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Port Noarlunga Aquatic Reserve

9. PORT NOARLUNGA AQUATIC RESERVE

Locality

Eastern side of Gulf St Vincent, between Onkaparinga Head and Gulfview Road, Noarlunga.

Permitted Activities

Boating, diving, swimming, walking on the reef, line fishing (except in the area within 25m of the reef which is exposed at low tide, or within 50m of the end of the jetty) and the use of hand nets in the estuary for taking shrimps for bait are allowed in the Port Noarlunga Aquatic Reserve.

Prohibited Activities

Bait digging, spear fishing, line fishing within 25m of the reef or within 50m of the end of the jetty or collecting or removing any other marine organisms is prohibited

Primary Purpose

Port Noarlunga Aquatic Reserve was established for the protection of reef organisms from exploitation and for the conservation of the estuary and swamps of the lower Onkaparinga River, for the purposes of recreation and education.

Major Habitat Types

Port Noarlunga Aquatic Reserve is made up of a prominent rocky reef with sandy marine and muddy estuarine banks and samphire flats.

Outstanding physical, biological or other features

The Onkaparinga estuary comprises an environment which is not common else-where in Australia and, apart from the Coorong and Murray Mouth, is the largest estuary between the Glenelg River in south-western Victoria and the Blackwood River in south-western Western Australia. The samphire community within the reserve is the only example of this community type south of Adelaide along the eastern shores of Gulf St Vincent.

The Port Noarlunga Reef is a narrow reef formed from a consolidated Pleistocene sand dune. The reef is 1.6km long and lies 400m offshore

Additional Information

This aquatic reserve was established to protect the plants and animals associated with the Port Noarlunga Reef from exploitation and to provide protection to the lower Onkaparinga River’s estuarine habitat.

The 1.6 kilometre long reef is the most dominant aspect of this reserve. Below the water mark, the reef is covered by marine plants known as algae. Numerous other plant-like animals and reef fish are common.

The nearby Onkaparinga Estuary provides an ideal fish nursery area and feeding site for many wading birds.