EstuaryWatch Data Portal

The Aire River originates in the high rainfall Otway Ranges to the west of Apollo Bay in Victoria, and has been identified in the Heritage Rivers Act 1992 as one of 18 Heritage River Areas in Victoria.

The Aire River is one of the largest rivers in south-western Victoria and enters the sea via a large estuarine lake complex west of Cape Otway. The Aire valley is a floodplain of the combined Aire, Calder and Ford river systems. These rivers coalesce before flowing out to sea at the Aire River mouth. The valley consists of private agricultural land, a wildlife reserve, and the Otway National Park including a natural lake and wetland system.

The Anglesea River Estuary is approximately 2.618km in length with a catchment area of 885.1 Ha. There are extensive boardwalks, bridges and trails around the estuary which provide many opportunities to get up close to the estuary.

The Balcombe Creek estuary is in Mt. Martha. The estuary extent is limited by the outfall at Briars Park wildlife reserve. The entrance is downstream of the Nepean Highway and is open intermittently to Port Phillip Bay.

The Barham enters the sea between Apollo Bay and Marengo after meandering across a broad tidal waterway, an uncommon river style within the region. The Barham River Estuary is 2.980km in length, with a catchment area of 192.1Ha that contains several geologically significant sites.

The Barwon River Estuary is the largest in the region at approximately 19km in length and with a catchment area of 17,310Ha and extends from the internationally significant wetland at Lake Connewarre to the sea at Barwon Heads. The Barwon Estuary supports the westernmost occurrence of the White Mangrove in Victoria.

Bourne Creek is a small intermittently closing and opening coastal estuarine lagoon (ICOLL) located to the east of the Kilcunda township. The majority of the creek that is considered estuarine is located within protected crownland reserves with good vegetation cover (i.e. the Kilcunda Creek Water Frontage and Kilcunda Coastal Reserves). The broader catchment that feeds the estuary with freshwater is approximately 10 square kilometres, extending as far north as the Kilcunda Ridge Road. This catchment is relatively steep, eroded and contains very little remnant or newly established vegetation.  

Coal Creek Estuary is situated in Harmers Haven is 6.8 km from Wonthaggi in West Gippsland.  EstuaryWatch Volunteers conduct Mouth Condition Monitoring here.

Curdies Inlet is the estuarine lagoon of the Curdies River at Peterborough in south western Victoria.  Curdies River catchment and its major tributaries, Scotts Creek and Cooriemungle Creek, enclose an area cited as 1245 square km.

The Erskine River Estuary is very short in length at approximately 0.85km, with a small catchment area of 72Ha. Around 80% of this catchment area is in the Great Otway National Park. The estuary flows through the popular tourist town of Lorne.

The Gellibrand River Estuary is approximately 8.7km's in length and flows through a variety of different landscape types before it enters the ocean directly into the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park. It has a catchment area of 2346Ha.

The Hopkins River Estuary is a wave dominated, seasonally closed, salt wedge estuary. The estuary is approximately 9.5km long, covers an area of approximately 1.6 km2 and has a total volume of 3,100 ML. It is confined by a rock walled canyon for much of its length, and is formed in a drowned river valley. In geological terms, the current form of the Hopkins River estuary is relatively young, forming around 6,000 years ago.

The Kennett River Estuary is small at approximately 0.73km in length and with a catchment area of 38.56Ha. It flows through the town of Kennett River and is home to the Australian Grayling which is the fish species of the greatest conservation need in the Otway region.

The Merri Estuary is located near Warrnambool in southwest Victoria. The river has two openings to the sea, both artificially modified. In 1859, the course of the Merri River was diverted in an attempt to prevent sedimentation in Lady Bay (Gill 1984). The main channel of the Merri River now discharges into the sea at Stingray Bay east of Pickering Point.

Merricks Creek Estuary is situated in the township of Balnarring Beach and flows into Western Port Bay.  It is an intermittently open estuary and is highly modified.

Merriman Creek is a small creek estuary, flowing from the Strzelecki Ranges through intensive grazing and plantation forestry areas, before flowing to Bass Strait adjacent to the township of Seaspray. Merriman Creek is a source of potable water supply. The estuary is a popular location for recreational activities and fishing and provides a diversity of habitat for birdlife and fish. The area has important Aboriginal cultural heritage values for the Gunaikurnai people.

Painkalac Creek Estuary is approximately 3.5km in length and has a catchment area of 318.1Ha. It is a beautiful coastal lagoon system which attracts the spotted green frog and the eastern banjo frog (Pobblebonk).

The Powlett River Estuary is approximately 8km in length with a catchment area of 67.77km2. There are a number of bridges, roads and carparks in the area, that provide access to the estuary.

Skenes Creek catchment is quite small but can carry a large fast flow during rain events. The sandy beach is a good study area for channel and sand movements. Erosion of the for dune is constant and appears to be accelerating over time.

Spring Creek Estuary is approximately 2km in length, with a catchment area of 153.0Ha, and enters the sea at the popular Torquay surf beach. The estuary s bordered by the Spring Creek Reserve which contains unique and rare Moonah Woodlands and Bellarine Yellowgums.

The St George River Estuary is approximately 1km in length with a small catchment of 215.8Ha. It is the only estuary in the Corangamite region which was listed as being in a ‘near-pristine’ condition in an audit of all estuaries in the region in 2003 (Mondon, J., Sherwood, J. and Chandler, F. (2003). Western Victorian Estuaries Classification Project).

The Thompson Creek Estuary has a catchment area of 2795Ha, and is approximately 5.5km in length. It is part of the important Karaaf Wetlands which are rich in local cultural history.

The Tidal River Estuary is approximately 2.5km in length and is located at the base of the tidal river catchment which is approximately 27km2. There are a number of roads, a bridge, boardwalk and several fishing platforms that provide access to the estuary.

The Tidal River Estuary has a diverse array of intact habitat for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife, within and surrounding the estuary, including; muddy and sandy substrate, the water column, rocks and the vegetation communities surrounding these areas.

Wild Dog Creek has a long sand bar that runs parallel to the sea which is home to Hooded Plover. Wild Dog enters the sea by cutting through the bar.

Wreck Creek is a small intermittently closing and opening estuarine lagoon located on the western edge of Inverloch. From the coast the estuary follows Cape Paterson - Inverloch Road towards the Inverloch RACV resort, for approximately 800 metres, before the creek becomes fresh. The creek has two main branches, one that begins well above the RACV resort (including the resorts wetlands) and the other flows out of farmland through the residential area to the north. For the majority of the year two branches of the creek are mostly dry (apart from a few ponds and billabongs that have been sighted on private property upstream). These creeks begin to flow during wet times (winter / spring), and for the majority of the time the main habitat available to biota is the estuarine lagoon itself.  

The estuary is home to the vulnerable Tasmanian Mudfish which bury themselves beneath logs or stones during dry summers. The estuary is approximately 1km in length