ABSTRACT
The Quaternary sand deposits in the Melbourne area are primarily located around the Port Philip Bay area, but extend eastwards inland towards the Cranbourne – Lang Lang area. In common with all cohesionless sand deposits, investigation techniques rely heavily on in-situ methods. The Port Melbourne Sand is generally composed of fine to medium grained sands, often moderately silty and in parts clayey. The area of Quaternary sands is located approximately parallel to the foreshore but there are many isolated pockets of Quaternary sand occurring inland north of Beaumaris. The sands are generally a fine to medium grained material but there are deposits with a coarse fraction. Very few footing failures have occurred in the sands. The sand is fine to medium grained, mostly non-plastic and will not stand unsupported in an excavation except for very short time. The upper sands may be very loose to loose, becoming medium dense to dense with depth.
