Managed in partnership with Parks Victoria, Limeburners Bay is located on the northern shore of Corio Bay, near the Hovells Creek entrance. Home to many native plants and animals, the area is a favoured feeding, roosting and resting habitat for a wide range of water and wading birds.

About the bay
Limeburners Bay is a broad and sandy estuarine inlet characterised by open, shallow tidal water. It supports a high diversity of birdlife, with particular species giving the area status under the internationally-recognised Ramsar Convention.

The site forms part of the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar site, which means it is a wetland of international importance. It also has a State Significance rating.

What to look for
The shorelines and sandy spits are important feeding and roosting environments for a diverse range of birdlife. The inlet also supports large beds of seagrass that exist in the shallow waters, providing important bird feeding ground and fish nursery habitat.

A wide range of coastal and wetland flora species survive on the shores of the tidal inlet and creek, with regionally significant stands of White Mangrove line the shores of Hovells Creek.

The Chaffy Saw-Sedge Saline herbfield provides habitat for the Altona Skipper Butterfly.

It is located in the low-lying floodplain of Hovells Creek. 

Key bird species to look for include:
Fairy Tern – they nest on the offshore estuarine islands, breeding from August to September and feeding close in-shore on small schooling fish.
Lewin’s Rail – this rare waterbird has also been spotted in this area.
There is also suitable habitat available for the Orange-Bellied Parrot, although Limeburners Bay is not a recognised as a winter stronghold for this species.

Things to do
Follow the walking and cycling trail that leads around the western side of Limeburners and to the entrance of Hovells Creek. Look out for the signage and information shelter.

View the last significant populations of mangroves in Port Philip Bay from the Mangrove Boardwalk.

A diverse range of flora and fauna remains in relatively pristine condition in certain areas, along with diverse passive recreational activities, cultural values and sites of geological interest.