Melbourne Water
Encyclopedia
Melbourne Water is a government owned statutory authority
that controls much of the water system in Melbourne
, Victoria
, Australia
including the reservoir
s, and the
sewerage
and drainage system
that services the city.
. It manages Melbourne's water supply catchments, sewage, rivers and major drainage systems throughout the Port Phillip
and Westernport region. Governance of Melbourne Water is by an independent Board of Directors
in conjunction with the Minister
for Water. Customers include the metropolitan retail water businesses (such as City West Water
, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water
.), other water authorities, local councils
and the land development industry. Melbourne water primarily operates under the Water Industry Act 1994
and the Water Act 1989. Melbourne Water was formed by the merger of Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works
and a number of smaller urban water authorities in 1992. The Victorian Water Industry Association (VicWater) is the peak industry association for water companies in Victoria.
, in 1857.
Water shortages in the late 1870's led to the construction of the Toorourrong
scheme in 1882–1885, and the Maroondah Aqueduct
in 1886–1891. In 1888 a large part of the upper Yarra valley was reserved for water supply purposes.
In 1891, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) was formed to manage Melbourne's water supply system. Its responsibility covered the Yan Yean Reservoir (supplemented by the Toorourrong
Scheme), the first stage of the Maroondah Scheme and six metropolitan service reservoirs.
MMBW continued to augment Melbourne's water supply with diversions from upland tributaries of the Yarra River. The Maroondah Scheme was extended with a pipeline diversion from Coranderrk Creek (1908). A diversion weir on the O'Shannassy River was completed in 1914 and replaced by the O'Shannassy Reservoir
in 1928. Maroondah Reservoir
was completed in 1927, replacing a diversion weir upstream of the site. The diversion of water from the Upper Yarra River commenced in 1939 with a weir upstream of the present dam and an aqueduct and pipeline to the O'Shannassy Aqueduct.
Silvan Reservoir was completed in 1932 to regulate the increased flows in the O'Shannassy Aqueduct from the Upper Yarra River and Coranderrk Creek diversions. Water flowed out of Silvan Reservoir through the Mount Evelyn Aqueduct; the aqueduct was later replaced by pipes but is still visible in places with the Mount Evelyn Aqueduct Walk alongside.
The Upper Yarra Dam
was completed in 1957, increasing Melbourne's total storage capacity to nearly 300,000 megalitres. While the Upper Yarra Project was being built, a 1.7-metre diameter pipeline from a basin near Starvation Creek to Silvan Reservoir was completed in 1953. A duplicate pipeline of the same diameter was completed in 1964.
In response to the severe drought of 1967–68, the diversion of Starvation, McMahons, Armstrong and Cement Creeks commenced between 1968 and 1971.
A reservoir was completed at Greenvale in 1971, with a capacity of 27,000 megalitres, to meet the growing need in the western suburbs, especially during summer.
Following the 1967–68 drought, construction of Cardinia Reservoir
was started in 1969 with it being filled to its 287,000-megalitre capacity in 1977, bringing Melbourne's total storage capacity to 610,000 megalitres.
To improve transfer capacity between Upper Yarra and Silvan reservoirs, and to enable water harvested from the Thomson River to be transferred to Cardinia Reservoir, the 2.1-metre diameter Yarra Valley Conduit and Silvan-Cardinia main were built in 1975.
In 1969 work commenced on diverting part of the flow of the Thomson River in Gippsland into the Upper Yarra River catchment. The final stage of the Thomson project concluded in May 1983 with an extension of the Thomson-Yarra Tunnel and completion of the dam wall. Thomson Reservoir has a storage capacity of 1,068,000 megalitres.
The Sugarloaf Reservoir
Project, including a major pumping station and water treatment plant, was completed in 1981, increasing Melbourne's total storage capacity by 95,000 megalitres. Sugarloaf uses water pumped from the Yarra River at Yering Gorge and water transferred from Maroondah Reservoir via the Maroondah aqueduct. Sugarloaf is important in meeting peak summer demand in the northern parts of Melbourne.
In 1991, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works was merged with a number of smaller urban water authorities to form Melbourne Water.
In 2008, work commenced on the North South Pipeline
from northern Victoria's Eildon
and Goulburn Valley
area to Melbourne
. Another project being planned to avert a water shortage in Melbourne is a desalinisation plant
to be built on Westernport Bay in Victoria's south-east.
.
. Catchment areas have been closed to the public for over 100 years .
Major catchment areas are:
In addition to the reservoirs in the table above, water is harvested via a number of diversion weirs:
Clearfell logging
is permitted in the Yarra Tributaries and Thomson catchment areas. This reduces Melbourne's water supply since young regrowth forest uses more water than existing forest It is estimated that 30 thousand megalitres of water could be saved per annum by phasing out logging. This represents 6% of Melbourne's annual usage.
is a $(AUS)3.1 billion desalination plant to be built in the Wonthaggi region of the Bass Coast
by the end of 2011. The plant is to provide an additional 150 gigalitres
of water each year. Construction of the plant is scheduled to commence in mid-2009. This project represents the single biggest boost to Melbourne's water system since the approval of the Thomson Dam
in 1975. While this project will supply water for Melbourne, it is being managed by the Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE) as a Public-private partnership
(PPP). DSE will award the tender for design, build and operation to another company who will in turn supply the water to Melbourne Water.
Statutory authority
A statutory authority is a body set up by law which is authorised to enforce legislation on behalf of the relevant country or state. They are typically found in countries which are governed by a British style of parliamentary democracy. They are common in the UK, Australia, New Zealand etc but...
that controls much of the water system in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
including the reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s, and the
sewerage
Sanitary sewer
A sanitary sewer is a separate underground carriage system specifically for transporting sewage from houses and commercial buildings to treatment or disposal. Sanitary sewers serving industrial areas also carry industrial wastewater...
and drainage system
Drainage
Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from an area. Many agricultural soils need drainage to improve production or to manage water supplies.-Early history:...
that services the city.
Overview
Melbourne Water is wholly owned by the Victorian State GovernmentGovernment of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
. It manages Melbourne's water supply catchments, sewage, rivers and major drainage systems throughout the Port Phillip
Port Phillip
Port Phillip Port Phillip Port Phillip (also commonly referred to as Port Phillip Bay or (locally) just The Bay, is a large bay in southern Victoria, Australia; it is the location of Melbourne. Geographically, the bay covers and the shore stretches roughly . Although it is extremely shallow for...
and Westernport region. Governance of Melbourne Water is by an independent Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
in conjunction with the Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
for Water. Customers include the metropolitan retail water businesses (such as City West Water
City West Water
City West Water is a government owned water company providing water and sewerage for the inner city suburbs and the western metropolitan areas of Melbourne, Australia. The main office is in Sunshine....
, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water
Yarra Valley Water
Yarra Valley Water is a retail water company owned by the State Government of Victoria .They provide water and sewer services to about 1.5 million people in the Melbourne, Australia area....
.), other water authorities, local councils
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
and the land development industry. Melbourne water primarily operates under the Water Industry Act 1994
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
and the Water Act 1989. Melbourne Water was formed by the merger of Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works
Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works
The Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works was a public utility board in Melbourne, Australia set up to provide water supply, sewerage and sewage treatment functions for the city...
and a number of smaller urban water authorities in 1992. The Victorian Water Industry Association (VicWater) is the peak industry association for water companies in Victoria.
History
Melbourne received its first piped water, from the Yan Yean ReservoirYan Yean Reservoir
Yan Yean Reservoir is the oldest water supply for the city of Melbourne, Australia. It is built on the Plenty River a tributary of the Yarra River, 30 km north of the city. A 9.5 metre embankment holds back 30,000 megalitres of water...
, in 1857.
Water shortages in the late 1870's led to the construction of the Toorourrong
Toorourrong Reservoir
Toorourrong Reservoir is a small reservoir located on the southern slopes of the Great Dividing Range approximately north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is operated by Melbourne Water and forms part of the Melbourne water supply system...
scheme in 1882–1885, and the Maroondah Aqueduct
Maroondah Reservoir
The Maroondah Reservoir is a small reservoir used to supply water to Melbourne, Victoria.Constructed in the 1920s by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, it is a concrete gravity dam. It is now operated by Melbourne Water....
in 1886–1891. In 1888 a large part of the upper Yarra valley was reserved for water supply purposes.
In 1891, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) was formed to manage Melbourne's water supply system. Its responsibility covered the Yan Yean Reservoir (supplemented by the Toorourrong
Toorourrong Reservoir
Toorourrong Reservoir is a small reservoir located on the southern slopes of the Great Dividing Range approximately north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is operated by Melbourne Water and forms part of the Melbourne water supply system...
Scheme), the first stage of the Maroondah Scheme and six metropolitan service reservoirs.
MMBW continued to augment Melbourne's water supply with diversions from upland tributaries of the Yarra River. The Maroondah Scheme was extended with a pipeline diversion from Coranderrk Creek (1908). A diversion weir on the O'Shannassy River was completed in 1914 and replaced by the O'Shannassy Reservoir
O'Shannassy Reservoir
The O'Shannassy Reservoir is located on the O'Shannassy River - a tributary of the Yarra River - near McMahons Creek, around 80 km East of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The reservoir is part of Melbourne's water supply system...
in 1928. Maroondah Reservoir
Maroondah Reservoir
The Maroondah Reservoir is a small reservoir used to supply water to Melbourne, Victoria.Constructed in the 1920s by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, it is a concrete gravity dam. It is now operated by Melbourne Water....
was completed in 1927, replacing a diversion weir upstream of the site. The diversion of water from the Upper Yarra River commenced in 1939 with a weir upstream of the present dam and an aqueduct and pipeline to the O'Shannassy Aqueduct.
Silvan Reservoir was completed in 1932 to regulate the increased flows in the O'Shannassy Aqueduct from the Upper Yarra River and Coranderrk Creek diversions. Water flowed out of Silvan Reservoir through the Mount Evelyn Aqueduct; the aqueduct was later replaced by pipes but is still visible in places with the Mount Evelyn Aqueduct Walk alongside.
The Upper Yarra Dam
Upper Yarra Dam
The Upper Yarra Reservoir is located east of Melbourne, beyond Warburton within the locality of Reefton. Water from Upper Yarra Reservoir supplies towns in the upper Yarra Valley, and Silvan Reservoir, which transfers water to most parts of Melbourne....
was completed in 1957, increasing Melbourne's total storage capacity to nearly 300,000 megalitres. While the Upper Yarra Project was being built, a 1.7-metre diameter pipeline from a basin near Starvation Creek to Silvan Reservoir was completed in 1953. A duplicate pipeline of the same diameter was completed in 1964.
In response to the severe drought of 1967–68, the diversion of Starvation, McMahons, Armstrong and Cement Creeks commenced between 1968 and 1971.
A reservoir was completed at Greenvale in 1971, with a capacity of 27,000 megalitres, to meet the growing need in the western suburbs, especially during summer.
Following the 1967–68 drought, construction of Cardinia Reservoir
Cardinia Reservoir
Cardinia Reservoir is a 287,000 megalitre water storage located in Emerald-Clematis-Dewhurst in south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Construction started in May 1970 and was completed in 1973 at a cost of more than A$11.4 million dollars.-History:...
was started in 1969 with it being filled to its 287,000-megalitre capacity in 1977, bringing Melbourne's total storage capacity to 610,000 megalitres.
To improve transfer capacity between Upper Yarra and Silvan reservoirs, and to enable water harvested from the Thomson River to be transferred to Cardinia Reservoir, the 2.1-metre diameter Yarra Valley Conduit and Silvan-Cardinia main were built in 1975.
In 1969 work commenced on diverting part of the flow of the Thomson River in Gippsland into the Upper Yarra River catchment. The final stage of the Thomson project concluded in May 1983 with an extension of the Thomson-Yarra Tunnel and completion of the dam wall. Thomson Reservoir has a storage capacity of 1,068,000 megalitres.
The Sugarloaf Reservoir
Sugarloaf Reservoir
Sugarloaf Reservoir is a reservoir located north-east of Melbourne. It was completed in 1981. Its total capacity is 96 GL. As of February 12, 2010 the reservoir sits at 67.1% of capacity. It reached nearly 80% in late 2009 after reaching nearly 10% in May...
Project, including a major pumping station and water treatment plant, was completed in 1981, increasing Melbourne's total storage capacity by 95,000 megalitres. Sugarloaf uses water pumped from the Yarra River at Yering Gorge and water transferred from Maroondah Reservoir via the Maroondah aqueduct. Sugarloaf is important in meeting peak summer demand in the northern parts of Melbourne.
In 1991, the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works was merged with a number of smaller urban water authorities to form Melbourne Water.
In 2008, work commenced on the North South Pipeline
North South Pipeline
The North–South Pipeline, also known as the Sugarloaf Pipeline, is a water pipeline in Central Victoria, Australia, northeast of Melbourne...
from northern Victoria's Eildon
Eildon
Eildon is the largest committee area of the Scottish Borders Council, with a population of 34,892 at the latest census in 2001.-Places in Eildon:...
and Goulburn Valley
Goulburn Valley
The Goulburn Valley is a region of Victoria, Australia. The region consists of those areas in the catchment of the Goulburn River and other nearby streams, and is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. The Goulburn Valley is bordered on the south by the Great Dividing Range and to the north by the...
area to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Another project being planned to avert a water shortage in Melbourne is a desalinisation plant
Melbourne desalination plant
The Wonthaggi Desalination Plant is a water desalination plant currently under construction on the Bass Coast near Wonthaggi, in southern Victoria, Australia, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011...
to be built on Westernport Bay in Victoria's south-east.
Water restrictions
Melbourne Water has a system of restrictions to manage water supplies into the future. It reports on storage levels on Thursday each week while an interactive graph compares actual use. Further reviews of restrictions will be needed to counter an ongoing drought,poor rainfall and record low storage levels and rising water use compared with past years. An overview of Australian water restrictions (including Melbourne Water) is found hereWater restrictions in Australia
Water restrictions have been enacted in many cities and regions in Australia, which is the Earth's driest inhabited continent, in response to chronic water shortages resulting from the drought. Depending upon the location, these can include restrictions on watering lawns, using sprinkler systems,...
.
Infrastructure
The water supply system operated and managed by Melbourne Water comprises:- catchments covering more than 140,000 hectares.
- ten major storage reservoirs with a capacity of 1,810,500 megalitres.
- 64 service reservoirs that provide short-term storage.
- about 1300 kilometres of distribution mains and aqueducts.
- 18 water pumping stations, used to pump water from low lying areas to higher areas.
- five water filtration plants.
- 49 water treatment (disinfection) plants.
Water storages
Melbourne Water manages the ten Melbourne reservoirs outlined in the table below. Total storage capacity is 1,810,500 megalitres.| Reservoir | Capacity (ML) | Year completed | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thomson | 1,068,000 | 1983 | 37°50′34"S 146°23′56"E |
| Sugarloaf Sugarloaf Reservoir Sugarloaf Reservoir is a reservoir located north-east of Melbourne. It was completed in 1981. Its total capacity is 96 GL. As of February 12, 2010 the reservoir sits at 67.1% of capacity. It reached nearly 80% in late 2009 after reaching nearly 10% in May... |
96,000 | 1981 | 37.6749°N 145.3051°W |
| Cardinia Cardinia Reservoir Cardinia Reservoir is a 287,000 megalitre water storage located in Emerald-Clematis-Dewhurst in south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. Construction started in May 1970 and was completed in 1973 at a cost of more than A$11.4 million dollars.-History:... |
287,000 | 1973 | 37.9637°S 145.4102°E |
| Greenvale Greenvale Reservoir Greenvale Reservoir is an off-stream water storage dam in northern Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is situated in the upper Yuroke Creek catchment, the major tributary of the Moonee Ponds Creek... |
27,000 | 1971 | 37°37′53"S 144°54′17"E |
| Tarago Tarago Reservoir Tarago Reservior is a 37580 megalitre water storage located on the Tarago River near Neerim South, approximately east of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.... |
37,500 | 1969 | 38°1′S 145°56′E |
| Upper Yarra | 200,000 | 1957 | 37°41′S 145°55′E |
| Silvan | 40,000 | 1932 | 37°50′S 145°25′E |
| O'Shannassy O'Shannassy Reservoir The O'Shannassy Reservoir is located on the O'Shannassy River - a tributary of the Yarra River - near McMahons Creek, around 80 km East of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The reservoir is part of Melbourne's water supply system... |
3,000 | 1928 | 37°40′30"S 145°48′20"E |
| Maroondah Maroondah Reservoir The Maroondah Reservoir is a small reservoir used to supply water to Melbourne, Victoria.Constructed in the 1920s by the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works, it is a concrete gravity dam. It is now operated by Melbourne Water.... |
22,000 | 1927 | 37°38′05"S 145°33′47"E |
| Yan Yean Yan Yean Reservoir Yan Yean Reservoir is the oldest water supply for the city of Melbourne, Australia. It is built on the Plenty River a tributary of the Yarra River, 30 km north of the city. A 9.5 metre embankment holds back 30,000 megalitres of water... |
30,000 | 1857 | 37°33′S 145°08′E |
Water supply catchments
Around 80% of Melbourne's water is sourced from uninhabited forests in the Yarra Ranges and Central Highlands. In excess of 1,570 square kilometres is reserved for water catchment. These forests primarily consist of Mountain AshEucalyptus regnans
Eucalyptus regnans, known variously by the common names Mountain Ash, Victorian Ash, Swamp Gum, Tasmanian Oak or Stringy Gum, is a species of Eucalyptus native to southeastern Australia, in Tasmania and Victoria...
. Catchment areas have been closed to the public for over 100 years .
Major catchment areas are:
- Wallaby — 9100 ha (within the Kinglake National ParkKinglake National ParkKinglake is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 50 kilometres northeast of Melbourne. The park includes tracks , and camping facilities....
), 1.9 per cent inflow - Maroondah — 16540 ha (within the Yarra Ranges National ParkYarra Ranges National ParkYarra Ranges is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 92 km east of Melbourne. It covers the headwaters of the Yarra River in the ranges themselves and several water catchments for Melbourne's domestic water supply....
), 10.8 per cent inflow - O'Shannassy — 11870 ha (within the Yarra Ranges National Park), 11.4 per cent inflow
- Upper Yarra — 33670 ha (within the Yarra Ranges National Park), 18.7 per cent inflow
- Yarra Tributaries (Armstrong, Cement, McMahons and Starvation Creeks) — 13480 ha (State Forest), 3.8 per cent inflow
- Thomson — 48700 ha (mainly State Forest and small section Baw Baw National ParkBaw Baw National ParkBaw Baw is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 111 km east of Melbourne. It contains the Baw-Baw Plateau and Mount Baw Baw, a small ski resort, including nearby town, technically outside the national park....
), 35.3 per cent inflow - Sugarloaf — water is pumped from the Yarra River and fully treated, 10.7 per cent inflow
In addition to the reservoirs in the table above, water is harvested via a number of diversion weirs:
Clearfell logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
is permitted in the Yarra Tributaries and Thomson catchment areas. This reduces Melbourne's water supply since young regrowth forest uses more water than existing forest It is estimated that 30 thousand megalitres of water could be saved per annum by phasing out logging. This represents 6% of Melbourne's annual usage.
Seawater Desalination Plant
The Seawater Desalination PlantMelbourne desalination plant
The Wonthaggi Desalination Plant is a water desalination plant currently under construction on the Bass Coast near Wonthaggi, in southern Victoria, Australia, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2011...
is a $(AUS)3.1 billion desalination plant to be built in the Wonthaggi region of the Bass Coast
Bass Coast Shire
Bass Coast Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-eastern part of the state, less than 90 minutes from Melbourne, and includes the popular tourist destination, Phillip Island...
by the end of 2011. The plant is to provide an additional 150 gigalitres
Litre
pic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
of water each year. Construction of the plant is scheduled to commence in mid-2009. This project represents the single biggest boost to Melbourne's water system since the approval of the Thomson Dam
Thomson River Dam
The Thomson Dam is located on the Thomson River about 130 km east of Melbourne in Gippsland near the former township of Beardmore and the Baw Baw National Park....
in 1975. While this project will supply water for Melbourne, it is being managed by the Department of Sustainability & Environment (DSE) as a Public-private partnership
Public-private partnership
Public–private partnership describes a government service or private business venture which is funded and operated through a partnership of government and one or more private sector companies...
(PPP). DSE will award the tender for design, build and operation to another company who will in turn supply the water to Melbourne Water.
Northern Sewerage Project
Northern Sewerage Project is a major infrastructure project to increase the capacity of the sewerage system in Melbourne's growing northern suburbs. It will also help protect the Merri and Moonee Ponds Creeks by virtually eliminating sewage overflows that can occur after heavy rain.See also
- Lakes and Reservoirs in MelbourneLakes and Reservoirs in MelbourneMelbourne is a city in south-eastern Australia. Most major lakes are used for recreational purposes, mostly sailing, rowing, canoeing and kayaking, but some are used for activities like water skiing or swimming...
- List of reservoirs and dams in Australia
- Werribee Sewage FarmWerribee Sewage FarmWerribee Sewage Farm or, more formally, the Western Treatment Plant of Melbourne Water, is an 110 km² sewage treatment farm adjacent to the town of Werribee, 30 km west of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, on the coast of Port Phillip Bay...