Make a submission to the EPA on the port

The Qualing area, and particularly the Qualing Pool freshwater seep, has significant cultural value for the Traditional Custodians of the area.

The area is also a popular recreational area and local beach where people swim, snorkel, fish and boat.

The potential social impacts for Exmouth residents and visitors of an industrial port and shipping operation of the nature and scale proposed are significant and include:

• Damage to the cultural heritage value, including Qualing Pool.
• Disruption to recreational use of the popular local beach and nearshore marine environment.
• Reduction and control of access to areas of recreation.
• Significant loss of visual amenity and visual landscape values from the construction of industrial-scale port infrastructure, including diminishing the eco-tourism experience.
• Ongoing industrial port noise and light pollution, including for local residents.
• Potential amenity and safety impacts from heavy vehicle, port-related traffic on the roads.

The area where the port would be constructed is home to a rich diversity of marine habitat and life, including soft and hard corals, seagrass meadows and sponge gardens.

A diverse range of marine invertebrates live in the intertidal and subtidal habitats adjacent to Qualing Pool, including nudibranchs, crustaceans, molluscs and anemones.

The potential impacts of the industrial port to this fragile marine life include:

• Loss and damage from dredging of more than 1 million cubic metres of seabed (the equivalent of > 35,000 shipping containers) and the construction of the 1km rock causeway and pylon wharf structure, 2km shipping channel, and the three 1nm diameter anchorage areas.
• Impacts from increased sedimentation and turbidity from construction, dredging, piling, propeller wash, and anchorage scouring.
•  Impacts from reduced water quality from the release of contaminants from disturbed sediment, discharge of desalination brine, and surface discharge from land-based port construction and operations.
• Risk of hydrocarbon or chemical spills including from fuel handling, storage and vessel refuelling.
• Introduction of invasive marine pests from increased marine shipping activity.

These potential impacts are particularly concerning in the context of growing climate change impacts and pressures on the Exmouth Gulf marine environment, including the recent record marine heatwave in 2024-25.

Exmouth Gulf provides critical habitat and is a globally significant stronghold for threatened marine species.

The port wharf area, and the areas where the large ships would transit and anchor, are home to many conservation significant marine animals, including whales, dugongs, dolphins, manta rays, turtles and sea snakes.

Exmouth Gulf, particularly along this western side, is a critical resting and nursing ground for humpback whales. It provides calm and sheltered waters for mother-calf pairs, increasing their chance of survival as they make their southern migration.

The port would increase marine traffic and attract bulk cargo carriers, fuel tankers and other large ships down into Exmouth Gulf. This is no place for a port and major shipping traffic.

The potential impacts of the industrial port on marine animals include:

• Risk of ship strikes, including to humpback whales and calves, dugongs and turtles.
• The risk of vessel strike for humpback whales is high in Exmouth Gulf, because lactating mothers spend a considerable amount of time resting, with most of this just below the surface.
• Disturbance to marine mammals from underwater noise due to increased marine traffic, port activities and construction (pile driving, dredging and rock dumping).
• Ships would cross the humpback whale resting and nursing area and would disrupt the low-stress environment critical to humpback whales’ survival.
• Loss or degradation of habitat, including from dredging, pollution of marine waters, increased water sedimentation and turbidity and introduction of marine pests.
• Disturbance from artificial light pollution from ongoing port operations, including for marine turtles.

The vegetation within the Qualing Pool area is highly diverse, with some being rare and of very high conservation value, such as the Qualing ephemeral wetland vegetation, making this site’s vegetation unique within the region.

There is also a rich biodiversity of flora in the area, with a number of Conservation Significant (Priority) species. A total of 41% of all flora species on the Cape Range are found in this relatively small area. A number associated with the freshwater wetlands are not known to occur elsewhere on the Cape.

The proponent found that 93% of vegetation within the project development area is in good to excellent condition.

The port project would clear up to 106.5 hectares of native vegetation as well as risking fragmentation of vegetation.

The port construction and operations would also pollute and degrade the surrounding environment, including from dust, vehicle traffic, contaminated surface water runoff, altered natural water flows, potential hydrocarbon and chemical spills, and the introduction and spread of weeds.

The Qualing area, where the port would be developed, is unique in containing examples of three different types of freshwater ecosystems: subterranean waterways, permanent freshwater pools and arid ephemeral wetlands.

The proposed port location is right next to Qualing Pool; a significant surface freshwater body on the North West Cape peninsula. Subterranean waterways connect this freshwater with the marine waters, delivering nutrients to Exmouth Gulf.

Just south of Qualing Pool, adjoining the port development area, is a significant ephemeral freshwater wetland. This wetland supports populations of shield shrimp and burrowing frogs that emerge after rare heavy rainfall events. Excess water, along with the nutrients it contains, drain into the Gulf at Pebble Beach. This wetland has not been properly studied and likely contains species not found elsewhere.

Building an industrial port in this Qualing Pool area would result in a high risk of contamination and other impacts to the surface and groundwater of these freshwater ecosystems, including through:

• Alteration to natural water flows, surface water catchment, groundwater replenishment, hydrological connectivity, and stormwater drainage.
• Contaminated surface water runoff and erosion from the port construction and operations.
• Potential hydrocarbon and other chemical spills and leaks.
• Construction of a bridge over the creek that feeds into Qualing Pool.

Gascoyne Gateway Ltd’s Environmental Review Documents have been released by the WA Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) for public comment. In these documents, the developer describes the port proposal, their assessment of the likely environmental impacts and their proposed measures to manage impacts.

To view GGL’s documents, visit the EPA’s website below and click on 3. Assessment, then Environmental Review.

The project requires environmental approval by both the WA and Federal Environment Ministers (because it risks impacting many matters of national environmental significance). The EPA’s assessment and recommendation will be used to inform both decisions.

Protect Ningaloo will be making a submission to the EPA on behalf of the conservation sector. If you would like to add your name to this submission you can do so here.  However, it’s really important that the EPA hears directly from locals and the broader community.