List of Ramsar sites in Australia
Encyclopedia
The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands
came into force for Australia on 21 December 1975. Since then Australia has had 65 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a total surface area of 75,102 km2.
Ramsar Convention
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, i.e., to stem the progressive encroachment on and loss of wetlands now and in the future, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural,...
came into force for Australia on 21 December 1975. Since then Australia has had 65 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a total surface area of 75,102 km2.
Australian Capital Territory
- Ginini Flats Subalpine Bog ComplexGinini Flats Wetlands Ramsar SiteThe Ginini Flats Wetlands Ramsar Site, also known as the Ginini Flats Subalpine Bog Complex, is a wetland in the Australian Capital Territory that has been recognised as being of international importance by designation under the Ramsar Convention. It was listed on 11 March 1996 as Ramsar site...
35°31′S 148°46′E (RS793, designated 11 March 1996), 125 ha
New South Wales
- Blue LakeBlue Lake (New South Wales)The Blue Lake is one of only four cirque lakes found in mainland Australia, the other three, Cootapatamba, Albina, and Club are shallower than BL and are held...
36°24′S 148°19′E (RS800, designated 17 March 1996), 320 ha - Fivebough and Tuckerbil SwampsFivebough and Tuckerbil SwampsFivebough and Tuckerbil Swamps are two swamps lying close to the Riverina town of Leeton in New South Wales, Australia. They lie on Crown Land within the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area...
34°30′S 146°23′E (RS1224, designated 21 October 2002), 689 ha - Gwydir WetlandsGwydir RiverThe Gwydir River is a large inland river in the northern part of the Australian state of New South Wales which is part of the Murray-Darling Basin. The river has two main tributaries—the Horton River and the Rocky River...
34°30′S 146°23′E (RS993, designated 14 June 1999), 823 ha - Hunter Estuary WetlandsHunter Estuary WetlandsThe Hunter Estuary Wetlands comprise a group of associated wetlands at and near the mouth of the Hunter River in the city of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. Some 30 km2 of the wetlands has been recognised as being of international importance by designation under the Ramsar Convention....
32°52′S 151°43′E (RS287, designated 21 February 1984), 2,971 ha - Little Llangothlin Lagoon 30°05′S 151°47′E (RS798, designated 17 March 1996), 258 ha
- Lake Pinaroo 29°06′S 141°13′E (RS799, designated 17 March 1996), 800 ha
- Macquarie MarshesMacquarie MarshesThe Macquarie Marshes comprise the wetlands associated with the floodplains of the Macquarie River and its tributaries, in northern New South Wales, Australia. The Macquarie River and the marshes eventually drain into the Darling River...
30°45′S 147°44′E (RS337, designated 1 August 1986), 18,726 ha - Myall LakesMyall LakesThe Myall Lakes are a series of fresh water lakes on the mid-north coast of New South Wales, Australia in Great Lakes Council. The lakes are adjacent to the coast about north of Sydney....
32°30′S 152°17′E (RS994, designated 14 June 1999), 44,612 ha - Narran Lake Nature Reserve 29°43′S 147°26′E (RS995, designated 14 June 1999), 5,531 ha
- New South Wales Central Murray State Forests 35°39′S 144°39′E (RS1291, designated 20 May 2003), 84,028 ha
- Paroo River WetlandsParoo RiverThe Paroo River is a river in Eastern Australia and is often considered to be major tributary of the Darling River in eastern Australia, although its flow generally dissipates before it reaches the Darling...
30°20′S 143°51′E (RS1716, designated 13 September 2007), 138,304 ha - Towra Point Nature ReserveTowra Point Nature ReserveTowra Point Nature Reserve is a nature reserve of in southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the southern shores of Botany Bay at Kurnell, within the Sutherland Shire. It is a Ramsar site , as it is an important breeding ground for many vulnerable, protected, or endangered...
34°00′S 151°10′E (RS286, designated 21 February 1984), 386 ha
Northern Territory
- Cobourg PeninsulaCobourg PeninsulaThe Cobourg Peninsula is located 350 kilometres east of Darwin in the Northern Territory, Australia. It is deeply indented with coves and bays, covers a land area of about 2,100 km², and is virtually uninhabited with a population ranging from about 20 to 30 in five family outstations, but...
11°15′S 132°15′E (RS1, designated 8 May 1974), 220,700 ha - Kakadu National Park (Stage 1)Kakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
12°40′S 132°45′E (RS204, designated 12 June 1980), 683,000 ha - Kakadu National Park (Stage 2)Kakadu National ParkKakadu National Park is in the Northern Territory of Australia, 171 km southeast of Darwin.Kakadu National Park is located within the Alligator Rivers Region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It covers an area of , extending nearly 200 kilometres from north to south and over 100 kilometres...
12°30′S 132°30′E (RS441, designated 15 September 1989), 692,940 ha
Queensland
- Bowling Green BayBowling Green Bay National ParkBowling Green Bay is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 1,103 km northwest of Brisbane, and 28km south of Townsville and 59 km north of Ayr. It is a Ramsar Convention listed Site...
19°27′S 147°15′E (RS632, designated 22 October 1993), 35,500 ha - Currawinya LakesCurrawinya National ParkCurrawinya is a national park near Hungerford in south west Queensland, Australia, 828 km west of Brisbane. Part of the mulga lands bioregion this is an area of dry sandy plain with small trees and shrubs...
28°45′S 144°19′E (RS791, designated 11 March 1996), 151,300 ha - Great Sandy StraitGreat Sandy StraitThe Great Sandy Strait is an 70 km Australian sand passage estuary separating mainland Queensland, from World Heritage listed Fraser Island.-Description:...
25°28′S 152°54′E (RS992, designated 14 June 1999), 93,160 ha - Moreton BayMoreton BayMoreton Bay is a bay on the eastern coast of Australia 45 km from Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources...
27°20′S 153°10′E (RS631, designated 22 October 1993), 113,314 ha - Shoalwater and Corio BaysShoalwater BayShoalwater Bay is a large bay on the central coast of Queensland, Australia, located 100 km north of the coastal town of Yeppoon and 628 km north-north-west of the state capital, Brisbane. Since 1966, the land surrounding Shoalwater Bay has been under the ownership of the Australian Defence Force,...
22°40′S 150°17′E (RS792, designated 11 March 1996), 239,100 ha
South Australia
- Banrock Station Wetland ComplexBanrock Station WetlandsThe Banrock Station Wetlands form a wetland complex in South Australia that has been recognised as being of international importance by designation under the Ramsar Convention. It was listed on 21 October 2002 as Ramsar site 1221. It lies in the Riverland region of south-eastern South Australia...
34°11′S 140°20′E (RS1221, designated 21 October 2002), 1,375 ha - Bool and Hacks LagoonsBool Lagoon Game ReserveBool Lagoon is a game reserve in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia, about 20 km south of Naracoorte, near Wrattonbully.While Bool Lagoon is officially a game reserve, in dry years it attracts a lot of waterbirds of many species, and is frequently a point of contention between duck...
37°08′S 140°41′E (RS322, designated 1 November 1985), 3,200 ha - Coongie LakesCoongie LakesThe Coongie Lakes form a complex and extensive freshwater wetland system in north-eastern South Australia which includes lakes, channels, billabongs, shallow floodplains, deltas, and interdune swamps. It lies on the floodplain of Cooper Creek, an ephemeral river flowing through a desert landscape...
27°27′S 140°00′E (RS376, designated 15 June 1987), 1,980,000 ha - CoorongCoorong National ParkThe Coorong is a national park and lagoon ecosystem in South Australia , 156 km southeast of Adelaide. Its name is thought to be a corruption of the local Aboriginal people's word kurangh, meaning "long neck"; a reference to the shape of the lagoon system...
and Lakes AlexandrinaLake Alexandrina (South Australia)Lake Alexandrina is a lake in South Australia adjacent to the coast of the Southern Ocean, about 100 kilometres south-east of Adelaide.-Name:The lake was named after Princess Alexandrina, niece and successor of King William IV of Great Britain and Ireland...
and AlbertLake Albert (South Australia)Lake Albert is a notionally fresh water lake near the mouth of the Murray River. It is filled by water flowing in from Lake Alexandrina at its mouth near Narrung. It is separated on the south by the Narrung Peninsula from the salt-water Coorong. The only major town on the lake is Meningie...
35°56′S 139°18′E (RS321, designated 1 November 1985), 140,500 ha - RiverlandRiverlandThe Riverland, is a region of South Australia. It covers the area near the Murray River from where it flows into South Australia downstream to Blanchetown.The major town centres are Renmark, Berri, Loxton, Waikerie and Barmera...
34°02′S 140°51′E (RS377, designated 23 September 1987), 30,600 ha
Tasmania
- Apsley Marshes 41°56′S 148°12′E (RS255, designated 16 November 1982), 880 ha
- Cape Barren Island, east coast lagoons 40°22′S 148°23′E (RS255, designated 16 November 1982), 4,370 ha
- Interlaken Lakeside Reserve 42°09′S 147°10′E (RS259, designated 16 November 1982), 520 ha
- Jocks Lagoon 41°21′S 148°18′E (RS258, designated 16 November 1982), 18 ha
- Lavinia Nature Reserve 39°45′S 144°05′E (RS253, designated 16 November 1982), 7,020 ha
- Little Waterhouse Lake 40°52′S 147°37′E (RS260, designated 16 November 1982), 57 ha
- Logan Lagoon 40°10′S 148°17′E (RS252, designated 16 November 1982), 2,320 ha
- Lower Ringarooma River 40°54′S 147°56′E (RS257, designated 16 November 1982), 4,160 ha
- Moulting Lagoon Nature Reserve 42°05′S 148°10′E (RS251, designated 16 November 1982), 4,580 ha
- Pittwater-Orielton Lagoon 42°47′S 147°30′E (RS254, designated 16 November 1982), 3,175 ha
Victoria
- Barmah ForestBarmah National ParkBarmah National Park is a national park in Victoria, Australia. The park is located on the Murray River near the town of Barmah. The park was one of four established by the State Government of Victoria in 2009, ostensibly in response to increased pressure on remnant River Red Gum forest...
35°55′S 145°08′E (RS262, designated 15 December 1982), 28,515 ha - Corner InletCorner InletCorner Inlet is a 600 km2 bay, 200 km south-east of Melbourne, in South Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Of Victoria’s large bays it is both the easternmost and the warmest...
38°45′S 146°32′E (RS261, designated 15 December 1982), 67,186 ha - Edithvale-Seaford WetlandsEdithvale-Seaford WetlandsThe Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands are a group of two principally freshwater swamps, totalling , lying in the suburbs of Aspendale, Edithvale, and Seaford in south-eastern Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Together they form the Edithvale-Seaford Wetlands Ramsar Site...
38°04′S 145°07′E (RS1096, designated 29 August 2001), 261 ha - Gippsland LakesGippsland LakesThe Gippsland Lakes are a network of lakes, marshes and lagoons in east Gippsland, Victoria, Australia covering an area of about 600 km2. The largest of the lakes are Lake Wellington , Lake King and Lake Victoria. They are fed by the Avon, Thomson, Latrobe, Mitchell, Nicholson and Tambo...
38°00′S 147°36′E (RS269, designated 15 December 1982), 60,015 ha - Gunbower ForestGunbower National ParkGunbower is a national park in Victoria, Australia established in 2010. It contains the Gunbower Forest Ramsar wetlands site for the protection of migratory bird species....
35°49′S 144°19′E (RS263, designated 15 December 1982), 19,931 ha - Hattah-Kulkyne LakesHattah-Kulkyne National ParkHattah-Kulkyne is a national park in Victoria, Australia, 417 km northwest of Melbourne. The nearest regional centre is Mildura. It is a popular destination for bushwalkers and school camping trips.-Description:...
34°41′S 142°26′E (RS264, designated 15 December 1982), 955 ha - Kerang WetlandsNorth Victorian WetlandsThe North Victorian Wetlands, also known as the Kerang Wetlands, comprise an extensive series of over 100 freshwater, brackish and saline lakes and swamps on the floodplain of the Loddon River where it enters the Murray valley, in the vicinity of the town of Kerang, in northern Victoria,...
35°40′S 143°56′E (RS265, designated 15 December 1982), 9,419 ha - Lake AlbacutyaLake AlbacutyaLake Albacutya is in Victoria, Australia. The postcode there is 3424. It has been designated a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention....
35°46′S 141°58′E (RS270, designated 15 December 1982), 5,731 ha - Port Phillip Bay and Bellarine PeninsulaPort Phillip Bay (Western Shoreline) and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar SiteThe Port Phillip Bay and Bellarine Peninsula Ramsar Site is one of the Australian sites listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance. It was designated on 15 December 1982, and is listed as Ramsar Site No.266...
38°04′S 144°36′E (RS266, designated 15 December 1982), 22,897 ha - Western District LakesWestern District LakesThe Western District Lakes of Victoria, in the Western District of Victoria, south-eastern Australia, were recognised on 15 December 1982 as wetlands of international importance by listing under the Ramsar Convention, as Ramsar site no.268.-Description:...
38°10′S 143°31′E (RS268, designated 15 December 1982), 32,898 ha - Western Port BayWestern PortWestern Port, is sometimes called "Western Port Bay", is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in Victoria. Geographically, it is dominated by the two large islands; French Island and Phillip Island. Contrary to its name, it lies to...
38°22′S 145°17′E (RS267, designated 15 December 1982), 59,297
Western Australia
- Becher Point WetlandsBecher Point WetlandsThe Becher Point Wetlands site is a wetland nature reserve on the Swan Coastal Plain of south-western Western Australia. The 677 ha coastal site lies in the City of Rockingham, about 50 km south of the state capital, Perth, and is largely surrounded on the landward side by residential suburbs...
32°23′S 115°44′E (RS1048, designated 5 January 2001), 677 ha - Eighty Mile Beach 19°31′S 120°40′E (RS480, designated 7 June 1990), 125,000 ha
- Forrestdale and Thomsons LakesForrestdale and Thomsons Lakes Ramsar SiteThe Forrestdale and Thomsons Lakes Ramsar Site comprises two separate nature reserves, totaling 754 ha in area, protecting two shallow fresh to brackish, seasonal lakes in a suburban and agricultural landscape in south-western Western Australia. It is used mainly for birdwatching and walking. It...
32°09′S 115°52′E (RS481, designated 7 June 1990), 754 ha - Lake GoreLake GoreLake Gore is a seasonal and semi-permanent lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia located approximately West of Esperance. It is an important site for waterbirds.-Description:...
33°47′S 121°29′E (RS1049, designated 5 January 2001), 4,017 ha - Lake Warden SystemLake Warden (Western Australia)Lake Warden is a lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. It and its associated wetlands are protected in a nature reserve; they were recognised as being of international importance under the Ramsar Convention through designation of the Lake Warden System on 7 June 1990 as...
33°48′S 121°56′E (RS485, designated 7 June 1990), 2,300 ha - Lakes Argyle and KununurraLakes Argyle and Kununurra Ramsar SiteThe Lakes Argyle and Kununurra Ramsar Site comprises an extensive system of artificial freshwater reservoirs, with their associated permanent wetlands, formed by damming the Ord River in the eastern part of the Kimberley Region of northern Western Australia. The reservoirs include Lake Argyle and...
16°19′S 128°44′E (RS478, designated 7 June 1990), 150,000 ha - Muir-Byenup SystemLake MuirLake Muir is a lake within an important wetlands area in the South West region of Western Australia, often known as the Lake Muir - Unicup System...
34°29′S 116°43′E (RS1050, designated 5 January 2001), 10,631 ha - Ord River FloodplainOrd River FloodplainThe Ord River floodplain is the floodplain of the lower Ord River in the Shire of Wyndham-East Kimberley, in the Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. It lies within the Victoria Bonaparte IBRA bioregion and contains river, seasonal creek, tidal mudflat and floodplain wetlands, with...
15°15′S 128°22′E (RS477, designated 7 June 1990), 141,453 ha - Peel-Yalgorup SystemPeel-Harvey EstuaryThe Peel Harvey Estuary is a natural estuary which lies roughly parallel to the coast of Western Australia and south of the town of Mandurah. The strip of land between the Indian Ocean and the estuary carries the Old Coast Road and to the east is the Forrest Highway which is the main thoroughfare...
32°49′S 115°42′E (RS482, designated 7 June 1990), 26,530 ha - Roebuck BayRoebuck BayRoebuck Bay is a bay on the coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Its entrance is bounded in the north by the town of Broome, and in the south by Bush Point and Sandy Point. It is named after HMS Roebuck, the ship captained by William Dampier when he explored the coast of...
18°07′S 122°16′E (RS479, designated 7 June 1990), 55,000 ha - Toolibin LakeToolibin LakeToolibin Lake is a 493 ha nature reserve containing a seasonal fresh to brackish water perched lake or wooded swamp, in south-western Australia. It lies about 200 km south-east of Perth, in the Shire of Narrogin, and 40 km east of the town of Narrogin, in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia...
32°55′S 117°36′E (RS483, designated 7 June 1990), 493 ha - Vasse-Wonnerup SystemVasse-Wonnerup EstuaryThe Vasse-Wonnerup Estuary is an estuary in the South West region of Western Australia close to the town of Busselton. The estuary is listed with DIWA. It was also recognised as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on 7 June 1990 when an area of 1115 ha was...
33°37′S 115°25′E (RS484, designated 7 June 1990), 1,115 ha
External territories
- Ashmore Reef National Nature ReserveAshmore and Cartier IslandsThe Territory of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an external territory of Australia consisting of two groups of small low-lying uninhabited tropical islands in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the continental shelf north-west of Australia and south of the Indonesian island of...
12°15′S 123°02′E (RS1220, designated 21 October 2002), 58,300 ha - Coral Sea ReservesCoral Sea Reserves Ramsar SiteThe Coral Sea Reserves Ramsar Site comprises the 17,292 km2 of oceanic island and reef habitats within the Coringa-Herald National Nature Reserve and the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve in the Australian Coral Sea Islands Territory.-History:...
(Coringa-HeraldCoringa-Herald National Nature ReserveCoringa-Herald National Nature Reserve is a nature reserve in Australia’s Coral Sea Islands Territory, and an Important Bird Area . Together with the Lihou Reef National Nature Reserve, from which it is separated by about 100 km of open ocean, it forms the Coral Sea Reserves Ramsar Site,...
and Lihou Reef and Cays), Coral Sea Islands Territory 17°04′S 150°39′E (RS1222, designated 21 October 2002), 1,729,200 ha - The Dales, Christmas Island 10°28′S 105°33′E (RS1225, designated 21 October 2002), 57 ha
- Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Nature ReserveElizabeth and Middleton Reefs]]Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs form the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Park Reserve, located at the south-eastern end of the Coral Sea Islands, an Australian territory in the Coral Sea and the north-western Tasman Sea. They are managed by the Government of Australia under the...
, Coral Sea Islands Territory 29°41′S 159°06′E (RS1223, designated 21 October 2002), 188,000 ha - Hosnies SpringHosnies SpringHosnies Spring formerly Hosnie’s Spring or Hosnies Springs) is a wetland on Christmas Island, an Australian external territory in the eastern Indian Ocean. It has been recognised being of international importance by designation under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.-History:Hosnies Spring was...
, Christmas Island 10°28′S 105°41′E (RS512, designated 11 December 1990), 1 ha - Pulu Keeling National ParkNorth KeelingNorth Keeling is a small, uninhabited coral atoll of about 1.2 km2, about 25 km north of Horsburgh Island. It is the northernmost atoll and island of the Australian territory of the Cocos Islands...
, Cocos (Keeling) Islands 11°50′S 96°49′E (RS797, designated 17 March 1996), 122 ha