Rossiter Bay is on the southern coast 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 ...

, in the Cape Le Grand National Park east of Esperance. The bay is noted as the place that the explorer

Edward John Eyre Edward John Eyre (5 August 181530 November 1901) was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and Governor of Jamaica. Early life Eyre was born in Whipsnade, Bedfordshire, shortly before his family moved t ...

and his Aboriginal companion Wylie met the crew of the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

whaling ship ''Mississippi'' in June 1841 after they had completed a crossing of the

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 i ...

. It is named for Captain Thomas Rossiter, the Englishman who commanded the ''Mississippi''.Short, Andrew D. (2004)
''Beaches of the Western Australian Coast: Eucla to Roebuck Bay''
p. 93. Sidney University Press. The bay contains a long, curving sandy beach, which is often covered with dry seagrass. To the west lies Lucky Bay, which was named by

Matthew Flinders Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first littoral zone, inshore circumnavigate, circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland ...

. The bay is accessible by conventional vehicle along a road ending in a carpark. That point is the

trailhead A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles. Modern trailheads often contain rest rooms, maps, sign posts and distribution centers for information ...

for the Le Grand Coastal Trail.

References

Bays of Western Australia Goldfields-Esperance {{WesternAustralia-geo-stub

See also

References