Geographe Bay is in the south-west of Western Australia, around southwest of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin, after his ship, ''Géographe''. It is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Naturaliste past the towns of Dunsborough and

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...

, ending near the city of Bunbury. Protected from the rough seas of the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

by Cape Naturaliste (named after ''Naturaliste''), which makes it a popular destination for recreational boaters, the bay is extremely shallow, limiting the entrance of large ships. To alleviate this problem the

Busselton Jetty Busselton Jetty is a jetty located in Busselton, Western Australia. It is the longest timber-piled jetty (pier) in the Southern Hemisphere at long. The jetty is managed by a not-for-profit community organisation, Busselton Jetty Inc. The jetty ...

, the longest in the southern hemisphere, was built.

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...

frigate was sunk in the bay off the town of Dunsborough on 14 December 1997, for use as a dive wreck. The bay also attracts whale watchers, who see it as an alternative to Flinders Bay, and the north-west part of the bay is the location of a number of surf breaks. The environment of the drainage systems into the bay, and the bay itself have attracted research and studies.

References

* Edward Duyker François Péron: An Impetuous Life: Naturalist and Voyager, Miegunyah/MUP, Melb., 2006, , * Fornasiero, Jean; Monteath, Peter and West-Sooby, John. ''Encountering Terra Australis: the Australian voyages of Nicholas Baudin and Matthew Flinders'', Kent Town, South Australia, Wakefield Press, 2004. * Frank Horner, The French Reconnaissance: Baudin in Australia 1801–1803, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1987 . * Marchant, Leslie R. ''French Napoleonic Placenames of the South West Coast'', Greenwood, WA. R.I.C. Publications, 2004. {{Authority control Capes region of South West Western Australia Bays of Western Australia

References

Further reading