Great Australian Bight

Great Australian Bight
a wide bay in S Australia.

* * *

Bay of the Indian Ocean, southern Australian coast.

Its generally accepted boundaries are from Cape Pasley, Western Australia, to Cape Carnot, South Australia
a distance of 720 mi (1,160 km). The head of the bight abuts on the arid Nullarbor Plain and is bounded by cliffs 200–400 ft (60–120 m) high. Near Eucla on the bight's shores is the Nuytsland Reserve. Lying in the track of the winter western winds, the bight has a reputation for storms and rough seas.

* * *

      wide embayment of the Indian Ocean, indenting Australia's southern coast. By definition of the International Hydrographic Bureau it extends eastward from West Cape Howe, Western Australia, to South West Cape, Tasmania. The more generally accepted boundaries are from Cape Pasley, Western Australia, to Cape Carnot, South Australia—a distance of 720 miles (1,160 km).

      The head of the bight abuts on the arid Nullarbor Plain and is bounded by a remarkably even and continuous line of cliffs, 200–400 feet (60–120 m) high. Between Eucla and Israelite Bay on the bight's shores are the Nuytsland Reserve and the Cape Arid National Park. West of Eucla, near the Western Australia–South Australia boundary, the old cliff line is bordered by a sandy coastal plain. Lying full in the track of the winter westerly winds, the bight has a reputation for storms and rough seas. It includes the offshore Archipelago of the Recherche, Nuyts Archipelago, and the Investigator and Whidbey islands.

      First visited in 1627 by the Dutch navigator Pieter Nuyts, the barren coast was surveyed by Matthew Flinders, an Englishman, in 1802.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Great Australian Bight — wide bay of the Indian Ocean, indenting S Australia: c. 720 mi (1,159 km) wide …   English World dictionary

  • Great Australian Bight — The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay located off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. LimitsBy definition of the International Hydrographic Bureau, the Great Australian Bight is… …   Wikipedia

  • Great Australian Bight — Lage der Großen Australischen Bucht Great Australian Bight Marine Park …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Great Australian Bight Marine Park — Der Great Australian Bight Marine Park ist ein Meeresschutzgebiet, das sich an der Küste von South Australia befindet und 918 Kilometer westlich von Adelaide liegt. Das 21.500 km²[1] große und 1995 gegründete Schutzgebiet beginnt …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Great Australian Bight Shelf Transition — is a marine biogeographic region of Australia. It is defined as a bioregional province within the Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia (IMCRA).cite paper | title = Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation for Australia: an …   Wikipedia

  • Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) — Infobox protected area of Australia | name = Great Australian Bight Marine Park (Commonwealth waters) iucn category = VI caption = locator x = 120 locator y = 160 nearest town or city = Ceduna coordinates = coord|33|17|39|S|130|38|23|E| area = 19 …   Wikipedia

  • Great Australian Bight Marine Park — area = 438.69 km² established = 1995 visitation num = visitation year = managing authorities = Department for Environment and Heritage official site = [http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/coasts/gabmp/index.html Great Australian Bight Marine Park]… …   Wikipedia

  • Great Australian Bight — Great′ Austral′ian Bight′ n. geg a wide bay in S Australia …   From formal English to slang

  • Great Australian Bight — noun a wide bay of the Indian Ocean in southern Australia; notorious for storms • Instance Hypernyms: ↑bight • Part Holonyms: ↑Australia, ↑Commonwealth of Australia …   Useful english dictionary

  • Great Australian Bight — noun the widest inlet on the Australian coastline including large sections of the coast of SA and WA along the Southern Ocean; stretches from Cape Pasley, WA to the southern tip of the Eyre Peninsula in SA …  

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”