The Bunda Cliffs, also known as the Nullarbor Cliffs, are a coastal scarp on the southern coast of Australia, extending from the western coast of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a 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 of Australia's states and territories ...

to the south-eastern corner of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

Geography

The Bunda Cliffs extend for along the shore of the

Great Australian Bight The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. Extent Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...

near its northern extremity. The cliffs extend from

Head of the Bight Head of the Bight (also called Head of Bight) is a bay located in South Australia at the most northern extent of the Great Australian Bight. Flora and fauna Southern right whale It is one of two locations on Australia's south coast where sout ...

in the east to

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. At the 2016 Australian census, Eucla had a popul ...

in the west. There are some local cliff-line breaks towards the eastern and western ends, with a uninterrupted cliff line from near the eastern end to a point 28 km west of the South Australia–Western Australia border.G. A. Wakelin-King & J. A. Webb (2020) Origin, geomorphology and geoheritage potential of Australia’s longest coastal cliff lines, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, 67:5, 649–661, DOI: 10.1080/08120099.2020.1742202 The cliffs are bounded on the north by the arid

Nullarbor Plain The Nullarbor Plain ( ; Latin: feminine of , 'no', and , 'tree') is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its ...

, in a very sparsely settled area of Australia. The cliffs, which are some in height, can be viewed from several viewing points along the

Eyre Highway Eyre Highway is a highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highways 1 and A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It ...

east of Eucla and west of Nullarbor roadhouse.

Geology

Geologically the cliffs are made of Cenozoic age fossiliferous limestone, part of the

Eucla Basin The Eucla Basin is an artesian depression located in Western Australia and South Australia. The onshore-offshore depression covers approximately 1,141,000 km² and slopes southward to an open bay known as the Great Australian Bight. It ext ...

geologic formation. They are the eastern portion of the Great Southern Scarp, an 820-kilometre-long formation which extends across the Eucla Basin. The cliffs are subjected to high-energy waves from the Southern Ocean, and are receding northwards. The same formation extends from Eucla to Madura in Western Australia where it forms the scarp separating the

Roe Plains The Roe Plains is a coastal plain in the southeastern corner of Western Australia. The Roe Plains are predominantly marine dunes on a coastal plain. The plains are bounded on the south by the Great Australian Bight. They are bounded on the west ...

from the Hampton Tableland, but in this section the coastline has moved away from the cliffs. The scarp in this area runs parallel to, and within sight of, the Eyre Highway. The

Baxter Cliffs The Baxter Cliffs is a long stretch of coastal cliff on the south coast of Western Australia. The Baxter Cliffs are up to 80 metres high and extend for almost 200 kilometres along the coast, from Point Culver in the west, which marks the no ...

west of the Roe Plains are a further continuation of the escarpment, stretching for nearly 160 km along the coast.

Naming

''Bunda'' is an aboriginal word, which has been used in South Australia for the name of the Nullarbor coastal cliffs. The name was gazetted by the Government of South Australia on 2 October 2014 in response to a submission from the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources for approval to use it for a sanctuary zone in the

Far West Coast Marine Park Far West Coast Marine Park is a marine park in South Australia. The park is within state waters, about from the state capital of Adelaide. The land around Far West Coast Marine Park is very much flat, bordered by the Nullarbor Plain to the north ...

and refers to the extent of cliff line extending from the Western Australian border to the

Protected areas

Most of the cliffs are in protected areas. Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area extends eastwards from the Western Australia-South Australia border.

Yalata Indigenous Protected Area The Yalata Indigenous Protected Area is an Indigenous Protected Area in South Australia. It has an area of 4643.97 km2.UNEP-WCMC (2022). Protected Area Profile for Yalata from the World Database of Protected Areas. Accessed 25 May 2022/ref> T ...

covers the eastern portion of the cliffs. Eucla National Park protects the Western Australian portion of the cliffs.

includes the South Australian waters along the cliffs.

Notes

External links

World's longest cliffs

Great Australian Bight Marine Park
Parks Australia
Bunda Cliffs
Landscape South Australia

{{Coord, 31.47382985, S, 131.11890657 , E, format=dms, display=title Cliffs of Australia Nullarbor Plain Coastline of South Australia South coast of Western Australia Great Australian Bight