Parmelia Bank is a sandbank to the north of

Cockburn Sound Cockburn Sound (Nyungar Aboriginal Australian name: Derbal Nara) is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Point Peron ne ...

, off

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, Western Australia within the limits of the

Fremantle Outer Harbour The Fremantle Outer Harbour is the part of Fremantle Harbour located in the Cockburn Sound, at the City of Kwinana, Western Australia. Fremantle Harbour consists of the Inner Harbour, which is situated on the mouth of the Swan River; and the Oute ...

. The Parmelia Bank is named after the barque ''

Parmelia Parmelia may refer to: * Parmelia (barque), the vessel that in 1829 transported the first settlers of the British colony of Western Australia * ''Parmelia'' (fungus), a genus of lichens with global distribution * Parmelia, Western Australia Pa ...

'', which grounded on the sandbank in 1829. Parmelia Bank, south of

Success Bank Success Bank is a sandbank to the north of Cockburn Sound, off Fremantle, Western Australia within the limits of the Fremantle Outer Harbour. The bank lies to the west of Owen Anchorage. It is about deep and is just to the south of the main ...

, is a slightly smaller bank than the latter and runs approximately parallel to it, about further south extending from

Woodman Point Woodman Point is a headland on the west coast of Western Australia. It is located in the Perth suburb of Coogee, south-south-west of the city centre and south of Fremantle. It extends westward into the Indian Ocean. The coastal waters immed ...

, almost to

Carnac Island Carnac Island (Noongar: ''Ngoorloormayup'') is a , A Class, island nature reserve about south-west of Fremantle and north of Garden Island in Western Australia. History Carnac Island is aeolianite limestone remnant of Pleistocene dunes. It ...

; it also is within the designated Fremantle Outer Harbour. The channel through this bank is likewise named after the bank - Parmelia Channel that leads into Cockburn Sound. During World War II, Parmelia Bank was the location of the anti-submarine boom net protecting the northern access to Cockburn Sound. From Woodman Point, the barrier ran west on top of the bank, stretching to Carnac Island. A dredged channel, the location of a gate in the barrier, let through the sandbank into Cockburn Sound. From this channel, the barrier ran south-west to Garden Island. The Success and Parmelia Banks were formed during the

Holocene The Holocene ( ) is the current geological epoch. It began approximately 11,650 cal years Before Present (), after the Last Glacial Period, which concluded with the Holocene glacial retreat. The Holocene and the preceding Pleistocene togethe ...

, more than 10,000 years ago, through the deposition of sediment which had been eroded from the Rottnest Shelf and the Garden Island Ridge. Success Bank was formed in the lee of Mewstone Rocks while Parmelia Bank was formed in lee of Carnac Island.

References

{{Reflist Fremantle Harbour Shoals of Australia