Beaufort Inlet
Encyclopedia
Beaufort Inlet also locally known as Pallinup Estuary is an inlet
located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
about 130 kilometres (81 mi) east of Albany
. There is a similarly named inlet leading from the Atlantic Ocean to the town of Beaufort, N.C. The Beaufort Inlet in North Carolina provides access to a state port facility in adjacent Morehead City, N.C., and is popular with cruising boaters visiting the historic Beaufort community, a former haunt of Blackbeard the pirate.
The inlet functions mostly as a result of wave energy and is a wave dominated estuary
.
The estuary is in a highly modified condition as a result of substantial clearing within the catchment and is eutrophied and prone to fish kill
s.
Covering a total area of 5.5 square kilometres (2 sq mi), with the central basin having an area of 4.2 square kilometres (2 sq mi) the inlet is fed with waters from the Pallinup River
.
The inlet holds a volume of 6500000 cubic metre and is enclosed by a 500 metres (1,640 ft) long sandbar that opens periodically at intervals of several years.
Inlet
An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...
located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
about 130 kilometres (81 mi) east of Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
. There is a similarly named inlet leading from the Atlantic Ocean to the town of Beaufort, N.C. The Beaufort Inlet in North Carolina provides access to a state port facility in adjacent Morehead City, N.C., and is popular with cruising boaters visiting the historic Beaufort community, a former haunt of Blackbeard the pirate.
The inlet functions mostly as a result of wave energy and is a wave dominated estuary
Estuary
An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
.
The estuary is in a highly modified condition as a result of substantial clearing within the catchment and is eutrophied and prone to fish kill
Fish kill
The term fish kill, known also as fish die-off and as fish mortality, is a localized die-off of fish populations which may also be associated with more generalised mortality of aquatic life...
s.
Covering a total area of 5.5 square kilometres (2 sq mi), with the central basin having an area of 4.2 square kilometres (2 sq mi) the inlet is fed with waters from the Pallinup River
Pallinup River
Pallinup River is river located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.The Pallinup rises near Kokodarrup River and flows in a south easterly direction toward the coast passing through Kybelup Pool and discharging into the Southern Ocean via Beaufort Inlet.The river is one of the longest...
.
The inlet holds a volume of 6500000 cubic metre and is enclosed by a 500 metres (1,640 ft) long sandbar that opens periodically at intervals of several years.