Keeping Watch Traditional Cache

The Peel-Harvey Estuary is a large system of shallow estuarine and saline, brackish and freshwater lakes. Many tens of thousands of waterbirds, including large numbers of migrant shorebirds from the northern hemisphere, use the estuary and lakes each year. There are also thrombolites to be found, a primitive life form superficially resembling stromatolites.

The estuary covers some 136km² and is the largest such system in South Western Australia. It is comprised of the Peel Inlet which is connected to the Indian Ocean via the Mandurah Channel, and the Harvey Estuary further south. The Dawesville Cut, located in the City of Mandurah, was opened in 1994 and marks the transition from the Peel Inlet into the Harvey Estuary. It provides for seawater flow from the ocean as well and is located opposite the locality of Point Grey in the Shire of Murray.

From the mound of the Serpentine River in the north are the localities of Furnissdale, North Yunderup and South Yunderup stretch along the Peel Inlet. Further on, new urban developments at Austin Cove and Point Grey are at the forefront of urbanisation. South of Point Grey, are the rural localities of Birchmont and Herron Point form the backdrop of the Harvey Estuary.

The largest proportion of the shoreline lies within the Shire of Murray. The remaining shorelines are within the Mandurah City Concil and the Shire of Waroona. Mandurah is nestled on the northernmost shores, then stretching southwards along the western shores are the localities of Erskine, Falcon, Pleasant Grove, Wannanup, Dawesville, Bouvard, Point Repose, and finally Island Point and Herron. The southernmost reaches of the Harvey Estuary lie within the Shire of Waroona.

In 1990, the Peel-Harvey Estuary was listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland and ecosystem of international significance. The protected area was substantially expanded in 2001 to include Lake Mealup and several other nature reserves.

The Peel-Harvey Estuary is under threat from decades of nutrient influx from agriculture, clearing of more than 75% of the native vegetation and urbanisation. The three local government bodies (Mandurah City Council, Shire of Murray, and Waroona Shire) are all endeavouring to to minimise the impact on the estuary and associated ecosystems so that these waterways will continue to be utiilized and enjoyed for generations to come, whether they have feathers or not.

FTF Congratulations Tomthewizz

For those of you who like watching birds (the feathered variety), you might like to click on the link below for a Birdwatching Trail Guide for the Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary: