Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay is a crescent-shaped beach in Black Rock within the City of Bayside, Victoria, on the eastern shore of Port Phillip Bay about 18 km southeast of central Melbourne. Framed by the distinctive Red Bluff cliffs, it is notable for its sheltered sandy shore, calm waters and the offshore wreck of HMVS Cerberus, which serves as a breakwater. The bay is a popular local swimming, snorkeling and boating destination with scenic coastal views.

Visitors can expect a sheltered, curved sandy beach set below red sandstone cliffs known as Red Bluff, with calm waters of Port Phillip Bay. The bay contains the semi-submerged wreck of HMVS Cerberus offshore acting as a breakwater, visible from the shore. The foreshore has a small harbour, boat ramp, pier and life saving club, with grassy reserve areas above. Activities centre on swimming, snorkeling and diving around the wreck, kayaking, paddleboarding and coastal walking with views across the bay.

The bay is overlooked by Red Bluff, a significant geological and navigational landmark. Offshore lies the wreck of HMVS Cerberus, launched in 1868 and serving in the Victorian Naval Forces, scuttled in 1926 as a breakwater for the Half Moon Bay marina. The area is part of the traditional lands of the Bunurong people of the Kulin Nation.

Half Moon Bay is a long-established recreational beach and boating harbour for Bayside and greater Melbourne, valued for its natural coastal landscape, community life saving club, and heritage significance of the Cerberus wreck as one of the world's last remaining breastwork monitors.