The ocean seeps out of the ground 17 kilometres inland from the southern Ningaloo coastline to create small pieces of the sea in an otherwise arid desert.
Brine fills several pools known as the Northern Ponds at the top of Lake Macleod, a massive 2,000 square kilometre salt lake.
The water sustains the world's biggest example of an inland mangrove system complete with estuarine fish species and the odd report of a mangrove jack.
The unique hydrogeological site is one of Australia's most significant for migratory shorebirds.
While it was once considered for World Heritage Listing, it currently exists in obscurity on a salt mining lease managed by Rio Tinto.
But ecologist Pierre Horwitz said that should change with a view that all lake stakeholders should get behind a renewed bid to have the ponds, which cover 382 square kilometres, listed as an international wetland of significance under the United Nations' Ramsar convention.
The Edith Cowan University environmental studies professor said while there was a similar phenomenon happening on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, the Northern Ponds were unique and warranted further protection.
"I think people are a little bit wary of international mechanisms because they might impose more obligations on land use," Professor Horwitz said.
"But I think the benefits and the advantages of international recognition as Ningaloo, shows, and as the Shark Bay World Heritage area, shows."
Push for recognition
There was a push about two decades ago to recognise the Ningaloo Reef as a World Heritage Site which was eventually successful in 2010.
The Exmouth Gulf, Rough Range and Lake Macleod, which is adjacent to the southern end of the reef, were all included in the original study area for listing consideration.
All three would fall out of the submission and in Lake Macleod’s case, Rio Tinto, through its subsidiary Dampier Salt, started a push to instead have the Northern Ponds Ramsar-listed about 2009.
Dampier Salt runs the salt and gypsum mining operations at Lake Macleod, which fall under a mining lease covering nearly the entire lake, subject to a state agreement with WA signed in 1967.
The company's main operations are limited to the bottom end of the lake where salt accumulates.
Without broad consensus among lake stakeholders for Ramsar, the state government would not put the site up to federal authorities for nomination.
A management advisory group was formed in the aftermath of there being no Ramsar listing to form a draft plan for taking care of the Northern Ponds.
There is currently no involvement from WA's Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions into the pond management which comes under Rio Tinto.
A Rio Tinto spokeswoman said the company was working to ensure the preservation of the ecological value of the Northern Ponds.
"A biodiversity protection and natural resource management standard is in place and seeks to minimise our impact; our first priority is to avoid having an impact, after which we seek to minimise, restore, and finally offset impacts," she said.
Protection sought
Gnaraloo Station pastoral lease holder Paul Richardson, whose property covers one of the main access roads to the ponds, said he banned visiting tourists from accessing them.
He said unmanaged visitation was the biggest risk to the site and did not advertise the lake to help preserve its environmental value.
"Even though it's on our boundary … we don't promote it," Mr Richardson said.
Mr Richardson tried to establish a birdwatching site on the Gnaraloo lease, which would have required users to dob in anyone doing the wrong thing at the lake to manage visitation to the ponds, but the idea did not gain enough support to get off the ground.
Gnaraloo Wilderness Foundation chair Karen Hattingh said the case to have the Northern Ponds on the World Heritage List or Ramsar was as valid today as it was more than a decade ago.
"The management is not in place to deal with uncontrolled visitation," she said.
"That really damages the algal mats and it's not an area for water sports, exploration or kayaking or swimming or diving."
Ms Hattingh said even though the southern end of the Ningaloo Reef was on the World Heritage list, the broad area did not get enough conservation support compared to around the town of Exmouth.
Professor Horwitz said there was a strong will to have Lake Macleod Ramsar-listed and said a renewed push needed to start with consulting Traditional Owners.
"And the pastoralists are critical and the mining company who own the lease is critical in that stakeholder engagement and stakeholder acceptance that that sort of recognition needs to go ahead," he said.
For more on this story watch Ningaloo Nyinggulu on ABC TV and ABC iview.
