Point Vernon’s rocky shoreline
The large rocky headland of Point Vernon is a significant geological feature of the region and an area of ecological importance. It is a spectacular section of coastal scenery! This stretch of beach lies within the Great Sandy Marine Park on Queensland’s Fraser Coast.
At GZ you will be standing on massive slabs of sandstone embedded in the beach. You’ll also see a large sandstone boulder pitted with holes of various sizes at the edge of the grass (the background image). The appearance and composition of the sandstone rock is quite distinct. The rock under your feet is relatively smooth, a feature of weathering, and the colour ranges from creamy light yellow through to buff. It is coated with a light dusting of sand.
The Earthcache is immediately in front of you, between the sandstone (beach) and the ocean. Coffee rock is the common name for the rock-like formations of hard-packed (indurated) sands that were formed from ancient river sediments of the Pleistocene age and can be up to two million years old. This type of rock is a friable substrate that has been cemented through weathering over a long period of time. These rock bars extend well into the ocean and are essential habitats for marine animals and plant life including sea grasses.
Coffee rock can be ingrained with ancient wood and other materials - look closely and you may see patterns in the rock! It is usually dark brown through to black in colour and appears glossy when wet. Intertidal boulders can be of any substrate composition, either terrigenous (ie fragmented rock or coffee rock) or carbonate origin (eg larger coral rubble). At this location there are long horizontal rock bars and, also, what appear to be cubes of coffee rock (small boulders) scattered along the beach.
Friable substrates such as coffee rock may carve off cliffs and fall into coastal waters. The rocky composition and physical characteristics (lithology) will determine the size and shape of the rocks - and this also influences the structural complexity of the terrain.
The tidal rocky substrate at Point Vernon supports some of the marine park’s largest and more robust hard and soft coral communities. Nine species of Turbinaria (stony) coral call this region home and these hardy colonies could be well over a hundred years old.
This region boasts numerous shorebird breeding habitats. The roosts at Point Vernon and nearby Gables Point Rocks support thousands of waterbirds including endangered eastern curlews and vulnerable stone curlews. If you look carefully you may spot marine turtles and dugong near the point. There are shark nurseries in the waters of Point Vernon and nearby Moon Point. A healthy shark population is an important part of the marine ecosystem.
Source: Features of the Great Sandy Marine Park: https://parks.des.qld.gov.au
Please tread carefully to preserve both the rock bars and your delicate feet.
Logging the Earthcache...
The best time to visit is low tide. You may log this Earthcache immediately. Please send your responses to the questions as soon as possible but within a week of posting your Found log online - unconfirmed or false logs may be deleted.
1. Look at the rock bars that extend into the water. Describe what you see including some of the unique features?
2. Do you think the rock bars are of terrigenous or carbonate origin?
3. The huge embedded boulders beneath your feet at GZ are a different type of rock. What do you think it is? What colour is the rock?
4. A selfie, or photo of your GPSr device, taken at Point Vernon is required. No spoilers of GZ thx.
Earthcache first-timers - Flick me a message if unsure what to do! Plz don’t log a DNF. There’s no physical geocache here.
Happy trails!