Coastal Landscapes
Fieldwork Report on McCrae beach and Cape Shanck
On Thursday 14th of November we visited both Cape Shanck Foreshore and McCrae Beach
Shaping McCrae Beach and Cape Shanck Foreshore
- Weathering
Wind, Sun and Water break down or build up the coast line by eroding materials off the coast or depositing them to cause the coast to grow. McCrea beach is a perfect example of longshore drift. Groynes are places along the beach to stop the sand from drifting to one area and to keep it evenly placed. Cape Shanck has been severely weathered as it is not protected like a bay would be. This has crucially effected the coast as there are steeps cliffs with plenty of hips and notches along the cliff.
- Destructive Waves
Destructive waves can create a large amount of erosion in a small amount of time. Destructive waves create a higher tide mark then usual tides. They can erode large amounts higher up the beach or even push sand together to form sand dunes. There is evidence of storm waves at McCrae Beach because there are high sand dunes and sand built up on the groynes along the beach. Along Cape Shanck foreshore at the waters edge there are some small areas of beach that are covered in large pebbles. These pebbles go in order of size, from large at the waters edge to small further up the beach. This is because the heavier the rock the less distance it can be carried by the wave. When destructive waves occur at Cape Shanck they can mix up the rocks and some larger rocks can be carried up the beach and cause rocks to bash against rocks or into the cliff face.
Groynes on McCrae beach
McCrae Sand Dunes
Hip and Notch at Cape Shanck Forshore
Management Techniques at both locations
Indigenous and introduced plants of the two regions
Human uses of these two regions past and present
Human uses of these two Regions Past and Present
McCrae Beach and Light House
Past
· McCrae Beach and lighthouse use to be used as a turning point for ships coming in to Melbourne from Port Phillip heads. The lighthouse was the point where ships turned for Melbourne.
· McCrae was probably, often used by the aboriginal people of this area for simple things such as washing.
Present
· McCrae lighthouse is no longer an operational lighthouse; it is now a historical site.
· The McCrae beach and coast is now home to a large yacht club used by locals of many different ages.
· Restaurants near by are also away of attracting people to the beautiful McCrae beach
· Facilities such as BBQs, playgrounds and picnic benches encourage families to come to McCrae beach.
Cape Shank
Past
· The board walk at McCrae beach never use to be there the dirt track which would have been unsafe. If the track is unsafe less people would want to visit Cape Shank. Cape Shank has a beautiful view of the long extending ocean.
· The Cape Shank light house use to help navigate the ships at sea.
Present
· Cape shank now has a long and easy board walk which safely leads to the edge of the beach. This is nice for the public to go for a casual stroll.
· A lighthouse is still at Cape Shank although it is no longer a working lighthouse. It is now a museum recognizing the history of the lighthouse and The Cape Shank coastline.
Board Walk at Cape Shanck
Lighthouse at McCrae Beach
Playgroud at McCrae
Hazards and How they are Managed
Cape shank-Hazards
At Cape shank the high, steep cliff creates many hazards such as falling and slipping down the ridged cliff. When wet the board walks becomes very slippery which also is a big hazard. When we were walking along the board walks at Cape Shank some railing was missing making it easier especially when there is large amount of wind to fall off the boardwalk.
How they are managed
The Boardwalk makes walking down to the bottom of Cape Shank a lot easier and so much safer. To prevent people slipping and finding it extremely difficult to walk on the boardwalk when wet, the board walk has small wooden ridges. The missing railing was replaced with wire of which the council would have managed.
McCrae Hazards and how They're Managed
There are minamal hazards at McCrae beach. Hazards involve deep waters like any beach, high tides and stormy seeds that can occur here. McCrae has small wooden pillars blocking cars from coming down the beach track so that the people and dogs are safe.