Peel-Harvey Estuarine System

The strip of land between the Indian Ocean and the estuarine system carries the Old Coast Road and to the east is the Forrest Highway which is the main thoroughfare between Perth and the coastal towns of the south west corner of the state including Bunbury and Busselton.

[2][3] This in turn feeds into the south-western corner of the more northerly Peel Inlet which is roughly circular and occupies an area of about 75 km2 (29 sq mi).

Whilst the ecology of the estuary has changed markedly due to the flushing process, water quality generally has improved.

[7][6] The catchment area to the east is largely flat coastal plain with about 75% cleared of native vegetation and used for dryland, dairy and beef grazing.

The estuary is home to abundant marine wildlife including crustaceans such as the blue swimmer crab (Portunus pelagicus) and the western king prawn (Melicertus latisulcatus) and fish species such as black bream, mulloway, tailor and cobbler.