6 things you might not know about the Coorong

The Coorong is a wet­land of local, nation­al and inter­na­tion­al impor­tance, and one of the most sig­nif­i­cant water­bird habi­tats in the Mur­ray-Dar­ling system.

The region’s nat­ur­al beau­ty, abun­dant wildlife and unspoilt coast­line make it a South Aus­tralian icon, and one of the state’s most vis­it­ed tourist destinations.

Locat­ed at the end of the Riv­er Mur­ray, where the riv­er meets the South­ern Ocean, the Coorong stretch­es more than 140km from the Mur­ray Mouth in the north, to Salt Creek in the south.

Learn more about this sig­nif­i­cant eco­log­i­cal region with these six Coorong facts.

1. It’s a Ram­sar-list­ed wet­land of inter­na­tion­al importance

The Coorong is a nation­al trea­sure. The area, includ­ing lakes Albert and Alexan­d­ri­na, is recog­nised under the Ram­sar Con­ven­tion as a wet­land of inter­na­tion­al importance.

The area’s wet­lands pro­vide habi­tat for many local species as well as for migra­to­ry wad­ing birds – many fly­ing in from as far away as Alaska.

The Con­ven­tion means the area has inter­na­tion­al atten­tion and rules to ensure its conservation.

2. The area used to be one of the most dense­ly pop­u­lat­ed areas in Australia

The low­er Riv­er Mur­ray, includ­ing the Coorong and lakes Albert and Alexan­d­ri­na, was one of the most dense­ly pop­u­lat­ed areas in Aus­tralia pri­or to Euro­pean set­tle­ment.

First Nations of the South East and Ngar­rind­jeri are the Tra­di­tion­al Own­ers of the Coorong, its con­nect­ed lands and waters, and the region has sus­tained their unique cul­tures since the time of Cre­ation. 

The Coorong remains an intrin­sic to their spir­i­tu­al, social, cul­tur­al and eco­nom­ic prac­tices, and cen­tral to main­tain­ing their her­itage, lan­guages and Lores, which are of ongo­ing importance.

3. The name Coorong comes from the Ngar­rind­jeri name ​‘kur­rangk’

The name ​‘Coorong’ is the Euro­pean adap­ta­tion of the Ngar­rind­jeri word ​‘Kur­rangk’, which means ​‘long, nar­row neck’. Ngar­rind­jeri used this term to describe the Coorong due to it being a nar­row, 140km-long coastal lagoon. 

4. Coorong Nation­al Park is more than 50 years old

Coorong Nation­al Park was estab­lished in 1966 and its lagoons are pro­tect­ed from the South­ern Ocean by the sweep­ing sand dunes of the Young Hus­band Peninsula.

There’s lots to do in the park, such as camp­ing on the edge of the wild ocean, kayak­ing in the lagoons, explor­ing the sand dunes, 4WD-ing, bird­watch­ing and fish­ing – or sim­ply relaxing.

The park also pro­vides habi­tat for nation­al­ly threat­ened species like the orange-bel­lied par­rot, freck­led duck, Mur­ray hardy­head and south­ern bell frog.

Mr Per­ci­val exists, but there’s more than one

Storm Boy is a clas­sic Aus­tralian children’s book writ­ten by Col­in Thiele and pub­lished in 1964. 

The sto­ry fol­lows a lone­ly boy liv­ing with his reclu­sive father in the Coorong, who res­cues an orphaned pel­i­can called Mr Percival.

The sto­ry was adapt­ed into film in 1976, sig­nif­i­cant­ly rais­ing the pro­file of the Coorong. 

A remake in 2019 again high­light­ed the impor­tance of the region to a wider audience.

6. The ecosys­tem of the Coorong is slow­ly mending

Fol­low­ing long-term declines in fresh­wa­ter flows and the dev­as­tat­ing impacts of the Mil­len­ni­um Drought (2001 to 2010), the Coorong’s eco­log­i­cal health was in seri­ous trouble. 

While the region has par­tial­ly recov­ered since the return to flows in 2010-11, more work is need­ed to restore it back to health.

The Healthy Coorong, Healthy Basin pro­gram has been active­ly work­ing with local com­mu­ni­ties, First Nations and key stake­hold­ers to devel­op and imple­ment key restora­tion actions, includ­ing short, medi­um and long-term on-ground works, sci­en­tif­ic tri­als and inves­ti­ga­tions, man­age­ment tools and infra­struc­ture activ­i­ties, to get the Coorong back on track for a healthy future. 

Park of the Month

Through­out March, Coorong Nation­al Park is being high­light­ed for Park of the Month.

Nation­al Parks and Wildlife Ser­vice South Aus­tralia is cel­e­brat­ing with plen­ty of events and activ­i­ties, so get involved! Check the web­site for all event details.

You might also like to read: 

• Thanks, friends! Dis­cov­er local tips, hid­den gems and vol­un­teer sto­ries from Friends of Coorong Nation­al Park.
• How to spend a day in Coorong Nation­al Park.

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