Marine Parks WA

The Dampier Archipelago is a large smattering of 42 islands, islets and rocks, all within a 45 kilometre radius of Dampier in WA’s north-west. The proposed Dampier Archipelago Marine Park, which is set to protect large areas of the waters around these islands, has exceptional natural beauty. Several islands are important nesting sites for threatened hawksbill, flatback and green turtles, while some of the small, outer islands and rocks support large seabird colonies. It is likely that all 36 species of whales and dolphins known from the Indian Ocean occasionally visit the proposed marine park, which is an extremely important area for humpback whales. Dugongs graze on seagrasses in the archipelago.