The Sanctuary

Area & Wildlife

In June 2023, after a campaign led by members of the local community and with the support of DBCA and Melville Council, the Melville Bird Sanctuary was established.

As a result of four years of discussion, vision and ongoing advocacy spearheaded by Friends of the Melville Bird Sanctuary, at long last an official set of boundaries were established in order to protect birdlife, native fauna and the natural ecosystem from urban development and other encroachments.

The Sanctuary now provides a secure and essential habitat for a diversity of local, nomadic and trans-equatorial migratory birds, including threatened and priority species such as Fairy Terns, Rainbow Bee-Eaters and Ospreys, and an array of birdlife protected under international agreements and treaties.

According to data compiled by Birdlife WA, in the past five years up to 148 different species of bush and water birds have made use of space that now lies within Melville Bird Sanctuary’s boundaries.

The journey

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The Melville Bird Sanctuary consists of two separate areas, on either side of Point Walter Reserve. Existing boundaries are as follows:

East Region: The Attadale Alfred Cove foreshore along the Swan Estuary Marine Park (including the mudflats from Ness Road in Applecross to Page Road in Attadale), Pt Waylen peninsula, the Bushbird Habitat between the western end of Troy Park Oval and Haig Road in Attadale (including the land between the foreshore and Burke Drive, as well as the Crown Land at the western end of Tompkins Park foreshore).

West Region: Point Walter sandbar, Blackwall Reach and along Blackwall Reach Parade - up to but not including Bicton Jetty.

Why Here?

The sites of the Melville Bird Sanctuary have enormous natural heritage value, not only for natural environmental and ancient cultural heritage reasons but also for human health and well-being. They consist of a rich diversity of landforms, from salt marshes, mudflats and sandbars which contain threatened species, to sedge banks, seasonal wetlands and fringing woodlands. The sea grasses (at Alfred Cove) which provide feeding grounds and nursery habitats for fish and crustaceans are a major carbon sink of increasing value in climate change.

The Alfred Cove A-Class Nature Reserve, the Swan Estuary Marine Park, Pt Walter and Blackwall Reach are home to 150 + species of birds, resident, nomadic and migratory. some of which flv in from as far afield as Asia. Mongolia. Siberia and Alaska.

The most internationally significant birds that visit the Melville Bird Sanctuary are the trans equatorial migratory birds. They come from as far afield as Asia, Mongolia, Siberia and Alaska. Som travelling as much as 13,500 kms in one single trip along the East Asian Australasian Flvwav. Some of these birds such as the Eastern Curlew are listed as 'critically endangered. About 33 of these species are protected under the Japan-Australia, China-Australia and the Republic of Korea-Australia Migratory Bird Agreements.

There are 3 broad area within the MBS boundaries:

Alfred Cove A-Class Nature Reserve and Swan Estuary Marine Park
Blackwall Reach and
Point Walter sandbar

All 3 zones have enormous heritage value, not only for natural environmental and ancient cultural heritage reasons but also for human health and well-being. They consist of a diversity of landforms, from salt marshes, mudflats and sandbars to sedge banks, seasonal wetlands, fringing woodland and bushland.

Alfred Cove A-Class Nature Reserve and Swan Estuary Marine Park

This area is remarkable for its diversity of habitats and native birds in such close proximity to an urban landscape. The site forms part of the Bush Forever Site 331 bordering the Swan Estuary Marine Park and associated A-Class Nature Reserve, identified by the Perth community for the protection of native flora and fauna. The A-Class status of the Marine Park and Nature Reserve acknowledges both its local and international importance and is intended to provide the highest level of protection possible.

The coastal saltmarsh community of plants at Alfred Cove is vital to the health of the Swan Estuary and its diverse birdlife including trans-equatorial migratory birds. Its samphires and sedges oxygenate the tidal waters through carbon capture and filter nutrients and pollutants from groundwater. There are now very few remaining areas of the saltmarsh, sedge banks and fringing forest that once comprised the Estuary’s original vegetation.

The sea-grasses of the Estuary’s shallows provide feeding grounds for river dolphins and a nursery habitat for fish and crustaceans. They also nurture birdlife and form a ‘blue carbon’ ecosystem.

The mudflats are the main feeding areas for waders including migratory birds such as Common Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Common and Sharp-tailed Sandpipers and Red-necked Stints.

The Eastern Osprey regularly nests here. Since 2020, DBCA has provided a man-made nesting pole which Ospreys have used to breed. A number of other birds including Buff-banded Rails, Pied Stilts, Pacific Black Ducks and Australian Shelducks are also resident at Alfred Cove.

The treed areas at Alfred Cove with original Eucalyptus rudis and Melaleuca raphiophylla but with natural understorey cleared for grass – provide habitat for families of ducks and feeding areas for other waterbirds in winter/spring. Many bush birds breed here including Galahs, Striated Pardalotes, Welcome Swallows and Tawny Frogmouths

Point Walter and Blackwall Reach

These are two adjoining areas of natural beauty. Within the Point Walter bushland, the natural vegetation is of Jarrah, Marri and Tuart woodland with Banksia and undergrowth of Grasstree and other native plants. Tree hollows are used for nesting by birds including Galahs, Australian Ringnecks and Striated Pardalotes.

The small island at the end of the Point Walter sandbar is the nesting grounds of several bird species including the endangered Fairy Terns, Red-capped Plovers, Pied Oystercatchers and Black Swans. The sandbar also attracts waders including migratory birds in season.

The Sanctuary’s Residents

No matter the season or time of day, there is never a shortage of diverse and wonderful wildlife to be found if you know where to look. From migratory visitors and rare sightings to a cast of characters that call our reserve home year-round, the landscape and its occupants are always changing, making each trip to the sanctuary unique.

Data provided by Birdlife shows the number of individual species recorded at Alfred Cove and the Swan Estuary Marine Park nearing 150 in the past five years alone, with the area around Point Walter Spit and the Blackwall Reach Reserve sitting around 90 despite the sanctuary’s relatively modest acreage. This count confirms that both regions play host to trans-equatorial migratory birds, and both provide a number of scenic vantage points open to the public.

One such spot, set against an uninterrupted backdrop of Perth’s city skyline, are the mudflats in the Swan Estuary Marine Park. These regularly attract a number of shorebirds, waterbirds and waders, which can be viewed from the Troy Park foreshore. Wandering further west, Point Walter’s unique sandbar attracts shorebirds, waterbirds and waders for you to watch from Blackwall Reach Reserve or Blackwall Reach foreshore.

There’s a perfect place for everyone, whether you prefer to take a seat, walk the trail between Honour Ave and Blackwall Reach Parade or take your Junior Birdwatchers to one of the playgrounds where a cheeky tawny frogmouth or two have been known to hide out.

No matter where in the sanctuary you are, you’re bound to come across a diverse cast of characters inhabiting the land, sea and sky, if you’ll only take a moment to stop and look around.

During your visit, you may spot…