Australia National Parks - VIC East

VIC East - Point Hicks Marine National Park

This 4000 hectare park, adjacent to Croajingolong National Park. The granite cliffs of Point Hicks overlook the park which contains a very rich marine fauna. This includes intertidal and shallow subtidal invertebrates, colourful and diverse sessile invertebrates living on spectacular subtidal reefs, kelps and small algae and a high diversity of reef fish.

Diving around Whaleback Rock or Sensation Reef is a truly amazing experience. The water is often very clear with sunlight glinting off schools of silver fish. A forest of gently swaying brown seaweeds covers the seafloor. Amongst the seaweed fronds lives a remarkable mat of colourful sponges, sea-squirts, sea-moss and sea-fans of all shapes and sizes. The sponges are orange, red, purple, white and brown and intertwine around each other forming reticulate patterns, knots, balls, cups, carpets and terraces. Many other creatures are visible between the sponges, under rocks and poking out of the seaweed holdfasts. There are numerous brightly coloured sea-stars, brittle stars, abalone, fan worms, large sea shells, hermit crabs and beautiful delicate nudibranchs (sea-slugs). Fish include schools of Butterfly Perch, Silver Sweep and Long-Finned Pike and Banded Morwongs are common amongst the deeper boulders.

Point Hicks represents Victoria's warm far-eastern marine environment. Many animals occurring here will not grow or survive in the cooler waters further west. The most obvious of these is the large Black Sea-urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) that mows down the seaweeds near its shelter, creating an open environment of pink coralline-encrusted rocks.

Location

About 25 kilometres southeast of Cann River in East Gippsland

Further Information

Webpage: Point Hicks Marine National Park

Parks Victoria
Level 10/535 Bourke Street
Melbourne Victoria AUSTRALIA 3000
Phone: +61 (0)3 8627 4699