• Welcome to Country

    Traditional Owners the Darumbal people welcome you to this land and sea country:

    MAYIMBAGU DARUMBAL NUNTHI (WELCOME TO DARUMBAL COUNTRY)

    Because of all the water that lies within this land, many Darumbal people regard it as Munda-Gadda (Rainbow Serpent) or, Munda-Gatta country. The Munda-Gadda (Moon-da-Ga-da) is a Creation Spirit that created all the water in the land, therefore, it is the keeper of all life because without water, everything living, dies. Yugu (water lily) is a plant that represents the four main clans of the Darumbal Nation. These clans are the Kuinmabara (Koo-in-ma-bra), Nindyabul (Nin-dja-bul), Warrabul (Wadda-bul) and Tarumbul (Ta-room-bul). You are in the area of country known as Nindyabul.

    The Munda-Gadda, Yugu, and the Barraru (green tree frog) are all culturally related. The Yugu (yoo-goo) and the Barraru (budaroo) are just two of the many bigarndy (big-arndj) (totems) of the Darumbal people.

    To our visitors and those that live here, please look after this land that we all belong to, and leave only your footprints behind.

  • Introduction

    The Shoalwater and Corio Bays wetlands are one of 66 areas within Australia that are listed as a Wetland of International Importance.

    The sites (commonly referred to as Ramsar Wetlands) are recognised globally through the Ramsar Convention. Queensland’s five Ramsar wetlands include some of Australia’s largest sites. The Shoalwater and Corio Bays Area Ramsar site was listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1996 due to their ‘outstanding coastal wetlands and wilderness values’. The site comprises three separate sections – Broome Head, Shoalwater Bay and Corio Bay.

    Shared Management in Queensland – Shared Management

    Major areas of the Ramsar wetlands fall within the boundaries of the Darumbal Peoples (Native Title Holders) and the Shoalwater Bay Training Area (managed by the Department of Defence (DoD). Additionally, the site overlaps and borders with other jurisdictional management areas adding complexity to the integration of management and tasks. These management areas include the Australian Government’s Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, the Queensland Government’s marine, national and conservation parks and Declared Fish Habitat Areas as well as areas under local government responsibility.

    The Queensland and Australian Government also have responsibilities for the Ramsar site including legislation and policy, reviewing wetland condition, and reporting to the Ramsar Convention (Australian Government).  See here for further information on site responsibilities.

    For more information on how the Ramsar Convention applies to Queensland wetlands click here.

    About the Portal

    The Shoalwater and Corio Bays Area Ramsar Management Support website was developed to increase awareness of the significance of the Shoalwater and Corio Bays (Ramsar Wetlands) area.

    This website compliments other important Ramsar websites managed by the Queensland Government (WetlandInfo) and the Australian Government (Australian Wetland Database).
    It provides a dynamic opportunity for the community to understand the management actions, research and monitoring of the health of the Shoalwater and Corio Bays Ramsar Wetlands area.