The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being
Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
, in the state of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...
, facing the
Great Australian Bight. It spans from the
Cape Catastrophe and
Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north.
Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...
in the west to
Cape Spencer and
Yorke Peninsula in the east.
The largest towns on the gulf are
Port Lincoln,
Whyalla
Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...
,
Port Pirie, and
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a seaport, it is now a road traffic and railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state c ...
. Smaller towns on the gulf include
Tumby Bay
Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, north of Port Lincoln. The town of Tumby Bay is the major population centre of the District Council of Tumby Bay, and the cen ...
,
Port Neill,
Arno Bay
Arno Bay is a small fishing and tourist town on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, located on the Lincoln Highway about halfway between Whyalla and Port Lincoln. First proclaimed under the name Bligh in 1883, the current name da ...
,
Cowell,
Port Germein,
Port Broughton,
Wallaroo,
Port Hughes
Port Hughes is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on northern Yorke Peninsula about north-west of the state capital of Adelaide. It is considered part of the Moonta urban area by the Australian Bureau of ...
,
Port Victoria,
Port Rickaby,
Point Turton, and
Corny Point.
History
The first recorded exploration of the gulf was that of
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to ut ...
in February 1802. Flinders navigated inland from the present location of
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a seaport, it is now a road traffic and railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state c ...
to within of the termination of the water body.
The gulf was named ''Spencer's Gulph'' by Flinders on 20 March 1802, after
George John Spencer, the 2nd
Earl Spencer.
The
Baudin expedition visited the gulf after Flinders with
Nicholas Baudin giving it the name ''Golfe Bonaparte'' and
Louis de Freycinet
Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French Navy officer. He circumnavigated the earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia.
Biography
He was born at ...
using the name ''Golfe de la Melomanie'' on the expedition's published charts.
By the 1830s, the
natural harbour of
Port Lincoln had become the site of an unofficial settlement, due in part to its convenience as a base for
whaling vessels – which had long operated in the
Great Australian Bight. Prior to the selection of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, some consideration was given to Port Lincoln as the potential site of a capital city.
Geography and topography
The Gulf is wide at its mouth (from Cape Catastrophe to Cape Spencer) and long (from its mouth to Port Augusta). The western shore of the gulf is the
Eyre Peninsula
The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north.
Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named af ...
, while the eastern side is the
Yorke Peninsula, which separates it from the smaller
Gulf St Vincent. Its entrance was defined by
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to ut ...
in 1802 as a line from
Cape Catastrophe on Eyre Peninsula to
Cape Spencer on Yorke Peninsula.
At the time of Flinders' exploration the gulf was noted to extend inland from a point near the Port Augusta crossing.
This so-called extension of the gulf consists of a land depression and occasional watercourse known as the
Pirie–Torrens corridor, and the inland waterbody
Lake Torrens.
The northern end of the gulf is spanned by the
Joy Baluch AM Bridge between
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a seaport, it is now a road traffic and railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state c ...
and
Port Augusta West and further north by
Yorkey Crossing.
Informal names for subdivisions of the gulf waters are sometimes used. "Northern Spencer Gulf" refers to waters north of
Wallaroo and
Arno Bay
Arno Bay is a small fishing and tourist town on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, located on the Lincoln Highway about halfway between Whyalla and Port Lincoln. First proclaimed under the name Bligh in 1883, the current name da ...
, while "Southern Spencer Gulf" refers to waters south of that line, extending to the mouth of the gulf. "Upper Spencer Gulf" includes the waters north of Port Pirie, and includes the three towns sometimes referred to as the Iron Triangle: Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie. Its boundary lacks precise definition.
Wildlife
The land surrounding the gulf, consisting of the
Eyre and
Yorke Peninsulas, is the
Eyre Yorke Block
The Eyre Yorke Block, also known as the Eyre and Yorke mallee, is an interim Australian (IBRA) bioregion and a World Wildlife Fund ecoregion covering part of the Eyre Peninsula and all of Yorke Peninsula as well as land to its immediate east in ...
bioregion. This was originally wooded shrubland but has now mainly been cleared for agriculture. The arid
Gawler bioregion extends to the Spencer Gulf on the north-west. Many of South Australia's iconic marine species can be found on the shores and in the waters of Spencer Gulf.
Marine species
The rocky inshore reef along the coast near
Port Bonython and
Point Lowly
Point Lowly is the tip of a small peninsula north north-east of Whyalla in the Upper Spencer Gulf region of South Australia. The wider peninsula is shared by a combination of defence, industrial, residential, recreational and tourism interests ...
is a breeding ground for the Northern Spencer Gulf population of
Australian giant cuttlefish. They are a favorite food of local
bottlenose dolphins, who have developed sophisticated techniques for safely eating these creatures. The Upper Spencer Gulf is also known for its
snapper and
Yellowtail kingfish fishing.
Great white shark
The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is nota ...
s are sometimes seen in Spencer Gulf by fishermen, and
shark cage
Shark cage diving is underwater diving or snorkeling where the observer remains inside a protective cage designed to prevent sharks from making contact with the divers. Shark cage diving is used for scientific observation, underwater cinematograph ...
diving and surface tours operate out of
Port Lincoln.
A relic population of tiger pipefish (''
Filicampus tigris''), a subtropical species is range limited to Northern Spencer Gulf.
Marine mammals
Visiting
southern right whales and
humpback whales
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The humpb ...
enter Spencer Gulf from June through to October, and can be seen as far north as Point Lowly and Port Augusta.
New Zealand fur seals and
Australian sea lion
The Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea''), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently monotypic in the genus '' Neophoca'', with the ...
s can be found in southern Spencer Gulf, with significant breeding colonies located at Dangerous Reef and in the Sir Joseph Banks Group. Occasional sightings occurring in Northern Spencer Gulf.
Bottlenose dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the comm ...
s can be seen in the gulf's waters year-round.
Seabirds
Breeding colonies of
little penguins exist on islands in Spencer Gulf. The northernmost colonies are located at
Lipson Island and
Wardang Island
Wardang Island, also known as Waralti (also spelled Waraldi or Wauraltee) is a low-lying 20 km2 island in the Spencer Gulf close to the western coast of the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. It acts as a natural breakwater, protecting the fo ...
. In 2004, the Wardang Island colony's population was approximately 8,000 penguins.
Cape Barren geese
The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') is a large goose resident in southern Australia.
Etymology
The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. It is known ...
and several species of
cormorants also breed on islands in Spencer Gulf.
Islands
Spencer Gulf contains a number of inshore and offshore islands. These include (from north to south):
*
Curlew Island (south of
Port Augusta
Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a seaport, it is now a road traffic and railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about north of the state c ...
)
*
Weeroona Island (north of
Port Pirie)
*
Shag Island (north of Port Broughton)
*
Entrance Island (near
Cowell)
*
Bird Islands (near
Wallaroo)
*
Lipson Island (north of
Tumby Bay
Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, north of Port Lincoln. The town of Tumby Bay is the major population centre of the District Council of Tumby Bay, and the cen ...
)
*
Tumby Island
Tumby Island is a low bedrock island located 500 m east of the southern tip of Tumby Bay (Tumby Point) in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The island is a conservation park comprising 35 hectares. The island can be accessed on foot at low tide by ...
(south of Tumby Bay)
*
Wardang Island
Wardang Island, also known as Waralti (also spelled Waraldi or Wauraltee) is a low-lying 20 km2 island in the Spencer Gulf close to the western coast of the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. It acts as a natural breakwater, protecting the fo ...
& the
Goose Island group (near
Port Victoria)
* The
Sir Joseph Banks Group
The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group C ...
(offshore from Tumby Bay)
*
Louth Island & Rabbit Island (in
Louth Bay)
[
* ]Boston Island
Boston Island (Barngarla language, Barngarla: ''Goorilyali'' ) is a privately owned island in Port Lincoln, South Australia, Boston Bay, Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It has been primarily used for grazing sheep and was also once the location of ...
(in Boston Bay)[
* Grantham Island and Bicker Isles (in Proper Bay)][
* Donington Island, Carcase Rock, ]Owen Island
Owen Island in the Antarctic is a small (19 ha), circular, ice-free island lying between Round Point and Pottinger Point about 500 m off the north coast of King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands. It was charted and na ...
, Taylor Island
Taylor Island, also known as Taylor's Island, is the largest in a group of seven islands located between the Eyre Peninsula mainland and Thistle Island in the mouth of Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It was named by British explorer Matthew Fli ...
, Grindal Island, Little Island, Lewis Island, Smith Island, Hopkins Island and Thistle Island (east of the Jussieu Peninsula).
* Middle Island, South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
and Royston Island (in Pondalowie Bay)
* Gambier Islands including Wedge Island (in the mouth of Spencer Gulf)
Port development proposals
Due to its proximity to many identified mineral deposits in South Australia's Far North, Eyre Peninsula and Braemar regions, there are multiple new port and harbour developments proposed for the region.
These include new or expanded facilities at (from north to south):
* Port Bonython - Port Bonython Bulk Commodities Export Facility - Spencer Gulf Port Link (proposed 2012)
*Port Playford - Iron ore transshipment port proposed to be constructed on the site of the former Playford A Power Station, south of Port Augusta
* Whyalla
Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...
- Inner harbour expansion - Arrium (completed 2013)
* Port Pirie - Possible expansion for trans-shipment of iron ore from the Braemar region (concept stage)
* Lucky Bay - Lucky Bay Common User Export Facility (harbour expansion) - SeaSA (proposed 2013, construction commenced 2014)
* Myponie Point
Myponie Point (also known as Tickera Point) is a geographical feature in the locality of Wallaroo Plain, 10 kilometres north of Wallaroo in South Australia.
The area is dominated by sloping bedrock and its shoreline mounts 10 to 20 metre high b ...
- Possible port location for Braemar region mineral exports (concept stage)
* Cape Hardy
Cape Hardy is a high, dune-capped granite headland on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula and which protrudes into Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is located between the towns of Port Neill and Tumby Bay, north-northeast of Lipson Cove.
...
- Iron Road Limited
Iron Road Ltd is an Australian iron ore exploration and mining company, listed on the Australian Securities Exchange () in Perth, Western Australia since 2008 with an objective to develop a world class magnetite mine and infrastructure in South ...
(proposed 2013)
* Lipson Cove - Port Spencer (formerly known as Sheep Hill) - Centrex Metals
Centrex Metals Limited is an Australian resources exploration and mining company.
History
Founded in 2001, Centrex Metals was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2006 with the aim of developing several iron ore projects on the Eyre ...
(proposed 2011) The port could be completed in 2023.
Seawater desalination plants
, one reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic ...
and one thermal seawater desalination plant draw water from Spencer Gulf. Several others are planned. All currently or will produce water primarily or exclusively for industrial use. They are:
Spencer Gulf in film & video
The Spencer Gulf region, its wildlife and its development are the subjects of a documentary film in production entitled ''Cuttlefish Country''.
Protected areas
Reserves declared by the South Australian government
Aquatic Reserves
Spencer Gulf contains four aquatic reserves.
Blanche Harbour-Douglas Bank Aquatic Reserve which is located in west side of Spencer
Gulf, north of Whyalla, was declared in 1980 ‘for fisheries management, protection of its mangrove-seagrass communities and associated fish nursery areas.’[
Goose Island Aquatic Reserve which is located at Goose Island on the east side of Spencer Gulf near Port Victoria was declared in 1971 to provide ‘a conservation area where teaching institutions may conduct classes and scientific research on marine biology and ecology and to protect the habitat of the seal colony situated on White Rocks.’]
Whyalla - Cowleds Landing Aquatic Reserve __NOTOC__
Whyalla-Cowleds Landing Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located in the waters of Spencer Gulf adjoining the east coast of Eyre Peninsula. About south of Whyalla, it includes land in ...
which is located in on the west side of Spencer Gulf, just south of Whyalla, was declared in 1980 to ‘protect the mangrove-seagrass communities and associated fish nursery areas.’[
Yatala Harbour Upper Spencer Gulf Aquatic Reserve which is located in Yatala Harbour on the east side of Spencer Gulf, north of Port Pirie, was declared in 1980 for ‘the protection of its mangrove-seagrass communities and associated fish nursery areas.’][
]
Marine Parks
Spencer Gulf contains five marine parks, each with its own outer boundary and internal zoning. Fishing is prohibited with Sanctuary Zones, and detailed maps and GPS coordinates for the parks are available from the Government of South Australia's Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources.
The marine parks within Spencer Gulf are (from north to south):
* Upper Spencer Gulf Marine Park
Upper may refer to:
* Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot
* Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both
* ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found f ...
* Franklin Harbor Marine Park
Franklin Harbor Marine Park is a marine park in Spencer Gulf in South Australia. It is adjacent and overlapping with Franklin Harbor Conservation Park.
The park includes Franklin Harbor and is located on the western side of Spencer Gulf between ...
* Eastern Spencer Gulf Marine Park
Eastern may refer to:
Transportation
*China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai
*Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways
* Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991
*Eastern Air L ...
* Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park
* Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
Terrestrial reserves
A number of terrestrial reserves either adjoin Spencer Gulf at low water or are located on islands within the gulf. On the west coast of the gulf, from north to south, they are Munyaroo Conservation Park, Franklin Harbor Conservation Park
Franklin Harbor Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula in the gazetted locality of Cowell about south of the town centre in Cowell.
The conservation park co ...
, Lipson Island Conservation Park, Tumby Island Conservation Park, Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park, Lincoln National Park
Lincoln National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about west of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide and about south of the municipal seat of Port Lincoln, South Australia, Port Linco ...
and Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area. On the east coast of the gulf, from north to south, they are Winninowie Conservation Park, Bird Islands Conservation Park
Bird Islands Conservation Park is a protected area in eastern Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It is located at Warburto Point on Yorke Peninsula, about south of the town of Wallaroo. In 1991, land additions were made to the park to include ...
, Goose Island Conservation Park
__NOTOC__
Goose Island Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia, located on Goose Island and other islets in the vicinity of Wardang Island in Spencer Gulf. The constituent islands are located within t ...
, Leven Beach Conservation Park and Innes National Park. At the mouth of the gulf, the Gambier Islands Conservation Park is located within the Gambier Islands group.
Non-statutory arrangements
Important Bird Areas
Three Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...
s (IBAs) have been nominated by BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
at locations in Spencer Gulf. The Spencer Gulf Important Bird Area lies along the north-eastern coast of the Gulf; it comprises a strip of coastal land consisting mainly of intertidal mudflat
Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal f ...
s, mangroves and salt marsh
A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...
es. It was identified as an IBA by BirdLife International because of its importance for the conservation of wader
245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots
Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
s, or shorebirds. The other two IBAs within Spencer Gulf are located in the Sir Joseph Banks Group
The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group C ...
and at Goose Island. Both sites contain breeding colonies of various island seabird species.
Gallery
Image:Port-Broughton-harbor-0693.jpg, The harbor of Port Broughton on the Eastern shore of Spencer Gulf
Image:Australia.A2010283.0435.250m.jpg, Spencer Gulf seen from one of NASA's Satellites
Image:MoontaBayJetty.JPG, Moonta Bay Jetty on the Eastern shore of Spencer Gulf
References
External links
*
{{List of Australian seas
Gulfs of Australia
Bodies of water of South Australia
Coastline of South Australia
Eyre Peninsula
Aulacogens
Cenozoic rifts and grabens
IMCRA meso-scale bioregions