Mandurah, AU
4:55 pm,
21°C
scattered clouds
Amazing nature right at your fingertips
Mandurah is home to internationally recognised wetlands with an abundance of birdlife, including pelicans, ospreys, water birds and rare North Asian migratory birds (October to March).
The wetlands include Creery Wetlands, a 29-hectare nature reserve.
The Red-Necked Stint is one of these amazing birds. Weighing approximately 25 grams, less than a Tim Tam, Red-necked Stints fly along a migratory path from the Arctic to Australia twice a year, a return journey of up to a staggering 25,000 km.
Some things clearly get better with age! Located at Yalgorup National Park, south of Mandurah, the thrombolite reef at Lake Clifton offers you a glimpse of what life was like when the earth began.
These rock-like formations are found in only a few places in the world and scientists believe that thrombolites are one of the first life forms on earth, dating back approximately 570 million years, producing oxygen that made all subsequent life possible.
The Lake Clifton thrombolites are approximately 2,000 years old and the largest in the southern hemisphere. You can view them from above on a boardwalk over the lake with January to May being the best time to see them when the water levels are low.
Mandurah is home to the largest residential population of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins in Western Australia. When compared to the common bottlenose dolphin the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin has a longer slimmer “beak” and more streamlined body.
The Peel Harvey Estuary is lucky enough to be home to more than 100 resident dolphins. The large population of dolphins in the region shows how healthy our waterways are.
Mandurah’s waterways are the ideal home for dolphins due to the abundance of fish. In addition, the shallow, warm, protected water is great for birthing.
Whether you are on or by the water, it will be hard to miss our friendly locals. The Dawesville Cut, Mandjar Bay, Mandurah Estuary and Mandurah Ocean Marina are considered particularly good spots to see dolphins.
The size of an adult dolphin in Mandurah ranges from 2.3 to 2.6 metres long and they weigh up to 220kg. At birth they are approximately 1 metre in length, weighing up to 20kg.
Bottlenose dolphins can live to over 40 years of age. In fact, we have a number of dolphins in Mandurah older than 25 years.
Our Mandurah dolphins are really social and inquisitive. Their foraging behaviour is especially amazing to observe. Mandurah seems to be an excellent environment for them to forage because of all the canals and rock walls; they use these to trap several species of fish, like mullet and salmon, which they often herd to the dead ends of the canals for an easier catch and feed.
The juvenile dolphins are the most playful and these are the ones you’ll most often see frolicking alongside boats.