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Great Australian Bight

 
Great Australian Bight

 
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Great Australian Bight
 
 
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The Great Australian Bight is a large bight
Bight (geography)

In geography, bight has two meanings.A bight can be simply a bend or curve in any geographical feature—usually a bend or curve in the line between land and water....
, or open bay located off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

efinition of the International Hydrographic Bureau, the Great Australian Bight is part of the southeastern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
 and extends eastward from West Cape Howe, Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
.






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Australia
The Great Australian Bight is a large bight
Bight (geography)

In geography, bight has two meanings.A bight can be simply a bend or curve in any geographical feature—usually a bend or curve in the line between land and water....
, or open bay located off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

Limits

By definition of the International Hydrographic Bureau, the Great Australian Bight is part of the southeastern Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering about 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by Asia ; on the west by Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and Australia; and on the south by the Southern Ocean ....
 and extends eastward from West Cape Howe, Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
. The more generally accepted boundaries are from Cape Pasley, Western Australia, to Cape Carnot, South Australia
South Australia

South Australia is a States and territories of Australia 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....
 - a distance of 1,160 km or 720 miles. The much more generally accepted name in Australia for the adjoining water body is the Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean south of 60th parallel south latitude....
 rather than the Indian Ocean. Much of the Bight lies due south of the expansive Nullarbor Plain
Nullarbor Plain

The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country immediately north of the Great Australian Bight. The word Nullarbor is derived from the Latin nullus for 'nothing' or 'no one' and arbor for 'tree', and is pronounced "NULL-uh-bore" ....
, which straddles the two Australian states of South Australia
South Australia

South Australia is a States and territories of Australia 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....
 and Western Australia
Western Australia

Western Australia is a States and territories of Australia occupying the entire western third of the Australia . The nation's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.1 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state....
.

Natural history

Great Australian Bight Marine Park
The coast line of the Great Australian Bight is characterised by stunning cliff faces (up to 60 m high), surfing beaches and rock platforms, ideal for whale-watching. The waters of the Great Australian Bight, despite being relatively shallow, are not fertile. While most continental shelves
Continental shelf

The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain, and was part of the continent during the glacial periods, but is undersea during Ice age such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas and Bay....
 are rich in sea life and make popular fishing
Fishing

Fishing is the activity of catching fish. Fishing techniques include Fish net, Fish trap, Spearfishing, angling and Gathering seafood by hand. The term fishing may be applied to catching other aquatic animals such as different types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, Edible frog and some edible marine invertebrates....
 areas, the barren desert
Désert

?D?sert? is ?milie Simon's debut single, released in October 2002. The song was a huge success both critically and commercially in her homeland....
s north of the bight have very little rainfall, and what there is mostly flows inland, to dissipate underground or in salt lakes. In consequence, the Great Australian Bight receives very little of the runoff that fertilises most continental shelves and is essentially a marine desert. It is probably best noted for the large number of shark
Shark

Sharks are a type of fish with a full Cartilage skeleton and a highly Streamlines, streaklines and pathlinesd body. They respire with the use of five to seven gill slits....
s that frequent its coastal waters, as well as the increasing numbers of Southern Right Whales
Right whale

Right whales are the species of large baleen whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Three right whale species are recognized in this genus....
 that migrate within the region.

One location on the bight that is specifically oriented towards the understanding of the natural history on its coastline is the Eyre Bird Observatory
Eyre Bird Observatory

Eyre Bird Observatory is an educational, scientific and recreational facility in the Nuytsland Nature Reserve, Western Australia.Cocklebiddy, Western Australia is the nearest locality on the Eyre Highway 49 km to the north....
.

Current conditions

Economically, the Bight has been exploited over many years as part of the fishing, whaling and shellfish industries. Bluefin tuna
Southern bluefin tuna

The southern bluefin tuna, Thunnus maccoyii, is a tuna of the family Scombridae found in open southern hemisphere waters of all the worlds oceans mainly between 30?S and 50?S, to nearly 60?S....
 have been a favoured target of fishing in the Bight.

The settlements exist along the coastline of the Bight, such as Ceduna
Ceduna, South Australia

Ceduna is a small town in the West Coast region of South Australia. It is situated in the northwest corner of Eyre Peninsula, west of the junction of the Flinders Highway, South Australia and Eyre Highways around 786 km northwest of the capital Adelaide....
 and Eucla
Eucla, Western Australia

Eucla is the easternmost locality in Western Australia, located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Eyre Highway, approximately west of the South Australian border....
 have facilities to access the bight. Some other locations on the Eyre Highway
Eyre Highway

Sorry, no overview for this topic
 or located on the Nullarbor
Nullarbor Plain

The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country immediately north of the Great Australian Bight. The word Nullarbor is derived from the Latin nullus for 'nothing' or 'no one' and arbor for 'tree', and is pronounced "NULL-uh-bore" ....
 do not have facilities or easy access.

See also

  • Nullarbor


Further reading

  • Edminds, Jack (1976) Panorama of Western Australia : the Great Australian Bight Perth,W.A. Periodicals Division, West Australian Newspapers. ISBN 0909699119 (ANB/PRECIS SIN 0140147)


External links

  • - located in Commonwealth waters
  • - the South Australian portion of the park
  • - BBC Nature Documentary webpage for the fauna of the region