 The South East has 378 kilometres of coastline hosting a number of townships including Beachport, Kingston, Port MacDonnell and Robe. Whilst our coast supports human habitation it is also home to several distinctly different types of ecosystem. This unique coastal environment includes dunes, limestone cliffs, sandy beaches, rocky shores and coastal springs and lakes. An outer dune barrier, an inter-barrier corridor and an inner stranded dune barrier characterize the region.
The most prominent outer dune barriers are the Robe Ranges and Canunda Dunes. Unconsolidated transgressive dunes and consolidated limestone rises define this area with limestone cliffs and headlands breaking up the shoreline into bays. The large stretches of the Central Canunda beaches are markedly different. Capes and offshore reefs provide protection from high energy swells and prevailing south westerly winds to smaller sections of the coastline. This creates safe harbour for fishing and lobster vessels which is of benefit to many in our coastal areas (Kingston, South End, Carpenters Rocks, Port MacDonnell, and Robe).
A combination of terrestrial and coastal vegetation is present with prevalence of the following species:
· Leucopogon parviflorus (coastal bearded heath)
· Acacia longifolia var sophorae (coastal wattle)
· Allocasurina verticillata (drooping sheoak)
· Olearia axillaries (sandhill daisy bush)
· Leucophyta brownii (cushion bush)
Exposed coastal areas experience storm surges and very high wave energy as a result of the south and south-westerly aspect and subsequent southern ocean swell. Strong beach erosion and foredune scarping are a direct consequence of this. |