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Fascinating Historical Facts - Mornington Peninsula
Seaford Foreshore

Seaford Foreshore Reserve is a 50 hectare strip of beach and native parkland that runs between Port Philip Bay and the Nepean Highway at Seaford. With its beautiful beaches and natural bushland this is a great place to relax and forget about the hustle of city life.

Opposite Station Street at Seaford is the Seaford Pier which was built in the late 1920’s to support a pipeline that carried seawater from Port Philip Bay to Kananook Creek. The pipeline was a steel 100cm diameter pipe attached to the side of the pier and running out to sea. A high powered impeller electric pump sucked water from the sea and was released into the Kananook Creek at low tide. This washed the silt away from the head of Kananook Creek allowing boats to pass through. During the Second World War, the pump was neglected and as a result the steel pipe rusted. The pump was dismantled in 1953. The pier is considered one of the better fishing spots around Port Philip Bay. From the end of the pier on a clear day there are stunning 270 degree views from the Dandenong Ranges, Melbourne City skyline, You Yang Ranges to the Bellarine Peninsula.

There is a picnic area with electric barbeques, picnic tables and toilets. In the picnic area there is a wrought iron “folly” entitled “Hermitage” which was erected as a tribute to “The Hermit” John Maddox who lived in this area for about 20 years. His dwelling was a small hut with a bark roof. Surrounding his hut were lots of tea-trees and paths he had covered with sea shells. At the entrance to the property was a warning sign, “Blasphemers not allowed in here”!

It was only after John Maddox was admitted to hospital suffering from a serious attack of Edema that the local community learned his actual name. John Maddox passed away in 1917 at age 60 and not long after vandals destroyed his home and art objects.

A 4 kilometer walking track has been established through the middle of the Seaford Foreshore Reserve from Keast Park to Mile Bridge, Frankston. This walk is part of the "Three Waters Walk" that includes the Seaford Wetlands walk and the Kananook Creek walk. There are over 100 different bird species that live in the Banksias, Wattle, Tea Trees and coastal bush. Many are migratory and use this area for nesting. The lizard population in the foreshore reserve is among the highest in the Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula area.