Bunurong Marine National Park

Bunurong Marine National Park Victoria
IUCN category II (national park)
A cliff at Cape Paterson, located adjacent to the marine park.
Bunurong Marine National Park
Nearest town or city	Cape Paterson
Coordinates	38°41′28″S 145°39′22″E / 38.69111°S 145.65611°E / -38.69111; 145.65611Coordinates: 38°41′28″S 145°39′22″E / 38.69111°S 145.65611°E / -38.69111; 145.65611
Established	16 November 2002 (2002-11-16)
Area	21 km2 (8.1 sq mi)
Visitation	circa 250,000 (in 2005)
Managing authorities	Parks Victoria
Website	Bunurong Marine National Park
See also	Protected areas of Victoria

The Bunurong Marine National Park (pronunciation: /ˈbʌnʌrɒŋ/) is a protected marine national park located off the coast of Cape Paterson in the South Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The 2,100-hectare (5,200-acre) marine national park is located about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of Inverloch and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) off the coastline. The coastal waters protect a range of habitats including intertidal reefs, subtidal rocky reefs, algal gardens and seagrass beds. The waters are cool, akin to Victoria’s central and western coasts. However, they are relatively protected from south-westerly swells due to the location of far away King Island, Tasmania.

The Bunurong Marine National Park is an outstretching middle section of the Bunurong Marine Park. Both parks draw their name from the Australian Aboriginal Bunurong people who are the traditional owners of the land and water in the region.

The Bunurong parks are named after the Bunurong Aboriginal people whom were custodians of this stretch of coast for thousands of years prior to white settlement. The Boakoolawal clan lived in the Kilcunda area south of the Bass River, and the Yowenjerre were west of the Tarwin River along what is now the Bunurong Marine and Coastal Parks near Wonthaggi. Middens containing charcoal and shellfish mark the location of their campsites along the coast.