Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve, Vic

Located in the sleepy bayside town of St Leonards, approximately 40 kilometres out of Geelong on the Bellarine Peninsula is the fascinating Edwards Point Nature Reserve. The nature reserve is the last remaining area of coastal moonah woodland on the Peninsula and reaches out between two bays, Port Phillip and Swan. The low lying shrub protects the sand from erosion and is protected under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.

We completed the Two Bays Lookout Walk, observing many of the 95 plant species as first documented by Matthew Flinders in 1802 along the 6 kilometre return track. I was impressed to learn that migratory shorebird, such as the Bar-Tailed Godwit travels from as faraway as Siberia and the Arctic coasts to this particular nature reserve each summer to roost, nest and feed. In preparation for their return, the birds eat a lot of food to sustain them on the 11,000 kilometre journey.