thumb|230px|right|Map of the Great Australian Bight.
The Great Australian Bight south of the
Nullarbor. Credit Jacques Descloitres, Visible Earth,
NASA.
The
Great Australian Bight is a large
bight, or open bay located off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland
Australia.
Limits
By definition of the
International Hydrographic Bureau, the Great Australian Bight is part of the southeastern
Indian Ocean and extends eastward from
West Cape Howe,
Western Australia. The more generally accepted boundaries are from
Cape Pasley, Western Australia, to
Cape Carnot,
South Australia - a distance of 1,160 km or 720 miles. The depth of bight is The much more generally accepted name in Australia for the adjoining water body is the
Southern Ocean rather than the Indian Ocean. Much of the Bight lies due south of the expansive
Nullarbor Plain, which straddles the two Australian states of
South Australia and
Western Australia..
Exploration
The Great Australian Bight was first encountered by European explorers in 1627, when a Dutch navigator,
Captain Thyssen, sailed along its western margins. The coast was later first accurately charted by the English explorer Captain
Matthew Flinders in 1802, during his
circumnavigation of the Australian
continent. A later land-based survey was accomplished by
Edward John Eyre.
Natural history
Great Australian Bight
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 are rich in sea life and make popular
fishing areas, the barren
deserts 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
sharks that frequent its coastal waters, as well as the increasing numbers of
Southern Right Whales 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.
Current conditions
Economically, the Bight has been exploited over many years as part of the fishing, whaling and shellfish industries.
Bluefin tuna have been a favoured target of fishing in the Bight.
The settlements exist along the coastline of the Bight, such as
Ceduna and
Eucla have facilities to access the bight. Some other locations on the
Eyre Highway or located on the
Nullarbor do not have facilities or easy access.
See also
