Sandy Point, Victoria

Sandy Point is a township in south Gippsland, Victoria near Wilsons Promontory. At the, Sandy Point had a population of 227, growing to several thousand during the holiday period. It is surrounded by areas of significant natural heritage.Sandy Point is one of the few coastal towns in this region to remain relatively unaffected by the housing boom along the coast. This is partly due to its distance from Melbourne (around 2 hours) and the fact that a lack of town sewerage has meant a ban on further sub-division.HistoryThe Bratowooloong people of the Gunai nation lived in the area before European settlement. The first Europeans to visit the area were three shipwrecked sailors in 1797. Irish convicts escaped south from Sydney and landed on Seal Island where several men were stranded and found by George Bass who put them ashore near Shallow Inlet to walk back to Sydney. No more was ever heard of them.Sealers and whalers visited the area in the first half of the nineteenth century. However, it wasn't until the 1860s that the area was settled by cattle farmers. The arrival of the Gippsland Railway improved the viability of local farms and made dairy farming in the area. The Post Office opened on 2 September 1926, and was closed in 1994.The development of the town as a tourist location started in earnest in the 1960s but has been restricted by its natural heritage values.Surrounding areasThe Sandy Point area has a large spit system and its shoreline, on Waratah Bay, is considered of high heritage value. Sandy Point's surf beach is patrolled during the summer months and is considered good for surfing. The beach on Waratah Bay is 18km long, running between Walkerville at its northwestern end and Wilsons Promontory at its southeastern end.