 by the Chirnside brothers. It has a lovely aspect, facing out to sea across the lawn and through the old Norfolk pines. The  steady activity of the past has all vanished and nowadays it has a romantic if melancholy aspect. There are  four main buildings, the bluestone homestead and a service wing, the weatherboard guest wing and a dairy/meat safe/ rabbiters cottage, which is the earliest building on the site (1849). The Homestead precinct contains introduced species, such as conifers and palms. The conifers were planted in the 19c as windbreaks. Today they give definition to the homestead gardens.

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POINT COOK COASTAL  SANCTUARY

The beach is a superb spot for some beachcombing, with a wonderful variety of shells and algae. The park contains the protected Marine Sanctuary. During the summer, visiting migratory birds move between this beach and sand flats, the wetlands and saltmarsh at Point Cook, and the Cheetham Wetlands. 

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THE POINT COOKE MARINE SANCTUARY 

The Sanctuary was created to ensure a representative samples of Victoria’s diverse and distinctive marine environment conserved for the future. It hosts a diversity of marine and coastal life. You may see pods of bottlenose dolphins or a mass of Fiddler rays in summer who congregate here as a breeding ground. 

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