A wetland is an area of land covered with temporary water (year-round, seasonally, or sporadically), long enough for its plants and animals to rely on those wet conditions for survival.

Our wetland is Guys Creek and the surrounding floodplain that flows into Westernport Bay. Guys Creek is a seasonal wetland, typically dry during the warmer months and wet during winter and spring.

The wetlands are part of a site operated and managed as a wastewater treatment plant, the King Road Wastewater Treatment Plant.

As such the site supports a series of functional operations and land uses that need to be maintained (especially in the short term) to ensure a manageable closed loop system, these include:

Existing (and proposed) treatment system
Existing irrigation pivots
Existing cattle grazing and operations
‘Koala browse’ (tree crops) for ongoing food provision for external koala sanctuaries in the region.

These operations are critical in maintaining the water balance within the treatment plant. This use of water is integral to system management as water can only be discharged off-site under extremely rare wet-water events.

Despite its modified rural character, the site supports significant flora and fauna including including the federally listed Latham’s Snipe and state listed southern toadlet and glossy grass skink. In terms of noteworthy flora, it contains remnant patches of endangered swamp scrub along with swamp wallaby grass and southern blue gums.

There are also large resident and migratory populations of birds including waterfowl, wader and shore birds, cape baren geese, king quails, ibis and birds of prey alongside eastern-turtles, eels and kangaroos.

So what are you waiting for? Grab your binoculars, muster a group together and book a community tour!

This area holds deep cultural, spiritual and historical significance, encompassing stories, practices, and ancestral knowledge that continue to guide Bunurong cultural life today.

The Guys Creek wetlands and surrounding landscapes are integral to Bunurong cultural heritage, serving as places of ceremony, sustenance, and storytelling for at least three thousand years.

They reflect generations of knowledge about water management, seasonal cycles, and ecological stewardship. The area is home to many plants and animals of cultural significance such as Bunjil (Wedge Tail Eagle), turtles, eels and kangaroos.

Preserving these values is essential to maintaining the living cultural identity of the Bunurong People.

This site is much more than a wastewater treatment plant.​ It’s also a working farm, an important habitat for wildlife and part of a rich Bunurong cultural landscape. The tour takes around 45minutes and includes a walk around access tracks with scope for tailored educational activities.

Ideal for students studying process engineering, environmental science and/or cultural studies. Well suited to bird watching, field naturalist or bushwalking groups.

Things to know:

• Tours are available during normal business hours only and are subject to availability
• We do not charge for guided tours, but groups must organise their own transport
• Strict safety regulations are in place. All visitors for tours or site visits must sign in using a QR code and fill in and submit an Indemnity Form at least 48 hours prior to site access.

We welcome and encourage you to book a tour. Book now 

Access to the site is via supervised or guided tours for the foreseeable future.

Safe open access to the public without supervision is proposed in the longer term. This will be in areas of the site that have the greatest potential for education, cultural interpretation and low-impact recreation.

This long-term vision will be realised through ongoing collaboration with Bunurong Traditional Owners, customers, community, agency partnerships and co-funding to plan, contribute funding, resources or maintenance where it is mutually beneficial to do so.

Westernport Water strives to collaborate effectively with Traditional Owners and provide customer value for recreational services that deliver equitable value and benefits.

Interested in supervised access or a guided tour? We enscourage you to Book now.