Neptune Islands Conservation Park facts for kids

This article is about the protected area. For the main article, see Neptune Islands

Quick facts for kids Neptune Islands Conservation Park South Australia
IUCN Category Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)
Nearest town or city	Port Lincoln
Established	16 March 1967
Area	145.7 km² (56.3 sq mi)
Managing authorities	Department for Environment and Water
See also	Protected areas of South Australia

Neptune Islands Conservation Park is a protected area occupying most of the Neptune Islands in South Australia about 55 km (34 mi) south-south east of Port Lincoln. It was established in 1967 principally to protect a New Zealand fur seal breeding colony. The conservation park was subsequently expanded to include the adjoining waters in order to control and manage berleying activities used to attract great white sharks. As of 2002, the conservation park is the only place in Australia where shark cage diving to view great white sharks is legally permitted.

Description
History
Visitor services
Gallery

Description

The conservation park includes all the islands within the group with the exception of all or part of the southernmost island (known as Lighthouse Island) in the South Neptune Islands where land has been reserved for ongoing use by a lighthouse and the waters within 2 nautical miles (4 km) of the mean low water mark of both groups of islands. The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area.

History

Part of the island group was proclaimed as a fauna conservation reserve under the Crown Lands Act 1929-1966 on 16 March 1967 mainly to conserve the New Zealand fur seal breeding colony on the southern island of the North Neptune Islands which is reported as being one of the largest in Australia. Other features that contributed to the declaration include the small breeding population of Australian sea lions on the North Neptune Islands, Australian sea lion haul out areas on the South Neptune Islands and the breeding/nesting populations of Cape Barren goose, white-bellied sea eagle, osprey and peregrine falcon.

The conservation park was subsequently extended in 1997 to include the waters within 2 nautical miles (4 km) of the shoreline of both the North and South Neptune Islands via a declaration under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 to regulate and manage great white shark berleying activities around both groups of islands.

1n 1990, most of Lighthouse Island was reportedly added to the conservation park after the conversion of the lighthouse to automatic operation with the exception of some land around the lighthouse and an associated helicopter landing site.

On 29 November 2012, the waters within 2 nautical miles (4 km) of the coastline of both the North and South Neptune Islands at median high water also became part of a protected area known as the Neptune Islands Group (Ron and Valerie Taylor) Marine Park. The marine park entity provides a level of regulation additional to that of the conservation park in respect to the use of the waters adjoining both groups of islands.

Visitor services

Since 2002, the conservation park is the only venue in Australia where the use of shark cage diving to view great white sharks is legally permitted. Access for shark cage diving is via three operators licensed by the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources.

Gallery

Fauna intended to be protected by the declaration of the conservation park in 1967:

New Zealand fur seal
Australian sea lion
Cape Barren goose
White-bellied sea eagle
Osprey
Peregrine falcon

Protected areas of South Australia

National parks	Adelaide International Bird Sanctuary Belair Canunda Coffin Bay Coorong Flinders Chase Ikara-Flinders Ranges Gawler Ranges Great Australian Bight Marine Innes Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre Lake Gairdner Lake Torrens Lincoln Malkumba-Coongie Mount Remarkable Murray River Naracoorte Caves Nullarbor Onkaparinga River Vulkathunha-Gammon Ranges Witjira

Conservation parks	Acraman Creek Aldinga Scrub Althorpe Islands Angove Avoid Bay Islands Baird Bay Islands Bakara Bangham Barwell Bascombe Well Baudin Baudin Rocks Beachport Beatrice Islet Beyeria Big Heath Billiatt Bird Islands Black Hill Boondina Breakaways Busby Islet Butchers Gap Calpatanna Waterhole Cap Island Cape Blanche Cape Gantheaume Cape Willoughby Caralue Bluff Carappee Hill Carpenter Rocks Carribie Chadinga Cleland Clinton Cocata Cooltong Corrobinnie Hill Cox Scrub Custon Cygnet Estuary Danggali Darke Range Deep Creek Desert Camp Douglas Point Dudley Eba Island Ediacara Elliot Price Eric Bonython Ewens Ponds Fairview Ferguson Finniss Fort Glanville Fowlers Bay Franklin Harbor Gambier Islands Gawler Ranges Giles Goose Island Grass Tree Greenly Island Guichen Bay Gum Laqoon Hacks Lagoon Hale Hallett Cove Heggaton Hincks Horsnell Gully Ironstone Hill Kaiserstuhl Kapunda Island Kathai Kellidie Bay Kelly Hill Kelvin Powrie Kenneth Stirling Kulliparu Lake Gilles Lake Newland Lashmar Lathami Laura Bay Lesueur Leven Beach Lincoln Lipson Island Little Dip Malgra Mamungari Mantung Marino Martindale Hall Media Island Middlecamp Hills Minlacowie Moana Sands Montacute Moody Tank Morialta Mount Brown Mount Dutton Bay Mount Magnificent Mount Scott Mount Taylor Mullinger Swamp Munyaroo Murrunatta Nene Valley Nepean Bay Neptune Islands Newland Head Nicolas Baudin Island Ngarkat Nuyts Archipelago Nuyts Reef Olive Island Para Wirra Paranki Lagoon Parndana Peachna Peebinga Penguin Island Pelican Lagoon Pigface Island Pine Hill Soak Point Bell Point Davenport Point Labatt Piccaninnie Ponds Pinkawillinie Port Gawler Pualco Range Pullen Island Pureba Ramsay Rilli Island Rocky Island (North) Rocky Island (South) Roonka Rudall Salt Lagoon Islands Sceale Bay Scott Creek Seal Bay Searcy Bay Seddon Shannon Sheoak Hill Simpson Simpson Desert Sinclair Island Sir Joseph Banks Group Sleaford Mere Spring Gully Talapar Talisker Tallaringa Telford Scrub Telowie Gorge The Dutchmans Stern The Pages The Plug Range Torrens Island Troubridge Island Tucknott Scrub Tumby Island Venus Bay Verran Tanks Vivonne Bay Wabma Kadarbu Mound Springs Wahgunyah Waitpinga Waldegrave Islands Wanilla Wanilla Land Settlement Warrenben West Island Wharminda Whidbey Isles Whyalla Wills Creek Winninowie Wittelbee Yeldulknie Yumbarra

Game reserves	Bool Lagoon Bucks Lake Chowilla Currency Creek Lake Robe Loch Luna Moorook Mud Islands Poocher Swamp Tolderol

Recreation parks	Anstey Hill Blackwood Forest Brownhill Creek Caratoola Cobbler Creek Granite Island Greenhill Long Island O'Halloran Hill Onkaparinga River Shepherds Hill Sturt Gorge Totness

Regional Reserves	Chowilla Innamincka Lake Frome Nullarbor Simpson Desert Strzelecki Yellabinna

Conservation reserves	Bernouilli Buckleboo Bunbury Bunkers Cortlinye Cox Scrub Cunyarie Desert Camp Hardings Springs Lacroma Moongi Mootra Pinkawillinie Reservoir Poolgarra Tola Former conservation reserves

Wilderness Protection Areas	Billiatt Cape Bouguer Cape Gantheaume Cape Torrens Danggali Hambridge Hincks Investigator Group Memory Cove Nullarbor Nuyts Archipelago Ravine des Casoars Western River Yellabinna

Aquatic reserves	American River Aldinga Reef Bales Beach Barker Inlet-St Kilda Blanche Harbour-Douglas Bank Coobowie Goose Island Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary Point Labatt Port Noarlunga Reef Seal Bay St Kilda – Chapman Creek Troubridge Hill West Island Encounter Bay Whyalla - Cowleds Landing Yatala Harbour

Other protected areas	Arkaroola Protection Area

Marine protected areas of South Australia

Aquatic reserves	American River Aldinga Reef Bales Beach Barker Inlet-St Kilda Blanche Harbour-Douglas Bank Coobowie Whyalla - Cowleds Landing Goose Island Great Australian Bight Marine Park Whale Sanctuary Point Labatt Port Noarlunga Reef Seal Bay St Kilda – Chapman Creek Troubridge Hill West Island Encounter Bay Yatala Harbour Upper Spencer Gulf

Historic shipwrecks with protected zones	HMAS Hobart Shipwreck Reserve Zanoni Shipwreck Reserve

Marine parks	Eastern Spencer Gulf Encounter Far West Coast Franklin Harbor Gambier Islands Group Investigator Lower South East Lower Yorke Peninsula Neptune Islands Group Nuyts Archipelago Sir Joseph Banks Group Southern Kangaroo Island Southern Spencer Gulf Thorny Passage Upper Gulf St Vincent Upper South East Upper Spencer Gulf West Coast Bays Western Kangaroo Island

Terrestrial reserves with marine extensions	Beatrice Islet Bird Islands Lipson Island Neptune Islands Nicolas Baudin Island Nuyts Reef Rocky Island (North) Rocky Island (South) Sinclair Island Sir Joseph Banks Group The Pages Troubridge Island

Other	Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary Great Australian Bight Marine National Park

Related topics	Australian marine parks Protected areas of South Australia List of protected areas in Adelaide

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Neptune Islands Conservation Park facts for kids

Contents

Description

History

Visitor services

Gallery