Rivoli 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 ...

located on the south-east coast of 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 ...

, about south-southeast of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and about northwest by west of the regional centre of

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with a population of 25,591 as of the 2021 census. The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier (volcano), Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about ...

. It was named in 1802 by the Baudin expedition of 1800–03 after

André Masséna André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...

, the Duke of Rivoli and Marshal of France. It is one of four ' historic bays' located on the South Australian coast.

Extent and description

Rivoli Bay lies between Glenns Point or Cape Martin at its northwestern extremity and Cape Buffon at its southeastern extremity, on the south-east coast of South Australia. The central part of the bay is described as "obstructed by numerous reefs, rocky patches, and shoals and is dangerous for navigation" and as having "a sandy beach". A small island named Penguin Island of height is located immediately adjacent to Cape Martin. Rivoli Bay is one of four bays on the South Australian coast considered by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

to be a "historic bay" under the ''Seas and Submerged Lands Act 1973'' and was proclaimed as such in 1987 and again in 2006 and in 2016, with the result that the mouth of the bay is on the territorial seas baseline and the waters within the bay are

internal waters According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a nation's internal waters include waters on the side of the baseline of a nation's territorial waters that is facing toward the land, except in archipelagic states. It includes wa ...

as per the definition used in

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. , 169 sov ...

. Navigation aids are located at both ends of the bay, with a lighthouse known as the Cape Martin Lighthouse on the north headland near Cape Martin and a light on the south headland at Cape Buffon.

European discovery

Rivoli Bay was named in 1802 by Peron and Freycinet of the Baudin expedition of 1800-03 after

, the Duke of Rivoli and Marshal of France. A shore-based whaling station operated in Rivoli Bay from the late 1830s and into the 1840s. It was initially operated by William Dutton and the Henty family, who were associated with bay whaling at

Portland Bay Portland Bay ( Dhauwurdwurrung: ''Kardermudelar / Pathowwererer'') is a small bay off the coast of Victoria, Australia. It is about west of Melbourne. The city of Portland is located on the bay. The western end of the bay is marked by the hea ...

. Australian sea lions were hunted in Rivoli Bay for their skins in the 1870s.

Ports and other settlements

The following two settlements are located on its shores:

Beachport Beachport is a small coastal town in the Australian state of South Australia about south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about north-west of the municipal seat in Millicent, located at the northern end of Rivoli Bay. Beachport has ...

and

Southend Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

. Both settlements have port infrastructure consisting of jetties.

Protected areas

The following

protected areas 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. firewoo ...

adjoin the bay's extent: the

Canunda National Park Canunda National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about southeast of Adelaide, on the coast about southwest of Millicent. It consists of coastal dunes, limestone cliffs, and natural bushland. The b ...

and the Penguin Island Conservation Park.

References

{{Bays of South Australia , state=collapsed Bays of South Australia Limestone Coast Whaling stations in Australia

Extent and description

European discovery

Ports and other settlements

Protected areas

See also

References