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Australia's Natural Wonders

Ningaloo Reef, WA



Swimming with whale sharks (above) and turtles (below)


A whale breaching off Ningaloo Reef

Location: Coral Coast, Western Australia

Ningaloo Reef is one of the rare places on earth where you are able to walk from the beach straight onto a coral reef. A protected marine park area on the ocean side of North West Cape in Western Australia, Ningaloo is a virtually untouched barrier reef of 260km length protecting a shallow, brilliant white sandy lagoon of clear tropical waters. More than 500 species of tropical fish and 220 species of coral make up the Ningaloo Reef.

The Ningaloo Reef is home to a myriad of marine life, including one of the rarest, and the largest fish in the world - the Whale Shark. These leviathans, of up to 18 metres in length, are regular visitors to the Ningaloo Reef from March to June, when the plankton rich waters draw them close to the reef in search of food. Whale Sharks are only one of the many seasonal visitors to the Ningaloo Reef and is it possible to swim with them here through organised tours. Humpback Whales are in the area from June until November. Manta Rays can be seen along the reef near Exmouth from May to November, and year round in Coral Bay. As summer arrives, so do the Green, Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles to begin their nesting season after their mating season in October to November.

The reef is contained within Cape Range National Park. Located between along the North West Cape to Exmouth, the park includes high plateau shrub land to deep ocean within just a few kilometres, eucalypt woodlands, deep rocky gorges, a flat coastal plain, coastal dunes, white sand beaches and turquoise water and rocky shores. Unsealed roads and tracks make four wheel driving a necessary part of the experience.
Ningaloo Marine Park is about 1200 kilometres north of Perth. The park stretches for some 260 kilometres, from Bundegi Reef in the Exmouth Gulf around North-West Cape to Amherst Point, south of Coral Bay. The park extends about 10 nautical miles out to sea.

Living Creatures


Reef sharks cruise the crystal clear waters

Whale Sharks: The whale shark is the largest living shark. It is one of the three filter-feeding species of shark, with a broad, flattened head and minute teeth. It also has a distinctive patterning of light spots and stripes over a dark background, fading to a light colour on the underside. This natural camouflage allows it to ‘blend’ into its surroundings when viewed from any angle. The ecotourism industry revolving around the whale sharks at Ningaloo Marine Park was fully established by 1993. It has burgeoned to become a huge economic boon to the economy of the region. Research was initiated to determine the impacts of ecotourism activities in the whale shark resource at NMP.

Whales: Within Ningaloo Marine Park six species of toothed whales, eight species of baleen whales and two species of dolphins have been sighted. Humpback whales migrate twice annually through the reef waters, other frequenters of the Ningaloo area include the minke, southern right and blue whales. These mammals, threatened by overexploitation and destruction of their Indo-Pacific habitat find a safe and healthy marine habitat at Ningaloo.

Turtles: Of the seven marine turtle species in the world, six are found in Australian waters and four of these are found in the Ningaloo marine tract area. These are the Flatback, Green, Loggerhead and Hawksbill turtles. Some of these threatened turtle species are known to be residents of this coastline all year round, they regularly nest on beaches in Bateman Bay. These vulnerable creatures will be strongly effected by a marina development right on their nesting ground.

Dugong: Northern Australia has the last significant Dugong population in the world. The delicate seagrass ecosystems along the coastline are vital refuge areas for Dugongs to feed and mate. This includes the area of Batemans Bay near Maud's landing. According to 1989/1994 surveys, the Ningaloo Marine Park had a population of 1000 dugongs, distributed across the whole Ningaloo reef tract.

Manta Rays: Manta Rays occur widely in front of proposal. Aggregations of up to 100 animals are reported. Anecdotal evidence (there is little scientific research on mantas at Ningaloo yet) point to Maud's landing as having the most consistent manta interactions on the Ninagloo coast in shallow water inside the reef . This is unique to Point Maud as mantas are usually found on the ocean side of the reef. A witnessed mating sequence suggests that it could be a mating ground. They are totally protected under the Fisheries Resource Management Act.

Fish: The fish species in the Ningaloo reef area are incredibly varied and abundant, with about 500 species, this is because of the undisturbed, isolated state of Ningaloo. As the area is also a unique biogeographical overlap zone, the fish species are diverse, including warm-temperate, sub-tropical and tropical species. Indeed, some of the fish species found at Ningaloo are not found anywhere else in the world.

Coral: The corals from Ningaloo reef act as a vital source of coral larvae dispersing through the Abrolhos Islands and even to Rottnest Island. If the resort went ahead the negative long-term impacts would certainly be far-reaching.Seagrasses: There are three main seagrass species found around the coast at Ningaloo, these are from the Posidonia, Amphibolis and Halophila genuses. These provide important nursery grounds and 'hide-outs' for fish and other marine creatures, and are also a vital food source for Dugongs. Seagrass is vulnerable to changes in the water quality, such as increased turbidity and nutrient enrichment, and to damage from boat anchorage thus the seagrass beds are at risk of depletion. Particularly, because the beds are located in patches around Bateman bay, rather than large beds, their rate of recovery would be decreased.

Flora: Flora and Vegetation The flora of the Cape Range Peninsula is incredibly diverse with over 630 plant species recorded. It is much more diverse than similar arid and semi-arid areas in Western Australia and is known to have twice as many species as other similar areas within the same biogeographic region. Many species in the Cape Province are at the end of their geographic range and are hence considered extremely important from an ecological perspective. The peninsula is also a region of biogeographic overlap and therefore has a diversity of species from temperate, arid and tropical botanical provinces.


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The Coral Coast
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