Murat Marine Park protects an impressively rich diversity of seafloor-dwelling animals and small open water fishes. Many seafloor animals in this region aren’t found anywhere else on Earth.

The park is part of the vast expanse of flat, shallow continental shelf stretching across the Great Australian Bight.

It includes Yatala Reef, a detached reef with depths of less than two metres in places.

The park is 86 kilometres south-west of Ceduna in South Australia. It covers 938 square kilometres, with depths to 70 metres.

It is a National Park zone.

Explore

This marine park is remote from the shore, making access difficult.

Its National Park zoning means fishing isn’t allowed here.

There are opportunities for whale watching and charter fishing in the neighbouring Great Australian Bight Marine Park and Western Eyre Marine Park.

Discover

Murat Marine Park protects a rich diversity of seafloor-dwelling animals, including many species of:

• sponges
• lace corals
• molluscs.

When these animals die and break down, the hard parts of their bodies add to the sediment, in turn creating habitat for other animals.

Many of the seafloor species here are filter feeders. They play a crucial role recycling nutrients and supporting healthy ecosystems.

We’ve learned from marine biologists that there are many different types of animals living in and on the soft sediments of the seafloor in this region. It is one of the most diverse communities of its type in the world.

As many as 90 per cent of the seafloor species here are found nowhere else on Earth.