Cheetham Wetlands

The Cheetham Wetlands are 420 hectares of artificial and natural lagoons, created on old salt works land on the western shores of Port Phillip Bay, Australia. The wetlands are approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Melbourne, and sit within the Municipal Councils of Hobsons Bay and Wyndham City.

The wetlands are part of the Point Cook Coastal Park and are crown land for conservation purposes. The area is currently managed by the Department of Sustainability & Environment and Melbourne Water, with Parks Victoria informally managing the area to the north of the wetlands. They are protected under the Ramsar Convention.

The Cheetham Wetlands were originally a natural salt marsh and grassy woodlands; the area was later used as a saltworks. The later use created the lagoons, which attract many birds to the area. In 1996, the land was set aside to protect the wetland system and its diverse fauna and flora, including migratory birds.

Even though Cheetham Wetlands is made up of artificial wetland lagoons, the ecological processes that they create are significant in sustaining values under the Ramsar Convention. The wetlands also provide the following functions:

The Cheetham Wetlands has been known to support over two hundred species of birds, with many birds returning each year. The birds found in the area breed mainly in the Northern Hemisphere during the summer months and migrate to the Southern Hemisphere between July and November; bird numbers peak in the Point Cook Coastal Park area between September and March.

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