Did you know...?

As well as being the hub of Victorian trade and industry, the Port of Melbourne is a source of facts and figures on subjects as diverse as the geography of the bay and information about ships. Click on a subject to find out more…

          Who is the Harbour Master?
          Facts about ships
          Facts about Port Phillip Bay

Who is the Harbour Master?
One of the most important jobs in the Port of Melbourne is the Harbour Master. The Harbour Master has the ultimate responsibility for providing directions to ships within port waters. These directions may include:

  • the time and manner in which a vessel may enter or leave port waters
  • the navigation and movement of vessels within port waters
  • the position of vessels and how they are anchored or secured
  • the time and manner of discharging cargo, stores, fuel, fresh water or ballast
  • the securing or removal of a vessel from port waters
  • requiring a pilot to remain on board an anchored vessel
  • prohibiting entry of any vessel in imminent danger of sinking or removing any such vessel

Transport Safety Victoria -  Marine Division appoints the Harbour Master. The Harbour Master’s Directions are contained in the port’s Operations Handbook . ^ TOP

Facts about ships
Port and starboard. The names starboard and port are derived from the earliest days of shipping. The right hand, starboard, side of the craft was the location of the steering rudder, or ‘steer board’, before central rudders were developed. In a harbour, the vessel would be tied on the left hand, port, side to avoid damaging the rudder.
Internationally, all power driven vessels underway at night are required to display a red sidelight to port, a green one to starboard and two white masthead lights and a stern light.

How do ships move through the water? Most modern ships use screw propellers, but this wasn't always the case. In 1845, a bizarre tug-of-war was staged to determine whether screw propellers or paddle wheels were more efficient. Two 800-ton British frigates were tied stern to stern, and with engines full ahead, the contest began. The screw propeller-driven HMS Rattler won the contest easily.

What is a ship’s draught? The draught of a ship is how deep it sits in the water - the draught is measured from the water line to the underside of the ship’s keel. Ships with a draught of 14 metres can enter and leave Port Phillip at any state of the tide.

Piloting ships in port waters. Ships are piloted into Port of Melbourne channels from just beyond Port Phillip Heads to their berth. Pilotage is compulsory for most commercial shipping. Pilots are provided by Port Phillip Sea Pilots. Find more about Port of Melbourne shipping pilots on our Pilotage page. ^ TOP

Facts about Port Phillip Bay
What is ‘The Rip’? The entrance between Point Lonsdale and Point Nepean is 3.5 km wide but the reefs projecting from these points reduce the navigable width to about 1km. For about 800 m outside the Heads, there is a shallow rocky flat known as Rip Bank. The water deepens outside this flat to 30m and inside the Heads to as much as 90 m. This inequality of depth combined with tidal streams running up to 6 knots, causes the world-renowned ‘Rip’.

What is ‘Pope’s Eye’? Pope's Eye was first planned as a fort to protect West Channel. Construction began in the 1880s, but was never completed and today it serves as a protected rookery for Australasian Gannets. This is the first known gannet colony in the world on an artificial structure. Part of the Harold Holt Marine Reserve, Pope's Eye is home to a vast array of other aquatic life, including seals, rare fish and corals.

What is ‘Chinaman’s Hat’? Chinaman’s Hat near South Channel was originally built as part of the defence system for World War II. The building was octagonal in shape and resembled a Chinaman’s hat. A photoelectric beam was mounted on the structure to detect incoming ships by a break in the beam. It was employed largely for the evenings when enemy ships might try to quietly enter Port Phillip Heads and take Melbourne by surprise. Today, Chinaman’s Hat is little more than an outcrop, and home to a group of Australian Fur Seals who can be regularly seen in the warmer months lounging on its rocky surface. ^ TOP