Oyster reefs at low tide in front of mangroves (Shore FID 10004, NESP TWQ 4.13)

This photo shows a shallow sandy/muddy foreshore with small oyster reefs in the foreground, a young mangrove forest in the middle and salt flats in the background. These oyster reefs are composed of oyster shells that have grown and adhered together over time, forming small, irregular structures. These oyster reefs are visible only during low tide, as they are otherwise submerged.

Oyster reefs can be found sporadically along the coastline of the Gulf of Carpentaria. This location is 6 km south of Bayley Point.

The distribution of oyster reefs along the northern Australian coastline is not well known. The NESP MaC Project 4.13 - Mapping and characterising Australia’s tropical shellfish reefs 2024 - 2026 (GU) hopes to identify more of these reefs.

For access to the full imagery collection see Gulf of Carpentaria Mangrove Aerial Shoreline Surveys 2017 & 2019 (NESP TWQ 4.13, JCU).

This image has a shore FID of 10004 from the 2017 survey. Its location can be viewed on this interactive map.