North-west > Montebello
Montebello Marine Park lies offshore of Barrow Island. An ancient coastline runs through the park along the 125 metre depth contour, providing hard rocky escarpments for benthic communities to flourish in an area otherwise dominated by soft sediments. This habitat supports foraging grounds for whale sharks, and the region is also utilized by pygmy blue […]
North-west > Ningaloo
The World Heritage listed Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s longest fringing barrier reef and one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots. Between Exmouth and Coral Bay, two Ningaloo Marine Parks run in parallel along the coast, working together to protect this natural treasure. The outer Ningaloo Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) helps protect the deeper, offshore […]
North-west > Roebuck
Although small, Roebuck Marine Park provides important connectivity between offshore and inshore coastal waters of Roebuck Bay, and is adjacent to the Roebuck Bay Ramsar site. This Ramsar site is recognised as one of the most important areas for migratory shorebirds in Australia. Roebuck Marine Park also includes diverse fish communities and an ancient coastline […]
North-west > Shark Bay
Shark Bay Marine Park is the ocean gateway to Shark Bay. It is influenced by the Leeuwin, Ningaloo and Capes currents, and is host to many species listed as threatened, marine or cetacean under the EPBC Act. Loggerhead turtles use this region during their interesting period, and humpback whales migrate through the park each year. […]
South-east > Beagle
Although named after a sailing ship (the Beagle, which brought Charles Darwin to Australian waters in 1836), the Beagle Marine Park was once dry land which made up part of a land bridge to Tasmania. Indigenous people lived in this area and travelled along the land bridge. As the last ice-age ended (about 10,000 years […]
South-east > Boags
Boags Marine Park encompasses diverse soft sediment communities dominated by crustaceans, polychaete worms and molluscs. Such habitats are typical of the Bass Strait Shelf Province and seabed. Boags Marine Park also provides important foraging grounds for nearby breeding colonies of seabirds, and habitat for southern right and pygmy blue whales. The park is located off […]
South-east > East Gippsland
East Gippsland Marine Park includes representative examples of an extensive network of canyons, and continental slope and escarpment environments. The varied seafloor terrain in this region interacts with large-scale eddies associated with the East Australian Current, and causes episodic productivity events that drive phytoplankton blooms. These blooms are the basis of the food chain, and […]
South-east > Flinders
Flinders Marine Park extends over 400 kilometres east of the north-east tip of Tasmania and Flinders Island. Key features of the marine park are the continental shelf and a long section of steep continental slope incised by a series of deep submarine canyons. Seafloor habitats in these areas include sheer rocky walls and large rocky […]
South-east > Franklin
Franklin Marine Park represents an area of shallow continental shelf ecosystems and incorporates areas representative of two major bioregions: Western Bass Strait Shelf and the Tasmanian Shelf Province. The northern end of the marine park is dominated by gently sloping seafloor covered by fine and coarse sediments, while at the southern end a deep valley […]
South-east > Freycinet
Freycinet Marine Park is home to an abundance of butterfly perch, newly discovered black corals, diverse colourful sponge gardens and foraging seabirds. Southern right whales rest in the park while migrating. The park includes large offshore seamounts, which are believed to be too deep to have been fished. These seamounts are part of a larger […]
