Coastal regions of Western Australia
Encyclopedia
Western Australia
has the longest coastline of any state in Australia
, at 10,194 km or 12,889 km.
Title 3rd WA State Coastal Conference, Mandurah - Bunbury - Busselton, November 2005 : coastal solutions : balancing the waves of change : program and papers. Canning Bridge, W.A. : Promaco Conventions Pty Ltd, 2005. ISBN 1863081267
Local features:-
Regional divisions:-
Plants and natural history:-
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...
has the longest coastline of any state in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, at 10,194 km or 12,889 km.
Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia
The IMCRA has offshore regions delineated in a systematic appraisal of ecology and geographyCoastal regions used in weather reports
Standard Bureau of Meteorology reports include the following reference points for coastal weather reports: -- WA/NT border (or Wyndham) to Kuri Bay:
- Kuri BayKuri BayKuri Bay is a remote coastal bay in the far north of Western Australia in the Kimberley region, about north of Broome. The closest main town is Derby that is located southwest from the bay. The bay opens directly into the Indian Ocean and the Augustus Island is located just off-shore from the bay...
to WallalWallalWallal is the location of a bore in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.The bore is located from the Great Northern Highway between Port Hedland and Broome and has an elevation of . The nearest town is Marble Bar which is situated South of the bore....
: (Kimberley land region) - Wallal to Cape PrestonCape PrestonCape Preston is a rocky headland located in the Pilbara region of Western Australia and is situated West South West from Karratha.Cape Preston is a standard Bureau of Meteorology reference point for coastal weather reports, it is located between Wallal and North West Cape.The area is noted for its...
: (Pilbara land region) - Cape Preston to North West CapeNorth West CapeNorth West Cape is a large peninsula of land in the north west coast of Western Australia. Cape Range runs down the spine of the peninsula and Ningaloo Reef runs along the western edge...
: (Pilbara land region) - Northwest Cape to CarnarvonCarnarvon, Western AustraliaCarnarvon is a coastal town situated approximately 900 kilometres north of Perth, Western Australia. It lies at the mouth of the Gascoyne River on the Indian Ocean. The popular Shark Bay world heritage area lies to the south of the town and the Ningaloo Reef lies to the north...
: (Gascoyne land region) - Carnarvon to Kalbarri: (Gascoyne land region)
- Kalbarri to Jurien Bay: (Central west land region)
- Jurien Bay to Mandurah: (Lower west land region)
- Mandurah to Cape LeeuwinCape LeeuwinCape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...
: (South west land region) - Cape Leeuwin to Bremer Bay: (South west and South coastal land regions)
- Bremer Bay to Israelite BayIsraelite Bay, Western AustraliaIsraelite Bay is a bay and locality at Location on the south coast of Western Australia - frequently mentioned in Bureau of Meteorology weather reports as a geographical marker - it does not have a climate record....
: (Southeast coastal land region) - Israelite Bay to SA Border: (Eucla land region)
General coastal regions
There are groupings for wider regions that are based very close to the land regions, one made in the 1980s - has 8 coastal regions, while the 2003 Coastal Planning and Management Manual has five regions with component sections- Kimberley Coast - Northern Territory / Western Australia border to Broome (2003 manual 'Figure 2-2 Pilbara Kimberley Region')
- Canning - Broome to Port Hedland (Cape Keraudren - east of the De Grey River delta in the 2003 manual)
- Pilbara - Port Hedland to Onslow
- Coral CoastCoral CoastCoral Coast is a region along Australia's western coast between the capital, Perth, stretching north to the town of Exmouth. It is named because of its unusual coral formations so far south....
or Gascoyne region - Onslow to Kalbarri (Shark Bay in the 2003 manual) - Kalbarri to Cape Naturaliste - which includes - the 'Central West' also known as the 'Turquoise Coast' and another further south known at the Sunset CoastSunset CoastSunset Coast is the name given by the Tourism Western Australia to the coastal section of the northern metropolitan area of Perth, the capital city of Western Australia, and is one of the six component tourism precincts of the Perth region...
- South West Capes - Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin (to Albany in the 2003 manual)
- Cape Leeuwin to Israelite Bay South CoastSouth Coast Western AustraliaSouth Coast Western Australia comprises the coastline in the state of Western Australia from Cape Leeuwin to Eucla. This is a distance of approximately 1,000 miles or 1,600 km, fronting the Great Australian Bight and the Southern Ocean.-Components:...
- incorporates the coastal region between Cape Leeuwin and Windy Harbour, usually considered part of the south west; - South Coast Region or the South East - Israelite Bay (Albany in the 2003 manual) to the Western Australia / South Australian Border (Eucla)
Ports, settlements and towns
- See :Category:Coastal towns in Western Australia and :Category:Port cities in Australia
Fisheries bioregions
Under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 there are four main regions on the Western Australian coast.- North Coast (Pilbara/Kimberley) from the Western AustralianWestern Australia borderWestern Australia's eastern border is longitude 129° east. Following the settlement of the Swan River Colony in 1829, the colony of Western Australia was commissioned in March 1831...
and Northern Territory border to 114° 50' E 21° 46' S, just west of the mouth of the Ashburton RiverAshburton River (Western Australia)The Ashburton River is located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The river rises approximately 100 km south of Newman and flows in a west north westerly direction until discharging into the Indian Ocean approximately 20 km south west of Onslow. The river crosses the North...
Mouth.
- Gascoyne Coast from 114° 50' E 21° 46' S, just west of the mouth of the Ashburton RiverAshburton River (Western Australia)The Ashburton River is located within the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The river rises approximately 100 km south of Newman and flows in a west north westerly direction until discharging into the Indian Ocean approximately 20 km south west of Onslow. The river crosses the North...
Mouth to 27° S - about half way between Kalbarri and DenhamDenham, Western AustraliaDenham is the administrative town for the Shire of Shark Bay, Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Denham had a population of 607.Located on the western coast of the Peron Peninsula north of Perth, Denham is the westernmost town in Australia, and is named in honour of Captain Henry Mangles...
.
- West Coast from 27° S - about half way between Kalbarri and DenhamDenham, Western AustraliaDenham is the administrative town for the Shire of Shark Bay, Western Australia. At the 2006 census, Denham had a population of 607.Located on the western coast of the Peron Peninsula north of Perth, Denham is the westernmost town in Australia, and is named in honour of Captain Henry Mangles...
south to 115 ° 30' E - Black PointBlack Point-Places:in Antarctica*Black Point , a place in Antarcticain the Bahamas*Black Point , a district of Bahamasin Canada*Black Point, Victoria County, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia*Black Point, Nova Scotiain the United States...
east of Cape LeeuwinCape LeeuwinCape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...
.
- South Coast from 115 ° 30' E - Black PointBlack Point-Places:in Antarctica*Black Point , a place in Antarcticain the Bahamas*Black Point , a district of Bahamasin Canada*Black Point, Victoria County, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia*Black Point, Nova Scotiain the United States...
east of Cape LeeuwinCape LeeuwinCape Leeuwin is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia.A few small islands and rocks, the St Alouarn Islands, extend further to the south. The nearest settlement, north of the cape, is Augusta. South-east of Cape Leeuwin, the coast...
, to the South Australian BorderWestern Australia borderWestern Australia's eastern border is longitude 129° east. Following the settlement of the Swan River Colony in 1829, the colony of Western Australia was commissioned in March 1831...
Features
The coastal regions include a range of beaches, cliffs, and coastline features that are dependent upon the underlying geology - and the geological provinces have direct relationship to the coastal forms: -- Eucla BasinEucla BasinThe Eucla Basin is an artesian depression located in Western Australia and South Australia. The onshore-offshore depression covers approximately 1,141,000 km² and slopes southward to an open bay known as the Great Australian Bight. It extends more than 500 km offshore and about 350 km inland from...
- Eucla - Israelite Bay - Limestone - Yilgarn CratonYilgarn cratonThe Yilgarn Craton is a large craton which constitutes the bulk of the Western Australian land mass. It is bounded by a mixture of sedimentary basins and Proterozoic fold and thrust belts...
- Point Malcolm - Cape Arid and Point Hood to Point D'Entrecasteaux - Bremer Basin - Israelite Bay - Point D'Entrecasteaux
- Perth BasinPerth basinThe Perth Basin is a thick sedimentary basin in Western Australia. It lies beneath the Swan Coastal Plain west of the Darling Scarp, representing the western limit of the much older Yilgarn Craton, and extends further west offshore...
- Augusta - Murchison RiverMurchison River (Western Australia)The Murchison River is the second longest river in Western Australia. It flows for about from the southern edge of the Robinson Ranges to the Indian Ocean at Kalbarri. It has a mean annual flow of about 200 million cubic metres.-Course:... - Carnarvon Basin - Murchison River - Cape Preston
- Pilbara cratonPilbara cratonThe Pilbara craton , along with the Kaapvaal craton are the only remaining areas of pristine Archaean 3.6-2.7 Ga crust on Earth...
- Cape Preston - Port Hedland - Canning BasinCanning BasinThe Canning Basin is a geological basin located in Western Australia.The Basin covers approximately of which approximately is on land...
- Port Hedland - King Sound - Kimberley Basin - Kimberley Coast
- Bonaparte Basin - Cambridge GulfCambridge GulfCambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of Western Australia.Many rivers flow into the gulf including the Ord River, Pentecost River, Durack River, King River and the Forrest River.The gulf experiences two large tidal flows each day between to...
Sounds
Specifically referring to Sound (geography)Sound (geography)
In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....
- Camden SoundCamden SoundCamden Sound is relatively wide body of water in the Indian Ocean located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.Camden Sound is bounded by the Bonaparte Archipelago to the east, the Buccaneer Archipelgo to the west, and Montgomery Reef – at 292km2 Australia's largest inshore reef – to the...
- Cockburn SoundCockburn SoundCockburn Sound is an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the coast of Western Australia. It extends from the south of the mouth of the Swan River at Fremantle for about 25 km to Cape Peron near Rockingham and is located at...
- King SoundKing SoundKing Sound is a large gulf in northern Western Australia. It expands from the mouth of the Fitzroy River, one of Australia's largest watercourses, and opens to the Indian Ocean. It is about 120 km long, and averages about 50 km in width. The port town of Derby lies near the mouth of the...
- Yampi SoundYampi SoundYampi Sound is a part of the Indian Ocean off the coast of northwestern Australia, located between King Sound and Collier Bay. The islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago, located in the sound, contain rich silver and iron ore deposits. The high grade iron ore deposits has been mined in the Sound...
- York SoundYork SoundYork Sound is a sound located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia opening into the Indian Ocean.The sound in bounded by Cape Pond to the North and Hardey Point with the Coronation Islands to the South....
- King George SoundKing George SoundKing George Sound is the name of a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Located at , it is the site of the city of Albany.The sound covers an area of and varies in depth from to ....
Archipelagoes and island groups
- Archipelago of the RechercheArchipelago of the RechercheArchipelago of the Recherche is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the southern coast of Western Australia. The islands, also known as the Recherche Archipelago, stretch from East to West and to off-shore....
- Bonaparte ArchipelagoBonaparte ArchipelagoThe Bonaparte Archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of Western Australia in the Kimberley region. The closest inhabited place is Kalumburu located about to the east of the island group....
- Buccaneer ArchipelagoBuccaneer ArchipelagoThe Buccaneer Archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of Western Australia near the town of Derby in the Kimberley region. The closest inhabited place is Bardi located about from the western end of the island group....
- Houtman AbrolhosHoutman AbrolhosThe Houtman Abrolhos is a chain of 122 islands, and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia. Nominally located at , it lies about eighty kilometres west of Geraldton, Western Australia...
- Monte Bello Islands
Aquatic flora
The Western Australian coastline has the greatest diversity of seagrasses in the world, and the meadows they form are among the largest on earth- Amphibolis antarcticaAmphibolis antarcticaAmphibolis antarctica, commonly known as Wire weed or Sea Nymph, is a seagrass found in coastal waters of southern and western Australia.-Description:...
Wireweed, Sea Nymph - Amphibolis griffithiiAmphibolis griffithiiAmphibolis griffithii is a seagrass found in waters along the southwestern coasts of Western Australia. -Description:A common marine herb, the rhizomatous plant forms meadows which stabilise sands; the intertwining roots and leaves protects the substrate from ocean currents...
- Halophila australis
- Halophila decipiens
- Halophila ovalisHalophila ovalisHalophila ovalis is a seagrass in the family Hydrocharitaceae, a common name is paddle weed. It is a small herbaceous plant that occurs in sea beds and other saltwater environments....
Paddle Weed, Sea Wrack - Heterozostera tasmanica
- Posidonia angustifolia
- Posidonia australisPosidonia australisPosidonia australis is a species of seagrass that occurs in the southern waters of Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Fibreball Weed. The marine plant forms large meadows that are considered to be of high importance to the environmental conservation of the region...
Fireball Weed - Posidonia coriaceaPosidonia coriaceaPosidonia coriacea is a species of seagrass that occurs in the southern waters of Australia.-Description:A species of Posidonia. A perennial rhizomatous herb that appears as stands in marine habitat. This species is found at depths from 1 to 30 metres on white sands, in areas subject to intense...
- Posidonia denhartogii
- Posidonia robertsoniaePosidonia robertsoniaePosidonia robertsoniae is one of the seagrasses of Western Australia, submerged flowering plants that occurs in the southern coastal waters.-Description:...
- Posidonia sinuosa
- Syringodium isoetifolium
- Thalassodendron pachyrhizum
Flora
- Rippey, Elizabeth and Rowland, Barbara (2004) Coastal Plants: Perth and the south-west region Second Edition, Crawley, W.A. University of Western Australia Press. ISBN 1-920694-05-6
Conferences
- WA State Coastal Conference (3rd : 2005 : Mandurah, Bunbury and Busselton, W.A.)
Title 3rd WA State Coastal Conference, Mandurah - Bunbury - Busselton, November 2005 : coastal solutions : balancing the waves of change : program and papers. Canning Bridge, W.A. : Promaco Conventions Pty Ltd, 2005. ISBN 1863081267
Locations
- Murray, Ian and Marion Hercock (2008) Where on the Coast is That? Victoria Park, Western Australia. Hesperian Press. ISBN 978-0-85905-452-2
Government reports
- Department of Conservation and Land Management, 1994: A Representative Marine Reserves
- System for Western Australia: Report of the Marine Parks and Reserves Selection Working Group (the Wilson Report).
- Government of Western Australia, 1998: New Horizons: the Way Ahead in Marine Conservation and Management.
- Government of Western Australia, 2002b: Focus on the Future: the Western Australian State Sustainability Strategy, Consultation Draft.
- Government of Western Australia, 2002c: A Biodiversity Conservation Act for Western Australia, Consultation Paper.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2001: Coastal Zone Management Policy for Western Australia, for public comment.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2002: Coastal Planning Program - Status of Coastal Planning in Western Australia 2001/02.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2003a: Statement of Planning Policy No. 2.6: StateCoastal Planning Policy.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2003b: Coastal Planning and Management Manual
See also
Australian context:-- Geology of AustraliaGeology of AustraliaAustralia is a continent situated on the Indo-Australian Plate.The geology of Australia includes virtually all known rock types and from all geological time periods spanning over 3.8 billion years of the Earth's history.-Components:...
Local features:-
- List of islands of Western Australia, A-C and numerals and subsequent sections
- List of watercourses in Western Australia
Regional divisions:-
- Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for AustraliaInterim Biogeographic Regionalisation for AustraliaThe Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia is a biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian Government's Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts...
- Ecoregions in AustraliaEcoregions in AustraliaEcoregions in Australia are geographically distinct plant and animal communities, defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature based on geology, soils, climate, and predominant vegetation....
- Regions of Western AustraliaRegions of Western AustraliaRegionalisations of Western Australia are systems by which Western Australia is divided into distinct geographic regions. The most commonly known regionalisation is the governmental division of the state into regions for economic development purposes, of which there are nine.Other regionalisations...
Plants and natural history:-
- Seagrasses of Western AustraliaSeagrasses of Western AustraliaThe Seagrasses of Western Australia are submerged flowering plants found along the coast, around islands, and in estuaries of Western Australia. The region contains some of the largest seagrass meadows in the world, and is the most diverse in the number of species...