Solitary Islands Marine Park (SIMP) is a marine park in New South Wales State waters, Australia. It adjoins the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) and was declared under the Marine Parks Act 1997 (NSW) in January 1998.Commonwealth of Australia. (2001). Solitary Islands Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) Management Plan. Environment Australia, Canberra. Prior to this it was declared a marine reserve in 1991.NSW Marine Parks Authority. (2008). Natural values of the Solitary Islands Marine Park. The Park was one of the first declared in NSW and stretches along the northern NSW coast, from Muttonbird Island, Coffs Harbour, to Plover Island near Sandon River, 75 kilometres to the north. It includes coastal estuaries and lakes and extends from the mean high water mark, to three nautical miles out to sea, covering an area of around 72,000 hectares.NSW Marine Parks Authority. (2013). Solitary Islands Marine Park - Southern Sanctuary Zone. There are five main islands in the Park, North Solitary Island, North West Solitary Island, South West Solitary Island (Groper Island), South Solitary Island and Split Solitary Island, as well as other significant outcrops such as Muttonbird Island and submerged reefs.

On 15 May 1770, Lieut. James Cook sailed past the Solitary Islands and noted their position in his journal, “Between 2 and 4 we had some small rocky Islands between us and the land the southernmost lies in the Latitude of 30°10' and the northernmost in 29°58' and about 2 Leagues or more from the land.”Cook, J. (1771). Journal of H.M.S. Endeavour, 1768-1771 [manuscript]. Retrieved 20/05/2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms1-s236r He named them the "Solitary Isles" on his chart.Cook, J. (1770). A Chart of New South Wales, or the East Coast of New Holland. Discover'd and Explored By Lieutenant J. Cook, Commander of his Majesty's Bark Endeavour, in the Year MDCCLXX. from http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/maps/zoom_au.html

Ecology

The Solitary Island Marine Park contains a diverse range of habitats including intertidal and subtidal reefs, soft sediments, beaches, seagrass beds, mangroves, saltmarsh and open waters, which support a large variety of fauna and flora. The northern section of the marine park borders the Yuragir National Park, between Sandon River and Red Rock, which contains several open and closed lakes and lagoons. As well as bordering Moonee Beach Nature Reserve, Garby Nature Reserve at Arrawarra, and Coffs Coast Regional Park, it also incorporates Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve, Split Solitary Island Nature Reserve, South West Solitary Island Nature Reserve, North West Solitary Island Nature Reserve, North Rock Nature Reserve, North Solitary Island Nature Reserve and the South Solitary Island Historic Site which covers 11 hectares and incorporates the lighthouse and keepers cottages built in 1879. Prior to European settlement, none of these islands had been inhabited, burned or subject to grazing animals. A fragile balanced ecology had built up over centuries.Yeates, N. T. M. (1990). Coffs Harbour. Vol 1: Pre- 1880 to 1945. Coffs Harbour: Bananacoast Printers.

The coastal areas adjoining the Marine Park are high in species richness and endemismChrisp, M. D., Laffan, S., Linder, H. P., & Munro, A. (2001). Endemism in Australian flora. Journal of Biogeography, 28, 183-198. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2699.2001.00524.x and the waters around the Solitary Islands are strongly influenced by the warm East Australian Current.Zann, L. P. (2000). The Eastern Australian Region: a Dynamic Tropical/Temperate Biotone. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 41, 188-203. doi:10.1016/S0025-326X(00)00110-7 The continental shelf of northern NSW lies at the juncture of tropical and temperate oceanographic regions, and the sea temperature patterns within the Solitary Islands region explains the cross-shelf gradients in biotic patterns. Both tropical and temperate faunas overlap here,Malcolm, H. A., Davies, P. L., Jordan, A., & Smith, S. D. A. (2011). Variation in sea temperature and the East Australian Current in the Solitary Islands region between 2001-2008. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 28(5), 616-627. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2010.09.030 and for many species the Marine Park may represent either their northern or southern limits.

Flora Vegetation types in the Marine Park include freshwater and marine ecosystems as well as, mangroves and saline communities, frontal dune and foreshore communities and exposed high dune sand systems. MillarMillar, A. J. K. (1990). Marine red algae of the Coffs Harbour region, northern New South Wales. Australian Systematic Biology, 3, 293-593. doi:10.1071/SB9900293 (1990), records 119 species of Red Algae from the Coffs Harbour Region, including 22 which were new records for Australia, and Dictyothamnion (D. saltatum) constituting a new genus.

Mangroves are found in sheltered estuarine environments in a transitional zone between land and sea, generally in an intertidal area and provide habitat for many fish, birds and invertebrates. Two types of mangroves dominate, grey mangrove (Avicennia marina) and river mangrove (Aegiceras corniculatum).

The vegetation on the islands and headlands in the region are dwarf grassy heath and rocky heath that struggle with shallow soils and salty winds. Threatened plant species found growing on the headlands, include Carpet Star (Zieria prostrata), which is endemic to the Coffs Harbour region,NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. (1998). Zieria prostrata Recovery Plan. Sydney: NPWS. (Plectranthus cremnus)NPWS North Coast Region. (2003). Moonee Beach Nature Reserve: NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. and Austral Toadflax (Thesium austral).NSW Office of Environment and Heritage. (2013). Austral Toadflax - profile. Retrieved 20/05/2015, from http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=10802

North Solitary Island: Pigface (Carpobrotus glaucescens), Couch grass (Cynodon dactylon), Summer grass (Digitaria sanguinalis), Wandering Jew (Commelina cyanea), Coast Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica), Yellow-flowered Oxalis (Oxalis corniculata) and Saltbush (Ragodia hastata).Lane, S. G. (1974a). Seabird Islands No 6, North Solitary Island, New South Wales. The Australian Bird Bander, 12, 14-15.

North-West Solitary Island: Pigface, Saltbush, Prickly Couch (Zoisia macrantha), Wandering Jew, Coast Morning Glory are predominant species.Morris, A. K. (1975). Seabird Islands No12, North-West Solitary Island, New South Wales. The Australian Bird Bander, 13, 58-59.

South-West Solitary Island: Pigface, Wandering Jew, variable groundsel (Senecio Lautus), New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonioides), Climbing Saltbush (Rhagodia nutans), tuckeroo (Cupaniopsis anacardioides), Prickly Couch, Dusky Coral Pea (Kennedia rubicunda), and Shore Spleenwort (Asplenium obtusatum).Lane, S. G. (1975a). Seabird Islands No 10, South-West Solitary Island, New South Wales. The Australian Bird Bander, 13, 14-15.

South Solitary Island: vegetation consists mainly of grasses including Prickly couch, Whiskey grass (Andropogon virginicus), Durrington grass (Axonopus affinis), Slender mudgrass, (Pseudoraphis paradoxa) and Buffalo grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum).Lane, S. G. (1975b). Seabird Islands No 14, South Solitary Island, New South Wales. The Australian Bird Bander, 13, 80-82.

Birdie (small islet at northern end of South Solitary Island): Wandering Jew, Coast Morning Glory, New Zealand Spinach, Coastal yellow Pea (Vigna marina), Pennywort (Hydrocotyle acutiloba) and Pigweed (Portulaca oleracea).

Split Solitary: Climbing Saltbush, variable groundsel, Pigface, Wandering Jew, Coastal Yellow Pea and Sword Bean (Canavalia maritima).Lane, S. G. (1974b). Seabird Islands No 9. Split Solitary Island, New South Wales. The Australian Bird Bander, 12, 79.

Korfs Islet: Pigface, Prickly couch, Summer grass (Digitaria ciliaris), Ruby saltbush (Enchylaena tomentosa) and Sea purslane (Sesuvium portulacastrum).Lane, S. G. (1976). Seabird Islands No 33, Korffs Islet, New South Wales. The Australian Bird Bander, 14, 92.

Muttonbird Island: Pigface, tuckeroo, Wandering Jew, Dusky Coral Pea, Prickly couch, Weeping grass (Microlaena stipoides), Lantana (Lantana camara), Flax Lily (Dianella caerulea), Bull Cane (Flagellaria indica),Floyd, R. B., & Swanson, N. M. (1983). Wedge-tailed Shearwaters on Muttonbird Island: an estimate of the breeding success and the breeding population. Emu, 82, 244-250. doi:10.1071/MU9820244s and introduced Spiny burr grass (Cenchrus caliculatus) which have spread.Swanson, N. M. (1976). Seabird Islands No 32, Mutton Bird Island, New South Wales. The Australian Bird Bander, 14, 88-89.

Fauna

Birds Seabirds, shorebirds, waders, waterfowl and raptors depend on marine and estuaryine habitats.Higgins, P. J. (Ed.). (1999). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 4: Parrots to Dollarbird. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.Higgins, P. J., & Davies, S. J. J. F. (Eds.). (1996). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons. (Eds.). (1993). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 2: Raptors to Lapwings. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. The Solitary Islands are an important breeding area for marine birds such as Osprey (Pandion cristatus), while threatened species such as the Australian Pied Oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris), Sooty Oystercatcher (H. fuliginosus) and Beach Stone-curlew (Esacus magnirostris) are local shorebirds that breed in the Marine Park.NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. (nd). Shorebirds of the Coffs Coast: NSW Office of Environment & Heritage. It also periodically hosts three endangered marine birds, Gould’s Petrel (Pterodroma leucoptera), Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans) and Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus).Rule, M. J., Jordan, A., & McIlgorm, A. (2007). The marine environment of northern New South Wales: a review of current knowledge and existing datasets. Coffs Harbour: National Marine Science Centre.

Endangered Little Terns (Sternula albifrons) breed on beaches north and south of Coffs Harbour, between October and February, before departing on their annual migration to eastern Asia. A Little Tern Recovery Program is managed by National Parks and Wildlife Service who aim to help the species recover sufficient numbers.NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. (2008). Little Terns of the Coffs Coast- Bongil Bongil National Park and Hearnes Lake: Dept of Environment & Climate Change NSW. Wedge-tailed shearwaters (Puffinus pacificus), called Muttonbirds by early settlers, migrate to the Philippines, but return annually to a major breeding site at Muttonbird Island, on the southern boundary of the Marine Park.NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. (2004). Muttonbird Island - Nature Reserve: Dept of Environment and Conservation. There are over 5500 breeding pairs on Muttonbird Island,Lane, S. G. (1979). Summary of the breeding seabirds on New South Wales coastal islands. Corella, 3, 7-10. but breeding occurs on some of the other islands as well. Other breeding birds recorded on the islands include Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor), Black-winged Petrel (Pterodroma nigripennis), Silver Gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) and Crested Tern (Sterna bergii).