Culham Inlet is a fascinating and ecologically rich coastal salt lake and transient estuary located on the eastern flank of East Mount Barren within Fitzgerald River National Park, approximately 7 kilometres west of Hopetoun in Western Australia's Goldfields-Esperance region. What makes this water body particularly unique is its nature as a landlocked estuary — a former river valley that flooded when sea levels rose around 6,500 years ago, eventually becoming sealed off from the Southern Ocean by a sand bar that built up significantly around 3,500 years ago. Today, the sand bar at the entrance remains almost always closed, meaning the inlet rarely discharges into the ocean. The result is a calm, turquoise-hued body of water fed by the Steere and Phillip Rivers, surrounded by the dramatic landscape of the Fitzgerald River National Park. The wetlands formed by this system are listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia, reflecting their considerable ecological significance. The inlet offers exceptional fishing opportunities in a strikingly scenic setting, with panoramic views available from the East Mount Barren lookout overlooking the inlet and the surrounding Southern Ocean coastline.