National Heritage List inscription date 6 January 2010
The Ningaloo Coast, located on the remote western coast of Australia, is an astonishing place. The dramatic land and seascapes of the region tells unparalleled stories across time, latitude and species, about the movement of continents, changing climates and the evolution of life over 150 million years.
Gallery
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Life beneath the sea
The waters of the Ningaloo Coast contain one of the best developed near-shore reefs in the world, a continuous series of more than 200 kilometres of spectacular wave-swept ramparts off a rugged limestone peninsula, including spectacular coral and sponge gardens and the world famous whale shark. The history of tropical marine environments during the last few million years is chronicled in the limestone parapets and wave-cut terraces of Cape Range, which record previous high water levels, earlier reefs and the emergence of the peninsula as an island from beneath the sea.
Life beneath the land
Below the sunbaked surface of Cape Range lies a hidden network of caves, groundwater streams, pools and aquifers, which house remarkable subterranean fauna. These underground animals, which live only in the Cape Range peninsula aquifer, were separated from their free-floating marine ancestors over 150 million years ago as the supercontinent Pangaea broke apart and the world began to take on the geography we see today. The only living relatives of these animals are scattered around the world, restricted to a few communities in the North Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas.
Indigenous significance
Archaeological deposits in the rock shelters on Cape Range show Aboriginal peoples' sophisticated knowledge of marine resources between 35,000 and 17,000 years ago. Shell beads discovered at Cape Range have been dated to more than 32,000 old, which is the earliest evidence known in Australia for the manufacture of personal ornaments. Given that only a handful of the caves and rock shelters of this region have been explored, the Ningaloo Coast has great potential to reveal more hidden cultural treasures.
National Heritage List
Due to its extraordinary natural qualities and Indigenous significance, the Ningaloo Coast is considered to have outstanding heritage value to the nation and has been included in the Australian National Heritage List. Places listed in the National Heritage List are protected under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The EPBC Act requires that approval be obtained before any action takes place that could have a significant impact on the national heritage values of a listed place.
Consultation with Indigenous people about the Ningaloo Coast national heritage listed place
The Indigenous values of the Ningaloo Coast National Heritage Place are not definitively mapped. Indigenous people are the primary source of information on the value of their heritage and should be consulted on a proposed action likely to significantly impact on the listed Indigenous heritage values of the place and/or on a protected matter that has Indigenous heritage values (like listed threatened species).
Prior to undertaking any action, proponents should contact the appropriate Aboriginal Traditional Owners and custodians of the land on which the action will occur that has listed values that may be significantly impacted, as well as the Aboriginal Traditional Owners and custodians of adjoining lands that may be significantly impacted by the action.
A letter from the appropriate representative bodies declaring that they have been adequately consulted on the action informs the Department that a best practice approach has been undertaken. Further information on Aboriginal representative bodies is available from Native Title Corporations or via local Aboriginal Land Councils. Guidance about best practice Indigenous engagement can be found at Engage early – guidance for proponents on best practice Indigenous engagement for environmental assessments under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).