Discovery Bay (Australia)

Discovery Bay is an open oceanic embayment[2] lying along the coast of eastern South Australia and western Victoria in south-eastern Australia.

For other uses, see Discovery Bay (disambiguation).

Discovery Bay
West Victoria Coast, Bridgewater, Cape Nelson, Portland, Point Danger
Discovery Bay
Location in Australia
LocationEastern South Australia and western Victoria
Coordinates38°03′S 140°52′E[1]
TypeAn open oceanic embayment[2]
Primary inflowsGlenelg River, Bridgewater Lakes
Primary outflowsSouthern Ocean
Basin countriesAustralia
Average depth30–60 m (98–197 ft)[3]
Shore length170 km (43 mi)
Frozennever
SettlementsPort MacDonnell
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Location and features

Facing the Southern Ocean, Discovery Bay extends approximately 70 kilometres (43 mi) from Cape Northumberland, near Port MacDonnell, South Australia in the northwest, to Cape Bridgewater in the southeast, 20 kilometres (12 mi) west of Portland in western Victoria.[4] Cape Northumberland is the southernmost point of mainland South Australia. The Glenelg River is the principal inflow and enters the bay near the town of Nelson.

The bay was named by explorer Thomas Mitchell when he came down the river on 20 August 1836.[5][6]

The South Australian section of the bay's coastline is protected by the Lower South East Marine Park while the Victorian section of the coast is protected in the Discovery Bay Coastal Park. The waters at the eastern end of the bay, adjacent to Cape Bridgewater, are protected by the Discovery Bay Marine National Park.[7][8]

See also

References
  1. "Lake Burrumbeet". Vicnames. Government of Victoria. 2 May 1966. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  2. Roy, P. S.; Williams, R. J.; Jones, A. R.; Yassini, I.; et al. (2001). "Structure and Function of South-east Australian Estuaries". Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 53. doi:10.1006/ecss.2001.0796.
  3. "Discovery Bay Marine National Park". Parks Victoria. Government of Victoria. 14 January 2013. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  4. "Search result for "Discovery Bay (Bay)" (Record no. SA0020163) with the following layers selected - " Place names (gazetteer)"". Property Location Browser. Government of South Australia. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  5. Mitchell, Thomas (1838), Three Expeditions into the interior of Eastern Australia, Vol 2, London: Boone
  6. Bird, Eric (12 October 2006). "Place Names on the Coast of Victoria" (PDF). Australian National Placename Survey (ANPS). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 February 2011.
  7. "Lower South East Marine Park Management Plan" (PDF). Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. p. 26. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  8. "Lower Glenelg National Park, Discovery Bay Coastal Park" (PDF). Parks Victoria (PDF). Government of Victoria. January 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.


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