The Coastline

Through all of the environmental changes which have taken place in Frankston since the middle of the nineteenth century the character of the shoreline has remained one of the major interests of local residents and visitors. The flat beachfront to the north and then the heights to the south are major dividing lines within the present city and have distinguished discrete locales within the municipality. The important elements of waterfront history in Frankston can be distinguished as follows.

1.1 Beach Structures
The beaches and their buildings especially the piers, clubhouses and shelter sheds have always identified a special place to Frankston visitors and residents. Though they have constantly been altered and reworked, they can still remind us of the long history of Frankston as a beachside holiday town.

1.2 Kananook Creek
For the entire history of European Frankston the creek has been a major dividing line in the Shire and then City. It has been the centre for protracted debates about land use and for many abortive schemes of management. It has also been the site of some more successful endeavours in landscaping and water management.

1.3 Mt Eliza and Oliver's Hill
The heights to the south attracted a group of distinctive residents to Frankston and also became the site for some unusual designs in holiday housing. The secluded bays of Mt. Eliza have a special charm jealously guarded by local residents. In the yacht clubs at these bays there are also some valuable heritage buildings.

1.4 Western Port Bay

Western Port Bay, centre of an early fishing industry, and a major depot from the 1840s for the coastal trade between Melbourne and Gippsland, became an important commercial and recreational area last century. There were strong transport linkages between Western Port
Bay and townships to the east and south of Frankston. Langwarrin, Carrum Downs and Baxter were places which had access to these road systems, such as the routes between Frankston and Flinders, Dandenong and Hastings, and between Baxter and Tooradin. These roads were important tourist routes.