Tea-tree heaths occur on nutrient deficient deep sands or undulating dunes found mainly in south-east Melbourne along the shore of Port Philip Bay, Westernport Bay and the shores of Bass Strait which is part of the Southern Ocean.

This particular type of Melaleuca tree produces small white flowers in spring and once covered hundreds of square kilometres.

It is a variable small tree or large shrub (3-6m wide and 5-8m high) with twisted trunks and branches. It is not a nice looking tree. Some people classified those trees as a pest or as a weed are using the timber as firewood.

With the intensive urban development, most of the tea-tree heaths have been cleared and they are disappearing at an alarming pace. Due to climate change and lack of rain fall, today they are mostly found in natural reserve parks, in golf courses, along the roads and along the sandy beaches.