. Melbourne extends along the Yarra River towards the
Yarra Valley and the Dandenong Ranges to the east. It extends northward through the undulating bushland valleys of the Yarra's tributaries—
Moonee Ponds Creek (toward Tullamarine Airport),
Merri Creek,
Darebin Creek and
Plenty River—to the outer suburban growth corridors of
Craigieburn and
Whittlesea. The western part of the metropolitan area lies within the
Victorian Volcanic Plain Grasslands biome. The southeastern suburbs (from
Frankston) are situated within the
Gippsland Plains Grassy Woodland zone. The city reaches south-east through
Dandenong to the growth corridor of
Pakenham towards
West Gippsland, and southward through the
Dandenong Creek valley, the
Mornington Peninsula and the city of
Frankston taking in the peaks of
Olivers Hill, Mount Martha and
Arthurs Seat, extending along the shores of Port Phillip as a single
conurbation to reach the exclusive suburb of
Portsea and
Point Nepean. In the west, it extends along the
Maribyrnong River and its tributaries north towards
Sunbury and the foothills of the
Macedon Ranges, and along the flat volcanic plain country towards
Melton in the west,
Werribee at the foothills of the
You Yangs granite ridge and
Geelong as part of the greater metropolitan area to the south-west.
Coast Melbourne's major bayside beaches are located in the south-eastern suburbs along the shores of Port Phillip Bay, in areas like
Port Melbourne,
Albert Park,
St Kilda,
Elwood,
Brighton,
Sandringham,
Mentone and
Frankston although there are beaches in the western suburbs of
Altona and
Williamstown. The nearest
surf beaches are located south-west of the Melbourne CBD in the back-beaches of
Rye,
Sorrento and
Portsea. ==See also==