An online visitor's guide to Western Australia's parks, reserves and other recreation areas.
Marine parks and reserves
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Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The Barrow Island Marine Management Area is offshore and relatively remote. It covers 114,500 hectares and includes most of the waters around Barrow Island and the waters around the Lowendal Islands.
Region: Pilbara
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Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
Barrow Island Marine Park was established by the State Government in 2004. Like the nearby Barrow Island Marine Management Area and Montebello Islands Marine Park, the park is a significant breeding and nesting area for marine turtles and its waters support important coral reefs and a diversity of tropical marine animals.
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State: Western Australia
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
Hamelin Pool is one of only two places in the world with living marine stromatolites, or "living fossils". It also has the distinction of being Western Australia's only marine nature reserve.
Region: Midwest
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The Jurien Bay Marine Park, declared in August 2003, protects an important section of Western Australia’s central west coast between Wedge Island and Green Head. Jurien Bay, from which the marine park derives its name, was named on 1 July, 1801 by the French expedition led by Post Captain Nicolas Baudin in the Géographe. The name honours Charles Marie Vicomte Jurien, 1763-1836, a French naval administrator.
Jurien Bay Marine Park brochure (2.04 MB)
Region: Midwest
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
Marmion Marine Park has great natural beauty and is one of Perth's most important areas for aquatic recreation. The clear shallow lagoons, reefs and small islands of Marmion Marine Park provide habitats for seabirds, marine mammals and other remarkably diverse marine life. The reefs are a diver's paradise, forming ledges, caves and swimthroughs. They are inhabited by a wonderful array of fish species and colourful invertebrates.
Region: Perth
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The Montebello Islands feature beautiful beaches, bays and lagoons fringed by mangroves in places, and surrounded by luxuriant gardens of corals and colourful tropical fish, and form one of the most beautiful and important marine areas anywhere along the Western Australian coast. Their adjacent waters are havens for large marine animals such as humpback whales, dugongs and several species of marine turtles, and are stopover areas for rare and protected migratory wading birds.
Region: Pilbara
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
A 28,000-hectare marine management area at the Muiron (pronounced 'Myoo-ron’) and Sunday islands, approximately 15 kilometres north of North West Cape, was established by the State government in November 2004. It protects one of the region’s most beautiful and biodiverse underwater wilderness areas. The island group consists of the larger South Muiron and North Muiron islands, which are separated by a deep-water navigable channel and both run in a north-easterly direction, and Sunday Island, which is smaller and lies further to the east. The island group is one of the most popular areas for dive charters from Exmouth.
Region: Pilbara
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Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The famed Ningaloo Marine Park has an abundance of whales, dolphins, dugongs, manta rays, huge cod and sharks. Ningaloo Marine Park protects the renowned 300-kilometre-long Ningaloo Reef. The reef offers world class diving through to family snorkelling in sheltered lagoons crammed with coral gardens.
Region: Pilbara
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Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The proposed Camden Sound Marine Park is the biggest calving area for humpback whales in the southern hemisphere and is rich in other marine life, ranging from coral reefs and mangrove forests to turtles and dugongs.
Region: Kimberley
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State: Western Australia
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The Dampier Archipelago is the richest area of marine biodiversity known in Western Australia, with a biodiversity comparable with that of northern Queensland. The area also supports a wide variety of recreational and commercial activities.
Region: Pilbara
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Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction: Extending over 220 kilometres, Eighty Mile Beach is the longest uninterrupted beach in Western Australia. Its stretches of white sand scattered with tropical seashells contrast with the rocky shores, seagrass meadows, narrow sandy beaches, tidal creeks and mangrove-lined muddy bays around Cape Keraudren and Blaze Bay in the south-west corner of the proposed marine park.
Region: Kimberley
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
If you take the plunge off the coast of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste capes, the underwater scenery is often one of grandeur. In this underwater wilderness, you may see kelp-covered reefs and drop-offs, populated with fish species such as the giant blue groper that are no longer commonly seen in the metropolitan area. This important area is a proposed marine park.
Region: South West
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The proposed Regnard Marine Management Area (formerly referred to as the proposed Cape Preston Marine Management Area) straddles the mainland coast west of Dampier and covers an area of approximately 62,000 hectares. It extends from Eaglehawk Island and West Intercourse islands to South West Regnard Island, and seaward to approximately 20 kilometres from the coast.
Region: Pilbara
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The Rowley Shoals are a chain of coral atolls on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world.
Region: Kimberley
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State: Western Australia
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
Shark Bay Marine Park is an awesome place to interact with large marine animals, such as the famous Monkey Mia dolphins. Other large marine animals that are highly visible include turtles, dugongs and sharks. Sandy Point and the Broadhurst Corals are highly recommended snorkelling areas. The park is also spectacular viewing from the air.
Region: Midwest
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
Picturesque submerged reefs and shipwrecks abound throughout the Rockingham area, less than an hours drive from Perth. Much of the underwater environment is protected in the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. As its name suggests, the marine park encompasses not only an incredibly rich and diverse marine environment, but also surrounds a chain of unique limestone islands.
Region: Perth
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State: WA
Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
The Swan River and its tributaries are among the most prominent features of the Perth metropolitan area. The river and its foreshores provide habitats for a large variety of terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals.
Region: Perth
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Park fee: No Fee Applicable
Introduction:
Connected inlets surrounded by majestic forest
Of the many inlets along the south coast of Western Australia, none are more beautiful or more biologically diverse than the magnificent Walpole and Nornalup inlets. It is Western Australia's newest marine park, having been created on 8 May 2009.
Region: Southern Forest
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