While it's not the crystal clear water of the south Pacific, it is a lot cleaner than it was 20 years ago and the shift from scallop dredging to mussel farming since the mid-1990s appears to be part of the reason. Heavy rain can impact the water quality due to the flushing effect the rain has on Melbourne's the accumulated build up of general grime and the top end in Hobsons Bay is always less than ideal. As a cruising ground I think it provides enough variety for those new to sailing to gain experience prior to exploring Bass Strait and Tasmania. For the weekend sailor there is enough to keep you occupied for 2 or 3 years.

Thanks for the compliment. Note that these days the big ships are less constrained by slack water and more concerned with the actual depths. The depths inside and outside the heads vary depending on the state of the tide (spring vs neap ). However there are various sources of information available as well to keep us informed of big ship movements. Monitoring VHF 12 I find very useful when in the area between Pt Lonsdale, Shortland bluff and the start of the Port Phillip south channel and more so if you have and AIS transponder aboard. The port of Melbourne web site is also very useful.

An app on my ipad combined with navionics and some websites

and my video camera never worked again :(