Pickering Point

Meet the site

Pickering Point is the low headland between Stingray Bay and Thunder Point, and the reef that runs out from it forms the western part of the Merri Marine Sanctuary. Where Stingray Bay is a sheltered horseshoe, Pickering Point faces south-west into the open Southern Ocean, and its reef slopes gently from the shallows to about 20 m some 200 m offshore. Along the way are, in the Scuba Doctor's words, interesting ledges, swim-throughs and gutters, with caverns and overhangs where crayfish and rays are commonly seen. Parks Victoria describes the sanctuary's subtidal reefs as particularly diverse and colourful, and the point is where that is most evident: kelp on the ridge tops, sponges, ascidians and bryozoans on the shaded faces, abundant reef fish – blue-throat wrasse, magpie perch, sea sweep, herring cale, zebrafish, boarfish – and the sharks and rays of the sanctuary, Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs, draughtboard sharks and eagle rays. Little penguins from Middle Island hunt over the reef and fur seals pass through. Because the sanctuary has been no-take for two decades the crayfish here are large and unafraid.

It is a step up from Stingray Bay in exposure and depth and should be approached as such. Visit Victoria describes Pickering and Thunder Point as accessible by shore or boat with breathtaking scenery, and both are true; the shore dive involves a longer swim and more surge than the bay, and the site closes out quickly when the swell rises or the wind swings onshore, turning into dangerously rough seas with big swells and strong currents. On a flat autumn day with low tide and 10–15 m visibility, however, it is one of the best shore reef dives in western Victoria, with more depth and structure than anything else reachable from the Viaduct Road car park. Boat divers from the Lady Bay ramp can reach the deeper outer reef in a few minutes.

What you might see

Southern rock lobster, Port Jackson sharks, wobbegongs, draughtboard sharks, southern eagle rays and stingrays, longsnout boarfish, blue-throat wrasse, magpie perch, sea sweep, herring cale, zebrafish, little penguins, Australian fur seals, kelp, sponges and ascidians

Location

South-west facing point between Stingray Bay and Thunder Point inside the Merri Marine Sanctuary, with a gently sloping reef running 200 m offshore to 20 m.

Facilities nearby

Large car parks off Viaduct Road and at the breakwater; toilets and showers at the breakwater and Stingray Bay; Warrnambool Diving (179A Fairy Street) for air fills, gear and guided dives; Pavilion cafe at the breakwater; Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum nearby.