Batemans Marine Park

Batemans Marine Park on the NSW south coast extends from the most northerly point of Murramarang Beach near Bawley Point to the southern side of Wallaga Lake entrance at Murunna Point.

The marine park includes:

approximately 850 km², extending from the three-nautical-mile offshore limit of NSW waters to the mean high water mark within all rivers, estuaries, bays, lagoons, inlets, and saline and brackish coastal lakes (excluding Nargal Lake);
offshore islands including Tollgate Islands and Montague Island.

The park was established in April 2006 and its zones and management rules commenced in June 2007. Changes to rules regarding fishing from some ocean beaches and headlands were introduced in June 2018.

Recreational fishing in Batemans Marine Park

In December 2019, the NSW Government announced changes that increased recreational fishing access in sanctuary zones in 6 areas of the Batemans Marine Park. For further details, check out the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below. All other sanctuary zones within the Batemans Marine Park remain closed to fishing.

FAQs - Recreational fishing in Batemans Marine Park - 12 December 2019
Infomap (PNG, 1382.75 KB)

The marine park Zoning Map (PDF, 3368.99 KB) and User Guide (PDF, 2029.36 KB) provide information about the current zoning arrangements and management rules in the park.

NSW Marine Park Zoning Maps are available for free on mobile devices:

the FishSmart app is available on iOS and Android and provides all the essential information you need for recreational fishing in NSW
alternatively, download the Avenza Maps app on iOS or Android. Once the app is installed, go to the Avenza Map Store and search for “DPI Fisheries" to find all available maps. Find further guidance on how to download Avenza maps .

Some of the content on this page may not be fully accessible. To obtain an accessible version of this content contact the author marine.environment@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Why Batemans Marine Park is unique

An outstanding feature of the park is the large expanses of rocky reef that support a diverse array of fish, invertebrates and algae. Rocky shores, offshore rocky reefs, kelp beds, seagrasses, mangroves, sponge gardens, sandy beaches, estuaries and open waters are key habitats.

Within the park, Montague Island Nature Reserve is:

a breeding place for over 40,000 sea birds;
an Australian and New Zealand fur seal haul-out site;
a nesting location for three shearwaters (mutton bird) species, crested terns and silver gulls;
a nesting site for 8000 to 12,000 little penguins – Australia's only native penguin.

Large aggregations of morwong, trevally and snapper are found off Montague Island, along with pelagic species such as kingfish, albacore and yellowfin tuna that follow the warmer currents.

Many of the park's highly significant coastal lakes and lagoons, which include Durras, Brunderee, Tarourga and Brou Lake, have been recommended for protection. These smaller lakes intermittently close and open to the sea, creating the unique environments predominantly found along the state's south coast.

The park lies within the country of the Yuin people, who maintain a strong connection to the area's sea country.