Bunurong Marine National Park

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Coordinates: 38°41′28″S 145°39′22″E / 38.69111°S 145.65611°E / -38.69111; 145.65611
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the marine national park. For the associated marine park and the associated coastal park, see Bunurong Marine and Coastal Park.

Bunurong Marine National Park
Victoria
A cliff at Cape Paterson, located adjacent to the marine park.
Bunurong Marine National Park is located in Victoria
Bunurong Marine National Park
Bunurong Marine National Park
Nearest town or cityCape Paterson
Coordinates38°41′28″S 145°39′22″E / 38.69111°S 145.65611°E / -38.69111; 145.65611
Established16 November 2002 (2002-11-16)[1]
Area21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)[1]
Visitationcirca 250,000 (in 2005)[1]
Managing authoritiesParks Victoria
WebsiteBunurong Marine National Park
See alsoProtected areas of Victoria

The Bunurong Marine National Park (

Victoria, Australia. The 2,100-hectare (5,200-acre) marine national park is located about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of Inverloch and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) off the coastline. The coastal waters protect a range of habitats including intertidal reefs, subtidal rocky reefs, algal gardens and seagrass beds. The waters are cool, akin to Victoria’s central and western coasts. However, they are relatively protected from south-westerly swells due to the location of far away King Island, Tasmania.[2]

The Bunurong Marine National Park is an outstretching middle section of the

traditional owners of the land and water in the region.[2]

Etymology

The Caves Beach reef, looking out towards the marine national park.
Shack Bay, with Eagles Nest in the distance, looking out towards the marine national park.

The Bunurong parks are named after the Bunurong Aboriginal people whom were custodians of this stretch of coast for thousands of years prior to

campsites along the coast.[3]

Features

The principal features of the park are the striking rock formations including the large rock structure called Eagles Nest, located adjacent to the coastline at the eastern end of the marine national park. Eagles Nest also resembles the top half of a map of Australia.

snorkelling[7] and scuba diving are popular. There are boat launching facilities at Inverloch on Anderson Inlet.[2]

Australia’s first dinosaur bone, the Cape Paterson Claw, was discovered in 1903 by William Ferguson at what is now Bunurong Marine Park at Eagles Nest beach in Inverloch. Since then more than 6,000 bones and teeth of small dinosaurs, mammals, birds, turtles and fish have been excavated.[2] There is a dinosaur exhibition at the Inverloch Shell Museum.[8]

Ecology

Together with the Bunurong Marine Park, the Bunurong Marine National Park supports many marine animals including seastars, featherstars, crabs, snails, 87 species of fish, whales and seals. It has the highest recorded diversity of intertidal and subtidal

invertebrates in eastern Victoria. The range of seaweed species is large.[9]

Restrictions

It is prohibited to kill or take any matter (i.e.,

seashells or kill or take any sea or land creature, living or dead) from the Bunurong Marine National Park, but fishing (only with a rod) is permitted in the Bunurong Marine Park, which is located adjacent to the marine national park.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-7311-8355-X. Retrieved 29 August 2014. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help
    )
  2. ^ a b c d "Bunurong Marine National Park". Parks Victoria. Government of Victoria. 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  3. ^ "Bunurong Marine Park". Bass Coast Tourism. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Bunurong Marine National Park: Marine Natural Values Study Summary" (PDF). Parks Victoria and Deakin University (PDF). Government of Victoria. 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Coastal in Cape Paterson". Film Gippsland. Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  6. ^ "About". Cape Paterson Caravan Park. 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Bunurong Marine Park". South Gippsland. South Gippsland Web Design. 2014. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Dinosaur Dreaming". Museum Victoria. 7 September 2008. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  9. ^ "Wonthaggi Information". Please take me to. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
  10. ^ "Restricted Areas - Marine National Parks". Department Of Environment and Primary Industries. Government of Victoria. 28 January 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2014.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bunurong_Marine_National_Park&oldid=1153782920"