Congwong Beach (La Perouse)

I have been meaning to explore Congwong for awhile now, and the weekend's hot weather gave me a great opportunity. Sadly, it was a little rough so some of the photos are a bit silty and green.

Congwong forms part of the Botany Bay National Park, It's nice and close to Bare Island, has plenty of parking, and nearby hiking trails. It's typically calm and beautiful, with plenty of sea life seeking protection in the rocky shoals.

I entered along the left hand side of the beach and was met with big seaweed fields and large coral outcrops. This beach is very different to most in the Eastern Suburbs.

There were plenty of Mado and Silver Sweep

And this White Ear kept an eye on me

Because of the protection offered by Cape Banks and Bare Island plenty of juveniles hang around in Congwong (and if you're lucky some Sea Dragons, Moray Eels, Sea Horses, and Giant Cuttlefish).

Baby Black Tipped Bullseyes

Smooth Toadfish

Red Morwong

In shallow waters its worth your time to check in nooks and crevasses for little guys hiding.

Red Rock Crab

Featherduster Coral

A few squid were flying about the place.

I also had a heap of fun with some Rough Flutemouth's. These long spaghetti like fish have a row of bony plates along the middle of their back and a tubular snout which they use to suck up smaller fish. Their skinny tail is actually a caudal fin which has filaments lined with sensory pores, these serve as a long-range sensory system for detecting predators and prey. 

Similarly to their Seahorse cousins Flutemouth's utilise male pregnancy in which the female deposits her eggs into the male's brood pouch who then nourishes the young. However, the males display quite a brutal evolutionary trait in which they kill off their own embryos conceived by 'undesireable ' females. By absorbing the nutrients from these doomed youngsters they free up room for the offspring of potentially more attractive females.

All in all, Congwong is definitely worth a visit. Although I didn't see anything too mind blowing, its just a beautiful beach and with so many nooks and different reefs to checkout its worth your time.

Pro's:

• Bus stop and car park nearby
• Lots of great hiking nearby
• Shops and toilets about a 5 minute walk away
• On weekends an ice cream boat shows up to get snacks :)

Con's:

• Can be a bit choppy and silty
• This time around I didn't spot anything too large