Planning a trip?
Visitors travelling by boat to the Houtman Abrolhos Islands must complete and submit the Notification of travel form before entering the Abrolhos Islands Fish Habitat Protection Area.
The Houtman Abrolhos Islands is an archipelago of 210 islands, islets and rocks off the coast of Western Australia (WA). The archipelago is surrounded by coral reefs and divided into three main island groups:
- Wallabi Group (including North Island)
- Easter Group
- Pelsaert Group (also known as Southern Group)
The state waters surrounding the Abrolhos Islands are a gazetted fish habitat protection area, managed by the department.
The islands carry immense natural and cultural heritage, fishing and recreational importance. Popular activities at the Abrolhos Islands include:
- commercial fishing, charter fishing, recreational fishing
- pearling and aquaculture
- research
- diving and associated marine-based activities
- ecotourism.
The Abrolhos Islands are also associated with early European settlement in Australia. Many historically important shipwrecks can be found in the surrounding waters dating back as far as 1629 when the Batavia wrecked.