The map illustrates a loop trail that starts at Point Cook Homestead and then loops through an old pine plantation down to the beach and original site of Point Cooke.It follows the beach and on towards the Observation Tower and the best views of the Cheetham wetlands.

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POINT COOKE

The Point Cooke promontory is an impressive spot, with wonderful views of the whole bay. In 1836, a Corvette of the Royal Navy came into view. It was the HMS Rattlesnake, under Captain William Hobson, charting Port Phillip Bay. John M. Cooke, a ship’s mate on board, spotted the promontory ahead, and gave his name to the area. Officially named Point Cooke, the last letter ‘e’ is not now used. Of course, the Captain named Hobsons Bay for himself.

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THE OBSERVATION TOWER

The Tower itself is an odd structure. You enter and proceed along a zig zag metallic ramp, which ends at a landing. From here you ascend a spiral staircase that leads you to a dramatic viewing platform. From this vantage point, you get the best views of the Cheetham wetlands, with a great view of the city as well. The Tower was designed as a monument for ‘Migration and Aspirations’- Birds are a metaphor for human migration, as these areas are used by local and migratory birds. What you are looking over was once a natural saltmarsh, later developed as the Cheetham Saltworks, who created the lagoon system. These waterways are now a haven for migratory birds and diverse saltmarsh flora and fauna, and it is highly protected by the council and international agreements.​ Every year, thousands of migratory birds arrive from the northern hemisphere winter to this wetland habitat. You could observe, Red-necked Stints, Curlew Sandpipers, Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, Marsh Sandpipers and Pacific Golden Plovers, Greenshanks. Numbers reach a peak between September and March.

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