Kiama Blowhole on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
The Kiama Blowhole is a blowhole in the town of
Image:Kiama blowhole panorama.jpg, Kiama blowhole panorama
Image:Kiama blowhole panoramic view, Sydney.jpg, Kiama blowhole panoramic view, NSW
Image:Kiama blowhole, Sydney, Australia.jpg, Kiama blowhole, NSW
Image:KiamaBlow.JPG,
Image:Kiama blowhole 1.jpg,
Image:BlowHoleAtKiama.jpg,
Image:Little Blowhole Kiama New South Wales.jpg,
Pictures of the Kiama Blowhole
Animated images and sounds of the Kiama Blowhole
{{coord, 34, 40, 18.5, S, 150, 51, 47, E, type:landmark_region:AU-NSW, display=title Coastline of New South Wales Blowholes Tourist attractions in New South Wales Kiama, New South Wales
Kiama Kiama may refer to:
* Electoral district of Kiama, a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
* Kiama, New South Wales, a town
* Kiama (spider), a genus of spiders
*Municipality of Kiama
The Municipality of Kiama is a local government ar ...
, New South Wales, Australia. The name 'Kiama' has long been translated as "where the sea makes a noise". It is one of the town's major tourist attractions. Under certain sea conditions, the blowhole can spray 50 litres of water up to 25 metres (82 ft) in the air, in quantities that thoroughly drench any bystanders. There is a second, less famous blowhole in Kiama, commonly referred to as the "Little Blowhole" by locals. It is much smaller than the other (called the "Big Blowhole"), but due to its narrow shape, it is more reliable than the Big Blowhole, and in the right conditions can be equally spectacular.
The blowhole attracts 900,000 tourists a year. Kiama Blowhole is just a few metres beyond the coastline. The "little blowhole" is located at the Little Blowhole Reserve, Tingira Crescent, Kiama, 2 km south of the main blowhole.
History
The blowhole was formed frombasalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
lava flows approximately 260 million years ago and was first discovered by local Aboriginals who named it 'Khanterinte'. The blowhole was first written about by George Bass
George Bass (; 30 January 1771 – after 5 February 1803) was a British naval surgeon and explorer of Australia.
Early life
Bass was born on 30 January 1771 at Aswarby, a hamlet near Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of a tenant farmer, George B ...
on 6 December 1797. Bass had captained a crew of six and set out on an open whaleboat
A whaleboat is a type of open boat that was used for catching whales, or a boat of similar design that retained the name when used for a different purpose. Some whaleboats were used from whaling ships. Other whaleboats would operate from the s ...
to explore the south coast of Australia. He noticed the blowhole after anchoring his boat in a sheltered bay.
In 1992 seven people were drowned when a freak wave washed two Afghan families off the rocks, a tragedy compounded five years later when two more members of one of the families died at the picturesque site.
Despite the local council erecting fences and signs to the danger, tourists can still regularly be seen standing perilously close to the edge as the water explodes through the opening.
Cause
According to the placard at the blow hole, water shoots out of the blowhole because of pressure that forms in an underground chamber. As water fills the chamber at the end of the tunnel, pressure builds. When waves subside, the pressure inside the chamber pushes water up through the blow hole.
Gallery
References
External links
Pictures of the Kiama Blowhole
Animated images and sounds of the Kiama Blowhole
{{coord, 34, 40, 18.5, S, 150, 51, 47, E, type:landmark_region:AU-NSW, display=title Coastline of New South Wales Blowholes Tourist attractions in New South Wales Kiama, New South Wales