Or come six weeks later to see the hatching process, when the tiny turtles dig their way out of the sand and race towards the ocean, trying to escape waiting predators including ghost crabs and spangled emperor fish. Covering nearly square kilometres square miles across the Indian Ocean, the tidal movements here vary by up to 10 metres 33 feet causing the reef to emerge from the sea at low tide. The result is a cascading waterfall from the top of the reef as an abundance of marine life comes into view.
Navigable channels through the reef allow boats to tour the area and view the spectacle. The marine park is also the most important humpback whale nursery in the Southern Hemisphere. From June to November each year up to 20, humpback whales migrate from their Antarctic feeding grounds to their breeding grounds on the Kimberley Coast. We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience.
Find out more. By clicking any link on this page you are giving your consent for us to set cookies. We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Owners of the land, sea and waters of the Australian continent, and recognise their custodianship of culture and Country for over 60, years. Information on listed products and services, including Covid-safe accreditations, are provided by the third-party operator on their website or as published on Australian Tourism Data Warehouse where applicable.
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Some websites which are linked to the Tourism Australia website are independent from Tourism Australia and are not under the control of Tourism Australia. The majority of the reefs are near shore in embayments or islands around the coast. Western Australia is developing a system of marine parks and reserves to incorporate the large number of reefs not currently within MPAs. Some protection, however, is provided under a number of general Acts i. The reefs of Cocos Keeling Islands have not been affected by the recent major coral bleaching events and remain in near pristine condition.
The Northern Territory and the Gulf of Carpentaria include many reefs within coastal waters, but their extent is yet to be fully explored.
In , a large new coral reef was discovered in waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria that were previously considered too warm and muddy for such ecosystems. Due to the poorly mapped and remote nature of reefs in this area, there have been few monitoring or baseline surveys, thus little is known of their overall status.
The majority of Coral Sea reefs are in Australian territorial waters. Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs and those around Lord Howe Island, km to the south, are the most southern coral reefs in the world and come under the influence of the warm East Australia Current. The coastal Solitary Islands in northern New South Wales are included in this broad category, although these are transient coral communities.
These reefs have abundant hard coral cover. The Solitary Islands Marine Park was established in as a multiple use marine park. The first monitoring was implemented in , and in the area of reef within the most protected zone sanctuary zone: no fishing or anchoring permitted was increased considerably. Western Australia -Western Australian reefs include extensive coastal reef systems and isolated and remote offshore oceanic reefs and islands; -Most reefs are far from urban centres and are in relatively good condition.
New management plans have been introduced and more are being developed;. There are approximately km 2 of mangrove and saltmarsh habitat along the GBR coast, with this area remaining relatively stable. However these mangrove forests are only remnants of more extensive forests that have been progressively cleared since European settlement started years ago.
Some localised losses of mangroves have occurred and the main pressures are from continued coastal development. GBR seagrasses are highly variable and are particularly affected by storms and floods. There are approximately 46 km2 of deep and shallow seagrass beds with no apparent widespread declines, although there have been localised losses. Seagrasses are affected by declining water quality, coastal development and localised impacts.
Ningaloo Reef is the longest fringing reef in the world km and is km north of Perth where temperate and tropical currents converge in the Ningaloo region. This has resulted in high coral reef diversity with more than fish, coral and mollusc species. Ningaloo Marine Park which includes State and Commonwealth waters was established in and the State waters of the marine park were extended in along with the inclusion of the Muiron Islands Marine Management Area.
Combined, the marine reserves cover km2 and are managed by the WA and Australian Governments. DEC are implementing a long-term monitoring program that will help improve the science underpinning the management of Ningaloo Marine Park. Coral Sea. The Coral Sea Due east of the Great Barrier Reef and the Torres Strait, Australia holds jurisdiction of a large number of reef formations lying some distance off the continental shelf.
The majority of the remainder are located in an area known as the Coral Sea Shelf. Most are atoll formations, stretching from Osprey Reef in the north to Saumarez Reef in the south.
Some are substantial in area — Lihou Reef is a long oval reef structure totalling nearly 2 square kilometers. Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef The largest coral reef system in the world runs along the northeastern coastline of Australia, stretching from the Warrior Reefs in the northern Torres Strait for well over 2 kilometers to the Capricorn-Bunker Group of reefs and islands in the south.
Although many of the reefs which make up this system form part of a true barrier reef following the continental shelf on its outermost edge, the Great Barrier Reef is actually a highly complex system including nearly 3 separate reefs and coral shoals, as well as high islands with fringing reef systems. Although best seen as a continuous reef complex, it is possible to distinguish a number of ecological regions within the Great Barrier Reef.
As most of the islands in the Torres Strait fall under Australian jurisdiction so do the reefs and waters of the Strait. There is considerable freshwater and sediment input from the Papua New Guinea coastline, however there are several very extensive platform reefs across the relatively shallow waters of the Strait. The westernmost areas have the shallowest and most turbid waters.
Like other reefs in the area, these show a very clear east-west alignment associated with the high velocity tidal currents running through the area. Sediment loads are high in this area, and much of the shallow surface of these reefs is dominated by soft muds, although they are fringed by coral on their eastern margins.
Finally there is a wide area of platform reefs around Darnley Island, stretching out towards the edge of the continental shelf and the near continuous line of reefs which mark the northern edge of the outer barrier reef.
Northern section Due east of Cape York the continental shelf remains wide, but it then narrows rapidly towards Raine Island and continues as a platform typically less than 50 kilometers wide. The most distinctive feature of this sector of the Great Barrier Reef is the well developed ribbon-type barrier reefs on the outer edge: long narrow ribbon reefs typically less than meters wide but extending up to 25 kilometers in length and separated by relatively narrow passes.
They are located right on the edge of the continental shelf, and depths drop rapidly to over 1 meters only a few hundred meters from the eastern edges of some reefs. For about 80 kilometers, in the northernmost sector of these ribbon reefs, there are spectacular deltaic formations in the channels between the reefs.
Rather like river deltas, these have been formed in the calmer waters behind the reef by the deposition of sediments from the powerful currents which flow between the reefs. Red coral, fish and divers. With crystal-clear waters providing exceptional visibility 30—60 metres the Coral Sea offers some of the most amazing diving in the world.
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Coral Sea Marine Park. North marine parks. North-west marine parks. South-east marine parks. South-west marine parks. Temperate East marine parks. Apply for a permit. Commercial approvals. Other approvals. The area has been exposed and flooded by at least four glacial and interglacial cycles, and over the past 15, years reefs have grown on the continental shelf. During glacial periods, sea levels dropped, exposing the reefs as flat-topped hills of eroded limestone.
Large rivers meandered between these hills and the coastline extended further east. During interglacial periods, rising sea levels caused the formation of continental islands, coral cays and new phases of coral growth. This environmental history can be seen in cores of old massive corals.
The processes of geological and geomorphological evolution are well represented, linking continental islands, coral cays and reefs. The varied seascapes and landscapes that occur today have been moulded by changing climates and sea levels, and the erosive power of wind and water, over long time periods.
One-third of the GBR lies beyond the seaward edge of the shallower reefs; this area comprises continental slope and deep oceanic waters and abyssal plains. Criterion ix : The globally significant diversity of reef and island morphologies reflects ongoing geomorphic, oceanographic and environmental processes. The complex cross-shelf, longshore and vertical connectivity is influenced by dynamic oceanic currents and ongoing ecological processes such as upwellings, larval dispersal and migration.
Ongoing erosion and accretion of coral reefs, sand banks and coral cays combine with similar processes along the coast and around continental islands. Extensive beds of Halimeda algae represent active calcification and accretion over thousands of years.
Biologically the unique diversity of the GBR reflects the maturity of an ecosystem that has evolved over millennia; evidence exists for the evolution of hard corals and other fauna. Globally significant marine faunal groups include over 4, species of molluscs, over 1, species of fish, plus a great diversity of sponges, anemones, marine worms, crustaceans, and many others. The establishment of vegetation on the cays and continental islands exemplifies the important role of birds, such as the Pied Imperial Pigeon, in processes such as seed dispersal and plant colonisation.
Human interaction with the natural environment is illustrated by strong ongoing links between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and their sea-country, and includes numerous shell deposits middens and fish traps, plus the application of story places and marine totems.
Criterion x : The enormous size and diversity of the GBR means it is one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on earth, and one of the most significant for biodiversity conservation. The amazing diversity supports tens of thousands of marine and terrestrial species, many of which are of global conservation significance.
As the world's most complex expanse of coral reefs, the reefs contain some species of corals in 60 genera. There are also large ecologically important inter-reefal areas.
The shallower marine areas support half the world's diversity of mangroves and many seagrass species. The waters also provide major feeding grounds for one of the world's largest populations of the threatened dugong.
At least 30 species of whales and dolphins occur here, and it is a significant area for humpback whale calving. Some species of birds have been recorded in the GBR. Twenty-two seabird species breed on cays and some continental islands, and some of these breeding sites are globally significant; other seabird species also utilize the area. The continental islands support thousands of plant species, while the coral cays also have their own distinct flora and fauna.
The ecological integrity of the GBR is enhanced by the unparalleled size and current good state of conservation across the property.
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