Coffin Bay, South Australia
Encyclopedia
Coffin Bay is a town at the southern extremity of the Eyre Peninsula
, which is a wheat growing area of South Australia
. At the 2006 census
, Coffin Bay had a population of 584.
The town is situated on the western side of the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula about 46 km from Port Lincoln
. The population swells during holiday seasons to more than 2,000 people due to its proximity to the Coffin Bay National Park
.
It is a popular location for boating, sailing, swimming, water-skiing, skindiving and wind-surfing, as well as fishing (rock, surf, angling and boat).
Oyster farming is conducted in the quiet waters of Coffin Bay.
Coffin Bay is in the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula
local government area, the state
electoral district of Flinders
and the federal
Division of Grey
.
people occupied the area prior to white settlement in the 1830s.
British naval explorer Matthew Flinders
named the bay on 16 February 1802 in honour of his friend Sir Isaac Coffin
, who was Resident Naval Commissioner at Sheerness
, where the Investigator was fitted out.
In 1966, Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited established a private railway between Coffin Bay and Port Lincoln
to convey lime sands. It was closed in the early 1970s.
Eyre Peninsula
Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...
, which is a wheat growing area of South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Coffin Bay had a population of 584.
The town is situated on the western side of the southern tip of Eyre Peninsula about 46 km from Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Transport :Port Lincoln is the port for the isolated narrow gauge Eyre Peninsular Railway.There is also a subsidiary port at Proper Bay which may be restored to use for iron ore traffic. The export of iron ore through Port Lincoln has been approved by the South Australian Government. Port...
. The population swells during holiday seasons to more than 2,000 people due to its proximity to the Coffin Bay National Park
Coffin Bay National Park
Coffin Bay is a national park in on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia , 301 km west of Adelaide, and 46 km west of Port Lincoln. The township of Coffin Bay is near the entrance to the National Park...
.
It is a popular location for boating, sailing, swimming, water-skiing, skindiving and wind-surfing, as well as fishing (rock, surf, angling and boat).
Oyster farming is conducted in the quiet waters of Coffin Bay.
Coffin Bay is in the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula
District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula
The District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula is a local government area located on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The district covers the southern tip of the peninsula, except for the small area taken up by the City of Port Lincoln....
local government area, the state
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
electoral district of Flinders
Electoral district of Flinders
Flinders is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after explorer Matthew Flinders, who was responsible for charting most of the state's coastline. It is a 55,260.6 km² coastal rural electorate encompassing the Eyre Peninsula and...
and the federal
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
Division of Grey
Division of Grey
The Division of Grey is an Australian Electoral Division in South Australia.The division was created in 1903 and is named for Sir George Grey, who was Governor of South Australia 1841-45 ....
.
History
The ParnkallaParnkalla
Parnkalla was an Indigenous Australian tribe from the Port Lincoln area of South Australia....
people occupied the area prior to white settlement in the 1830s.
British naval explorer Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
named the bay on 16 February 1802 in honour of his friend Sir Isaac Coffin
Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet
Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet GCH was an officer of the Royal Navy who served during the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
, who was Resident Naval Commissioner at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
, where the Investigator was fitted out.
In 1966, Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited established a private railway between Coffin Bay and Port Lincoln
Port Lincoln, South Australia
- Transport :Port Lincoln is the port for the isolated narrow gauge Eyre Peninsular Railway.There is also a subsidiary port at Proper Bay which may be restored to use for iron ore traffic. The export of iron ore through Port Lincoln has been approved by the South Australian Government. Port...
to convey lime sands. It was closed in the early 1970s.