Nuytsland Nature Reserve is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

in the south-eastern part of the state, on the

south coast South Coast is a name often given to coastal areas to the south of a geographical region or major metropolitan area. Geographical Australia *South Coast (New South Wales), the coast of New South Wales, Australia, south of Sydney * South Coast (Q ...

Geography

Nominally located at 32° 18' S 125° 52' E, it has an area of 6,253.44 km², and takes in over 500 kilometres of coastline from

Cape Pasley A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

to Red Rocks Point. In the southwest the reserve includes the Israelite Plain, a coastal plain with broad beaches, dunes, sandplains, and coastal lagoons which includes

Israelite Bay Israelite Bay is a bay and locality on the south coast of Western Australia. Situated in the Shire of Esperance local government area, it lies east of Esperance and the Cape Arid National Park, within the Nuytsland Nature Reserve and the Grea ...

. The middle section of the reserve protects the

Baxter Cliffs The Baxter Cliffs is a long stretch of coastal cliff on the south coast of Western Australia. The Baxter Cliffs are up to 80 metres high and extend for almost 200 kilometres along the coast, from Point Culver in the west, which marks the no ...

, dramatic seacliffs that extend up to 80 metres high for over 190 km along the coast. The Baxter Cliffs feature

Toolinna Cove Toolinna Cove is a cove on the south coast of Western Australia. It is a sea-cove along the Baxter Cliffs at the western end of the Great Australian Bight, in Nuytsland Nature Reserve. It is the only place between Point Culver and Twilight Cov ...

and

Twilight Cove Twilight Cove is situated at the end of the Baxter Cliffs on the south coast of Western Australia on the Great Australian Bight coastline. It has had other names, including ''Malbinya''. The local Aboriginal language for the area (known as Willi ...

. The reserve boundary extends northwards near Cocklebiddy to encompass Cocklebiddy Cave on the

Hampton Tableland Hampton Tableland is a feature that is found at the northern side of the current alignment of the Eyre Highway between Madura and Eucla in Western Australia, at the southern edge of the Nullarbor Plain. Earlier trans-Nullarbor tracks were loca ...

. The eastern end of the reserve includes the western portion of the

Roe Plains The Roe Plains is a coastal plain in the southeastern corner of Western Australia. The Roe Plains are predominantly marine dunes on a coastal plain. The plains are bounded on the south by the Great Australian Bight. They are bounded on the west ...

, with extensive coastal dunes and sandplains.

Eyre Bird Observatory Eyre Bird Observatory is an educational, scientific and recreational facility in the Nuytsland Nature Reserve, Western Australia. Cocklebiddy is the nearest locality on the Eyre Highway, to the north. It is in the Hampton bioregion, which is ...

is located near Cocklebiddy, where the cliffs transition to the Roe Plains.Nuytsland Nature Reserve
Parks and Wildlife Service, Government of Western Australia. Accessed 12 May 2022. At the reserve's western end it adjoins

Cape Arid National Park Cape Arid National Park is a List of national parks of Australia, national park located in Western Australia, southeast of Perth. The park is situated east of Esperance, Western Australia, Esperance and lies on the shore of the South coast of W ...

Ngadju Indigenous Protected Area Ngadju Indigenous Protected Area is an Indigenous Protected Area in Western Australia. It covers an area of 43.993.01 km2 in the Goldfields-Esperance region. The protected area was established in 2020. The Ngadju people serve as traditional cu ...

bounds the western portion of the reserve on the north.

Flora and fauna

Plant communities include heath on the western coastal plains and headlands, woodlands and mallee dominated by

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', '' Corymbia'', '' Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

s, and bluebush (''

Maireana ''Maireana '' is a genus of around 57 species of perennial shrubs and herbs in the family Amaranthaceae which are endemic to Australia. Species in this genus were formerly classified within the genus ''Kochia''. The genus was described in 1840 b ...

'' spp.) shrublands in the east. The reserve has been surveyed for the

western ground parrot The western ground parrot (''Pezoporus flaviventris''; Noongar name ''kyloring'') is an endangered species of parrot endemic to Western Australia and is a close relative of the eastern ground parrot (''Pezoporus wallicus'') and the somewhat more ...

(''Pezoporus flaviventris'').

Conservation

The reserve was gazetted in 1969. It lies within the Nuyts cadastral division of the state.

Climate

References

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External link

Nuytsland Nature Reserve
Parks and Wildlife Service, Government of Western Australia Nature reserves in Western Australia Goldfields-Esperance Nullarbor Plain South coast of Western Australia Hampton bioregion Great Australian Bight