Solitary Islands Have it All

by Sail-World Cruising on 19 Jan 2008 If you're a water enthusiast, Solitary Islands has everything — diving, snorkelling, swimming, surfing, beach walking, whale watching, birdwatching. The marine park shelters over 280 species of fish, four species of turtle and around 90 species of coral.

There are colourful sea slugs and plenty of marine mammals, including migrating humpback whales during colder months. While there you can enjoy pristine estuaries, sandy beaches and intertidal rocky shores.

The marine park stretches for 75 km along the coast north of Coffs Harbour, and the reason the area is so interesting is that the warm waters of the East Australian Current meet in the Solitary Islands with the cool, nutrient rich currents that have originated in the south. This allows tropical, sub tropical and temperate marine communities to co-exist in the same area.
The diverse habitats and the mixing currents give the area its uniqueness and an amazing array of marine plants and animals.

Anchoring is allowed in the Marine Park with the exception of the sanctuary zones (and here if there is an emergency), but there are also a range of moorings in place for all sizes of boat, so it's a haven for day tripping as well as

overnighting, although you are only allowed to remain for 12 hours on a mooring, and rafting is not allowed.

Public moorings have been provided at:
Northwest Rock;
North Solitary Island;
North West Solitary Island;
South West Solitary (Groper) Island;
Split Solitary Island;
South Solitary Island;
Surgeons Reef.
All moorings are labelled with the limits of use.

For full information about all aspects of the Solitary Islands Marine Park and Marine Reserve, consult the User Guide and Zoning Plan Map by clicking here