Cape Conran Coastal Park is a coastal reserve located near Marlo

Marlo, Victoria

Marlo is a small village in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It is located east near the mouth of the Snowy River where the Snowy River meets and flows into the Southern Ocean....

 in East Gippsland

East Gippsland

East Gippsland is the eastern region of Gippsland, Australia covering 31,740 square kilometres of Victoria. It has a population of 80,114....

 in Victoria

Victoria (Australia)

Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The 11,700 hectare area was declared a coastal park under the National Parks Act

National Parks Act

National Parks Act may refer to, among others, these acts:* National Parks Act * National Parks Act 1980 * National Parks Act 1980 * National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949...

 in 1997. It is 420 km east of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 and 530 km south of Sydney

Sydney

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...

.

Flora and fauna

Much of the area is covered by heathland and banksia

Banksia

Banksia is a genus of around 170 species in the plant family Proteaceae. These Australian wildflowers and popular garden plants are easily recognised by their characteristic flower spikes and fruiting "cones" and heads. When it comes to size, banksias range from prostrate woody shrubs to trees up...

 woodland which attracts nectar-feeding birds. Dolphins and whale

Whale

Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...

s (depending on the time of year) may be spotted off the coast. The abundant bird life includes White-bellied Sea Eagle

White-bellied Sea Eagle

The White-bellied Sea Eagle , also known as the White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's Sea Eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies...

s and the Eastern Ground Parrot.

Recreation

The area is used for a number of water-based activities including boating, fishing, swimming, diving and rock pooling.

Short walks within the park include the Heathland Walk, the Cape Conran Nature Trail, the East Cape Boardwalk and the Yeerung River Estuary View and Gorge trails. Day walk destinations include Dock Inlet and Pearl Point.

The Banksia Bluff Camping Area has facilities including septic toilets, cold showers, tables and fireplaces. Cabin accommodation is also provided nearby.

External links

• Cape Conran Coastal Park (Parks Victoria)