Lavinia Nature Reserve

Lavinia Nature Reserve

Country:
Australia
Site number:
253
Area:
7,034.0 ha
Designation date:
16-11-1982
Coordinates:
39°43'06"S 144°04'23"E
  • Elephant River saltmarsh (photo by Shelly Graham)
  • Martha surf break at Lavinia Beach (photo by Shelly Graham)

Materials presented on this website, particularly maps and territorial information, are as-is and as-available based on available data and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the Ramsar Convention concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.


The Site is one of the few largely unaltered areas of native vegetation remaining on King Island, which lies between Tasmania and the mainland state of Victoria. The Site’s estuary and associated sand plains, coastal swamps and lagoons provide important habitats for a range of globally threatened species such as the critically endangered orange-bellied parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) and the endangered green and gold frog (Litoria raniformis). The Site is also a regional biodiversity hotspot because the ecological communities on King Island represent a transitional zone between the Australian mainland and north-west Tasmania, supporting species from both the north and south. The Reserve is an important area for scientific study and education. There are also oyster farms operating at the Site.

Administrative region: The Lavinia Nature Reserve Ramsar Site lies within the King Island municipality of Tasmania.

National legal designation:
  • Conservation Area - Sea Elephant Conservation Area
  • State Reserve - Lavinia Nature Reserve
Last publication date: 25-03-2025
Ramsar Information Sheet (RIS)
Archived RIS
Site map
Additional reports and documents