It forms part of the Port Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site as a wetland of international importance.

Commercial ships are used to transport ordnance and explosives from Europe and the United States to Australia, where they are offloaded at facilities including Point Wilson.

1994 saw the East Coast Armaments Complex proposal made by the Commonwealth of Australia, which involved the upgrade of the facility to handle the loading of explosives to naval ships.

The Victorian State Government in 1994 proposed that the Coode Island bulk liquid chemical storage facility be relocated to the adjacent Point Lillias.

[12] Point Wilson possesses an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with tepid summers and mild winters.