At CoastXP we are committed to sustainability, community engagement and responsible tourism. We aim to provide unforgettable experiences to our customers while minimising our environmental impact and supporting the well-being of our community.
We are involved in the following initiatives:
CoastXP is proud to hold a quality and sustainable tourism accreditation through the Australian Tourism Industry Council. This accreditation recognises our dedication to implementing sustainable practices throughout our operations along with some of the best operators around the country.
CoastXP is proud to hold an EcoStar accreditation through the Australian Tourism Industry Council. This accreditation recognises tourism businesses that demonstrate the highest level of environmental management by exceeding Sustainable Tourism accreditation standards and showing leadership in sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.
As an Eco Pass Operator, licensed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, we adhere to stringent environmental guidelines while conducting our activities inside NSW National Parks, and ensure that our tours have minimal impact on the ecosystems and wildlife within these regions. Our goal is to leave these environments pristine, both in NSW National Parks as well as the waterways in which we operate.
CoastXP partners with Regenerate Australia to support a carbon offset program that collects carbon credits from our guests. These credits are then used to fund urban tree-planting and reforestation projects. This initiative greatly benefits our environment as well as our local community. Native trees are critical for our fight against climate change – they absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, provide an important habitat for wildlife, stabilise the ground and beautify the environment. You can read more about our carbon offsetting with Regenerate Australia – here.
CoastXP participated in the Ecotourism Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard Pathway program and achieved an overall score of 88%!! This program assessed our current sustainability practices against the industry standards for sustainable tour operators. Our results placed us among the best in the industry across four key areas: environmental impacts, socio-economic impacts, cultural impacts and sustainable management.
CoastXP earned sustainability micro-credentials through EarthCheck, covering topics including sustainable tourism principles and practices, environmental impact assessment, waste management, energy efficiency, water conservation, social responsibility, and economic sustainability. These credentials reflect our ongoing commitment to strong environmental and social performance. CoastXP also assisted EarthCheck in piloting the Sustainable Tourism Toolkit, a joint state and federal government initiative, now published on business.gov.au. The toolkit assists tourism businesses with the knowledge and resources needed to expand their sustainability practices.
The Happywhale platform uses artificial intelligence to identify and track individual whales based on the unique markings on their flukes (tails). Similar to a human fingerprint, a whale’s fluke is made up of individual, specific patterns and markings, and no two are the same. Each season, CoastXP contributes photographs to the platform, helping to build a global dataset that supports research into population dynamics, migration patterns, and the tracking of individual whales. This data is important for ongoing marine science research and conservation efforts. You can explore CoastXP’s fluke submissions on the Happywhale platform – here.
CoastXP is proud to have committed to Tourism Australia’s Green and Gold Promise, supporting a shared vision for sustainable tourism that protects Australia’s natural environments, cultures and communities. Guided by the five Green and Gold Principles—Celebrate Community, Embrace Culture, Preserve Place, Respect Wildlife and Take Care—we embed these values into every experience. This includes prioritising respectful wildlife interactions, participating in local community events such as Lake Macquarie’s annual Float Your Boat event, recognising cultural heritage and promoting environmentally responsible practices.
CoastXP employs a Marinescapes air-lift berthing system to prevent hull fouling without the use of toxic chemicals and stops the spread of invasive benthic organisms. This system also extends the vessel’s lifespan, minimising the resources required for maintenance, repair and replacement of the hull and other structural components.
We value strong connections with the local community and partner with various collaborators to make a positive impact towards sustainability. We support local suppliers and businesses to boost the regional economy and reduce transportation-related emissions. We are proud to participate in, support and partner with the following organisations:
ORRCA is a 100% volunteer-run organisation that operates around the country providing essential research and rescue activities to cetaceans (whales, dolphins, seals and porpoises) in need. CoastXP regularly participates in the annual northern and southern ORRCA humpback whale census, as well as members of the CoastXP team are trained marine mammal researchers and rescuers.
Visit the ORRCA website.
Dolphin Research Australia is a charitable, grassroots marine conservation organisation dedicated to advancing the research, conservation and protection of dolphins, whales and their ocean habitats through science, education and community involvement. CoastXP proudly participated in the inaugural NSW Dolphin Census, contributing to this important citizen science initiative to improve our understanding and conservation of local dolphin populations.
Visit the Dolphin Research Australia website.
CoastXP recognise the traditional owners of the lands and waterways we interact with every day. These are the Worimi, Awabakal and Darkinjung people. Through our tours we pay respect to their connection with the land, sea and sky and acknowledge their traditions, stories and culture. We have collaborated with the Mirromaa Aboriginal Language and Technology Centre on the cultural interpretation of the sites we visit on our tours.
Visit the Mirromaa website.
CoastXP is an active supporter of Camp Quality and a range of other local and national charities. Camp Quality is an Australian children’s cancer charity that improves the quality of life for kids facing cancer. We support local Camp Quality families by providing them with once-in-a-lifetime experiences on our tours.
Visit the Camp Quality website.
The Mirabel Foundation was established to help vulnerable children and young people reach their potential. Through the work of the foundation, Mirabel aims to restore a child’s sense of self-worth and belonging. As part of our support, together with the Mirabel team, we provide young people an opportunity to explore nature and connect with one another on our guided boat tours and bushwalks.
At CoastXP, we’re a Take 3 for the Sea tourism partner and an inaugural ground swell program participant. We aim to act responsibly when it comes to minimising and disposing of waste in all areas of our operation. Wherever possible, we remove plastic litter from the water and areas we visit. As a Take 3 for the Sea tourism partner, together with our guests, we make a difference to the local environments in which we operate by simply picking up 3 pieces of rubbish when leaving the beach, waterway, or any location. Together, we can contribute to a cleaner, healthier environment.
Visit the Take 3 for the Sea website.
At CoastXP our tours are not just unforgettable experiences, they are also educational. Our goal is to foster environmental stewardship and sustainability, inspiring our guests to protect and preserve the ecosystems we explore. We support education organisations by assisting in data collection, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge through research, conservation and industry education.
CoastXP is an active supporter of ongoing education in the marine, environmental science, tourism and business sectors. We regularly host work-integrated learning students, and present guest lectures in change management, tourism, tour experience design and management, risk management, sustainability and entrepreneurship. CoastXP is a founding Startups @ School educator, and in 2025 was recognised as the Newcastle Business School’s “Gold Nugget” partner in their career-ready placement program.
CoastXP is an active supporter of TAFE NSW, particularly their tourism/visitor economy and maritime courses. These courses are essential to the future development of our industries and the related ongoing jobs in our local area. We have collaborated with the NSW Government and TAFE NSW on the rollout of the Visitor Economy Microskill course encouraging students into careers in the visitor economy, as well as working on school-based apprenticeships in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie through the Employment Pathways Program.
CoastXP has a number of engagements with local schools throughout the year. This includes presenting talks about tourism, business or management, ongoing education through the Startups @ School program, guest judging of business or environmental challenges, as well as school-based apprenticeships.
Dominic (the founder of CoastXP) is the Chair of the Newcastle Tourism Industry Group. The committee consists of a range of individuals who are passionate about Newcastle and growing the visitor economy with the mission to provide a unified voice that promotes the visitor economy in Newcastle by maximising industry participation in tourism planning, development and marketing.
Visit the NTIG webiste.
Dominic is a technical advisory panel member for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA) guidelines for marine adventure tourism operators. These guidelines have been developed as a standard of best practice for operators from around Australia.
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