Estuaries
What are they?
An estuary is where a river or creek meets the sea, where the fresh water and salt water mix. They are always changing- from salt water to fresh water, from tidal to non tidal, and from wet to dry. Estuaries can vary in size, salinity and flow.
An estuary is an enclosed coastal body of water that is part land…. part waterway…. part sea…..
What lives there?
Many crustacean and fish species spend their early life stages in the protected nutrient-rich waters of estuaries, before moving offshore into deeper water or upstream into rivers. Estuaries are essential feeding, breeding and nursing areas for many commercially important fish and crustaceans. Some of the species found in the Barker Inlet and Port River Estuary include the western king prawn, black bream, blue swimmer crab and yellow-eye mullet. For bird lovers, white bellied sea eagles, pelicans and silver gulls can be seen resting and feeding around the estuary. The estuary is also home to a population of bottle-nosed dolphins. The presence of these dolphins living so close to urban/industrial development is thought to be internationally unique.
Port River Dolphins
Where are these habitats?
The Barker Inlet and Port River Estuary are part of an interconnected system of tidal creeks and channels that open up into the Gulf St Vincent. The shoreline consists of wide tidal mudflats that are framed by saltmarsh, grey mangrove forests, wetlands and low-lying sand dunes. All these habitats play an important role in this unique ecosystem.
Visit the Port River mouth at Outer Harbor to see where the river meets the sea, or go for a tour through the Barker Inlet Wetlands located 12kms north west of the Adelaide Mangrove forests can be visited from Garden Island and Torrens Island , North Arm Creek and St Kilda.
Port Adelaide River system
The Barker Inlet and Port River estuary system is unique in that it is also home to a number of large industries, including coal handling facilities, cement works, electricity generating plants, salt harvesting, boat building facilities, sewage treatment plants, chemical plants and rubbish dumps.
If you would like to get involved with monitoring the health of the Barker Inlet and Port River Estuary contact KESAB Patawalonga and Torrens Waterwatch on (08) 8234 7255.
Click here for an Estuaries fact sheet (PDF 252KB)