Exmouth-Home to Ningaloo Marine Park and the Cape Range National Park.
Ningaloo Reef is a vast coral reef located on the Western Australian (WA) coast approximately 1200 kilometres north of Perth, the State capital.
Whilst perhaps not as well known as Australia's 'other reef' the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Ningaloo Reef is just as spectacular in terms of marine life and corals. Unlike the Great Barrier Reef, Ningaloo reef is unique in terms of accessibility and can be seen and explored easily from the numerous beaches that dot the coastline. All that is required is a snorkel and set of flippers and a short stroll into the warm crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean.
Ningaloo reef is known as a part barrier/part fringing reef ranging from a few meters to 200 hundred meters offshore. The reef, which covers some 5000 square kilometres of ocean, is unusual in that the corals appear further south than most tropical reefs this being due to a south flowing stream of warm tropical water that runs along the coastline. This warm current is known as the 'Leeuwin Current'. The name Leeuwin comes from a Dutch vessel ('the lioness') which explored the coastline in 1622 (for more info see; www.calm.wa.gov.au).
The name 'Ningaloo' comes from the local Aboriginal people and means a 'promontory' or 'point of high land jutting into the sea'. The actual promontory is the nearby Cape Range Peninsula with the reef running parallel to this for over 260 kilometres.
Ningaloo Marine Park protects one of Australia's most important coral habitats. It is one of the few places on earth where the worlds largest fish, the Whale Shark can be predictably found and studied at close hand. Using spotter planes which follow well known routes offshore, visitors to Ningaloo (using the services of regular boat trips) can swim with these magnificent animals.
In addition to Whale Sharks, the reef supports more than 500 species of fish, 250 species of Coral and in excess of 600 species of Mollusc. Green Turtles have extensive rookeries inside the reef which also supports Dugongs and huge 'fields' of sea grass located within lagoons. Humpback Whales are regular visitors their migration routes to and from the Southern Ocean taking them close into the reef. A vast array of tropical fish can be seen many of them unique to this part of WA.
Cape Range National Park.
Around 20 million years ago, the northwest corner of WA was covered by a warm, shallow sea. Later, as the crust of the earth crumpled, a huge anticline rose upwards to form the magnificent Cape Range Peninsula we see today. The main part of the range is fossil bearing Limestone laid down on what was once the sea floor. The Range is notable for over 50 kilometres of beautiful unspoiled sand beaches and breathtaking Canyons.
Cape Range was declared a National Park in 1964. The first European settler was a Mr Thomas Carter who, in 1889, opened a pastoral station. Evidence indicates Aboriginal occupation to be in excess of 30,000 years.
Cape Range has an abundance of wildlife including the largest specie of Kangaroo, the Red Kangaroo. In addition, the Range is home to the remarkable Rock Wallaby, Euros, Goannas, Snakes and nearly 100 species of bird. 630 species of flowering plants dot the Ranges, which cover around 218,000 hectares. For more information see www.calm.wa.gov.au.
The 'Western Shield'.
Detailed research over many years has indicated that since European settlement, many native mammals found earlier in western Australia (and in fact the entire Australian Continent) have dramatically declined. Notably, the Cape Range Peninsula has seen a drop from 38 mammals to just 17 in the last 200 years or so. In particular, 2 of these species are now sadly totally extinct with 2 others found only on offshore Islands. Much of this destruction is believed to be due to the introduction of the European Red Fox.
The Western Australian Government in conjunction with their agency, the* Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) have formulated a plan to address this decline in native creatures entitled 'The Western Shield'. This is considered to be the largest nature conservation project of its kind in the world.
Western Shield has several inter connecting elements. Fox baiting either by vehicle or by air is being undertaken on a massive scale with over 5 million hectares of land being targeted throughout WA. Research into the management and eradication of feral Cats has been increased and this already has been shown to have, had a positive effect on recovery rates for the number of native animals.
CALM, in conjunction with specialists at Perth Zoo and wildlife carers have established a number of successful breeding programs designed to re-stock native animal numbers. The Numbat, WA's emblem has been brought back from the point of extinction as have 3 other species: the Woylie, the Quenda and the Tammar Wallaby so much so that all three have now been taken off the Threatened Species List. For more information see www.calm.wa.gov.au
*Please Note CALM is now called Department of enviroment and conservation
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