Laura Bay is a
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...
in the Australian 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. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
on the west coast of
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.
Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...
, about southeast of
Ceduna.
[
Laura Bay is an inlet that opens into the northern end of the larger ]Smoky Bay Smoky or Smokey may refer to:
People
* Smoky Babe (1927–1975), American acoustic blues guitarist and singer born Robert Brown
* Smoky Burgess (1927–1991), American Major League Baseball catcher
* Smoky Dawson (1913–2008), Australian country ...
, and which is about northeast of the headland of Cape D’Estrees. Its depth is less than at chart datum.[ It is described as:]. . . a small semicircular south facing bay, 1 km wide at the mouth, widening to 2 km inside. It is very protected from ocean waves and usually calm conditions prevail at the three shelly beaches, each fronted by a few hundred metres wide sand and tidal flats, and bordered and backed by stands of low mangroves.
The bay was reportedly named for Laura Douglas, the daughter of William Bloomfield Douglas
William Bloomfield Douglas (25 September 1822 – 5 March 1906), generally known as "Bloomfield Douglas" or "Captain Douglas", was a Welsh naval officer and public servant. During his career, he served in various positions in South Australia, ...
who surveyed the bay for the Government of South Australia
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state government, state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the h ...
in 1858.[
Laura Bay was used as a port facility from at least 1894 to at least 1937. Farm produce was delivered there from as far away as , onto watercraft known as ]lighter
A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typic ...
s, which then moved it to vessels anchored in deeper water. In 1911, a jetty of about length was built and was used until 1937, when it was demolished.[
Since 2012, the bay has been part of the ]protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
of Nuyts Archipelago Marine Park.
See also
*Laura (disambiguation)
Laura may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Laura (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters with the name
* Laura, muse of Petrarch's poetry
* Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cno ...
References
Bays of South Australia
Eyre Peninsula
Great Australian Bight
{{SouthAustralia-geo-stub
External links
Ceduna Online