Australia’s Best Kept Marine Secret has been Proclaimed !!

Linda Cash — Sun, 20 Mar 2022 22:07:19 +0000

New Marine Park for Christmas Island and the Cocos Keeling Islands

Did you know that Australia has its own spectacular marine version of the Galapagos Islands – vast, remote and relatively uncharted ? At twice the size of the Great Barrier Reef and more than three times the size of Great Britain , these magical waters have now been declared a part of Australia’s Marine Parks .

At 744,000 square kilometres in size, the new Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Island Marine Parks are the jewel of our Indian Ocean Territories, with marine life found nowhere else on earth.

The new marine parks lie at a meeting point of Indian and Pacific Ocean currents . They are places where unique marine life lives and continues to evolve – a natural laboratory for understanding oceanic evolutionary processes. They are important habitats for sea turtles, seabirds, whale sharks, coral reef species, oceanic fish and the famous Christmas Island Red Crab.

Established in March 2022, these new marine parks will help protect the unique marine environments of Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories (IOT) and support positive social and economic outcomes for our local communities and other marine users. These new marine park protections will build on the work of Christmas Islan d National Park and Pulu Keeling National Park, which have helped to protect the unique island environments of the Indian Ocean Territories for decades.

Locals and visitors can experience the magnificent marine world of the new Marine Parks in the Indian Ocean Territories by connecting with Indian Ocean Experiences, who will then connect you with a local tour operator where you can head out scuba diving, snorkelling, kite surfing, kayaking, free diving or fishing.

What are you waiting for? Find out how you can explore this unique and undiscovered national treasure today …

Thanks to Parks Australia for this information.

The post Australia’s Best Kept Marine Secret has been Proclaimed !! first appeared on Indian Ocean Experiences.

Indian Ocean Experiences joins Australian Wildlife Journeys

Linda Cash — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 21:12:34 +0000

Australian Wildlife Journeys (AWJ) is excited to announce Indian Ocean Experiences, covering Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, is the latest addition to the collective.

Indian Ocean Experiences, led by Owner & Manager Lisa Preston, shares the remarkable natural wonders, history and culture of Australia’s Indian Ocean Islands. Best known for the epic annual migration of 60 million red crabs from the forest to the ocean commencing at the onset of the wet season, generally November or December, Christmas Island’s Jurassic style rainforest, jagged cliffs, coral beaches, and tropical reefs provide refuge for 90 species of crab and diverse wildlife encounters above and below the water.

Regarded as one of Australia’s best birdwatching destinations with 80,000 nesting seabirds visiting each year, Indian Ocean Experiences offers shared and tailor-made birdwatching experiences across both Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, providing access to numerous endemics and subspecies, including one of the world’s most beautiful seabirds, the Golden Bosun. Christmas Island is also home to the world’s rarest booby and frigatebird, the Abbott’s Booby and the Christmas Island Frigatebird, whilst the Cocos Buff-banded Rail is only found on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

In conjunction with Christmas Island National Park, Indian Ocean Experiences offers a hands-on Citizen Science program in February & July, contributing to the conservation of Christmas Island’s endemic Blue-tailed Skink and Lister’s Gecko, along with beach clean-ups, tree planting and other rainforest rehabilitation activities.

“I am delighted that Christmas and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, both of which have extraordinary wildlife viewing opportunities, will be destinations featured by Australian Wildlife Journeys,” says Lisa Preston. “There is no doubt our shared values of small group, sustainable and conservation focussed touring make for a wonderful partnership going forward – we look forward to sharing the beauty of our islands, and our unique wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, with more travellers from around the globe.”

About Australian Wildlife Journeys

Australian Wildlife Journeys is a group of Australia’s leading independently operated wildlife tourism experiences, showcasing wildlife encounters in the wild, combined with warm hospitality. A high level of guiding expertise and focus on interpretation that connects with guests, encourages self-reflection and contributes to a better future for Australia’s wildlife through ‘conservation actions’ underpins the group. Australian Wildlife Journeys is part of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences of Australia program that promotes outstanding tourism experiences within a variety of special categories

Members of Australian Wildlife Journeys:

New South Wales: Boutique Wildlife Tours
Victoria: Echidna Walkabout Nature Tours
Tasmania: Premier Travel Tasmania, The Maria Island Walk
South Australia: Australian Coastal Safaris, Exceptional Kangaroo Island, Murray River Safari
Western Australia: Exmouth Dive & Whalesharks Ningaloo, Naturaliste Charters
Northern Territory: Lords Kakadu & Arnhemland Safaris
Queensland: FNQ Nature Tours, Pacific Whale Foundation Eco-Adventures Australia
National Territory: Indian Ocean Experiences

The post Indian Ocean Experiences joins Australian Wildlife Journeys first appeared on Indian Ocean Experiences.

Linda Cash - Indian Ocean Experiences

Australia’s Best Kept Marine Secret has been Proclaimed !!

Indian Ocean Experiences joins Australian Wildlife Journeys

Australian Wildlife Journeys (AWJ) is excited to announce Indian Ocean Experiences, covering Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, is the latest addition to the collective.