The Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is located on the south-west coast of Victoria near the town of Yambuk. It was dedicated in 1999. This IPA covers 453 hectares of rolling sand dunes, limestone ridges, a river, lake and wetlands.
For many thousands of years Deen Maar was part of the homelands of the Peek Whurrong speakers of the Dhauwwurdwurung (Gundidjmara) Nation. Evidence of their occupation is scattered across Deen Maar, from shell middens to Indigenous wells for water collection and food storage. Deen Maar Island (Lady Julie Percy Island) has a strong spiritual and visual connection with the traditional owners as the place where Bunjil, the Creator, left this world.
Deen Maar Rangers protect a range of wildlife, including the endangered orange-bellied parrot, a small migratory parrot that spends the winter there. Environmental work includes revegetating degraded areas and restoring wetlands.
State: Vic
Administration Organisation
Framlingham Aboriginal Trust