Moreton Bay

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Moreton Bay from space, from a NASA photograph

Moreton Bay is a large bay on the eastern coast of Australia 19 km from Brisbane, Queensland.

The Port of Brisbane coordinates large traffic along the shipping channel which crosses the northern waters of the bay. The bay serves as a safe approach to the airport and reduces noise pollution over the city to the west of the runway.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Sandbanks
4 Flora and fauna
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

The Bay was formed roughly 6000 years ago as the sea level rose and inundated what was then the floodplains of the Brisbane River.

Moreton Bay and its islands were inhabited by Aboriginal tribes. The name Morton's Bay was given by Captain Cook when he passed the area on 15 May 1770, honouring Lord Morton, president of the Royal Society. The spelling Moreton was an error in the first published account of Cook's voyage^[1] (Hawkesworth's Voyages^[2]). Cook gave the name only to the bight formed by the northern end of North Stradbroke Island and the eastern side of Moreton Island. He may have been unaware of the South Passage (as it's now called) between the two islands, and in any case didn't sail into what is the present Moreton Bay.

Matthew Flinders was the first recorded European to enter the Bay in 1799 touching down at the Pumicestone Passage, Redcliffe and Coochiemudlo Island. He was followed by John Oxley who explored the Brisbane River in 1823. On a subsequent visit in the following year, Oxley established the first European settlement in the Bay at the present site of Redcliffe.

[edit] Geography

The foreshores at Deception Bay

The bay extends some 160 km from Caloundra in the north almost to Surfers Paradise in the south. The bay's southern navigation entrance is the Gold Coast Seaway.

It is separated from the Pacific Ocean by a chain of three sand islands - Moreton Island in the north, North Stradbroke Island, and South Stradbroke Island in the south. The bay itself contains around 360 islands in total.

Moreton Island is protected as Moreton Island National Park. The bay itself contains the Moreton Bay Marine Park with areas designated under the Marine Park Zoning Plan. According to the Ramsar Wetland Convention 1971, parts of Moreton Bay are listed as a wetland of international importance.

Moreton Bay is generally shallow and sandy, though a substantive channel is maintained to allow access to the Port of Brisbane for international shipping. The Nerang River, Coomera River, Pimpama River, Logan River, Brisbane River, Pine River and the Caboolture River all empty into Moreton Bay.

The bay contains a number of island villages such as Tangalooma, Dunwich, Coochiemudlo Island and other developments on Bribie Island, the various isles of the Bay Islands and the industrial Fisherman's Island. Prominent coastal communities and suburbs situated on the bay include Deception Bay, Scarborough, Redcliffe, Margate, Woody Point, Brighton, Sandgate, Cleveland, Raby Bay and Victoria Point. Other attractions in the bay include Pumicestone Passage, St Helena Island National Park and numerous boat ramps, marinas and jetties.

[edit] Sandbanks

Sandbanks in Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay is filled with sandbanks. Between Tangalooma and Skirmish Point on Bribie Island are the Middle Banks, Central Banks and Western Banks. From north of Moreton Island towards Caloundra are the Yulle Road, Spitfire Bank, and the Salamander Bank, amongst others.

Amity Banks are found just west of Amity Point, while the Moreton Banks lie to the west of the southern tip of Moreton Island. These banks can be hazard for marine navigation because they are constantly changing due to tidal currents.

The Middle Banks area close to Moreton Island has been used in the past as a source of sand for large projects such as the nearby Brisbane Airport and port facilities. Past dredging has removed 18 Mn³ and the removal of another 40 Mn³ is planned^[3]. Future sand extraction is expected to aid a major shipping channel straightening project.

To ensure the shipping channel remains open, several areas of the bay have been allocated for dredged material dumping sites. These sites have been selected to provide beach nourishment, aiding the natural long shore transport of sand along ocean beaches.

[edit] Flora and fauna

The bay is home to abundant wildlife, including dolphins, dugong, sharks and turtles. Dugongs and turtles are threatened due to being prone to boat strike impacts^[4]. The bay is extremely popular with recreational anglers. The Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrophylla) is endemic to the east coast of Australia within a range centred on Moreton Bay.

The Moreton Bay bug (Thenus orientalis) is a species of slipper lobster found throughout the waters of Australia's north coast. The Bug is a relatively expensive delicacy served in many restaurants in Queensland.