Coastal regions of Western Australia
Commonly used Bureau of Meteorology coastal landmarks
Western Australia has the longest coastline of any state in Australia, at 10,194 km [1] or 12,889 km.[2]
Integrated Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia
The IMCRA has offshore regions delineated in a systematic appraisal of ecology and geography [3]
Coastal regions used in weather reports
Standard Bureau of Meteorology reports include the following reference points for coastal weather reports:[4] -
- WA/NT border (or Wyndham) to Kuri Bay:
- Kuri Bay to Wallal: (Kimberley land region)
- Wallal to Cape Preston: (Pilbara land region)
- Cape Preston to North West Cape: (Pilbara land region)
- Northwest Cape to Carnarvon: (Gascoyne land region)
- Carnarvon to Kalbarri: (Gascoyne land region)
- Kalbarri to Jurien Bay: (Central west land region)
- Jurien Bay to Mandurah: (Lower west land region)
- Mandurah to Cape Leeuwin: (South west land region)
- Cape Leeuwin to Bremer Bay: (South west and South coastal land regions)
- Bremer Bay to Israelite Bay: (Southeast coastal land region)
- Israelite Bay to SA Border: (Eucla land region)
General coastal regions
There are groupings for wider regions that are based very close to the land regions, one made in the 1980s [5] - has 8 coastal regions, while the 2003 Coastal Planning and Management Manual has five regions with component sections [6]
- Kimberley Coast - Northern Territory / Western Australia border to Broome (2003 manual 'Figure 2-2 Pilbara Kimberley Region')
- Canning - Broome to Port Hedland (Cape Keraudren - east of the De Grey River delta in the 2003 manual)
- Pilbara - Port Hedland to Onslow
- Coral Coast or Gascoyne region - Onslow to Kalbarri (Shark Bay in the 2003 manual)
- Kalbarri to Cape Naturaliste - which includes - the 'Central West' also known as the 'Turquoise Coast' and another further south known at the Sunset Coast
- South West Capes - Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin (to Albany in the 2003 manual)
- Cape Leeuwin to Israelite Bay South Coast - incorporates the coastal region between Cape Leeuwin and Windy Harbour, usually considered part of the south west;
- South Coast Region or the South East - Israelite Bay (Albany in the 2003 manual) to the Western Australia / South Australian Border (Eucla)
Ports, settlements and towns
- See Category:Coastal towns in Western Australia and Category:Port cities in Australia
Fisheries bioregions
Under the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 there are four main regions on the Western Australian coast.[7]
- North Coast (Pilbara/Kimberley) from the Western Australian and Northern Territory border to 114° 50' E 21° 46' S, just west of the mouth of the Ashburton River Mouth.
Features
The coastal regions include a range of beaches, cliffs, and coastline features that are dependent upon the underlying geology - and the geological provinces have direct relationship to the coastal forms: -
Gulfs
Sounds
Specifically referring to Sound (geography)
Archipelagoes and island groups
Aquatic flora
The Western Australian coastline has the greatest diversity of seagrasses in the world, and the meadows they form are among the largest on earth [9]
References
Further reading
Flora
- Rippey, Elizabeth and Rowland, Barbara (2004) Coastal Plants: Perth and the south-west region Second Edition, Crawley, W.A. University of Western Australia Press. ISBN 1-920694-05-6
Conferences
- WA State Coastal Conference (3rd : 2005 : Mandurah, Bunbury and Busselton, W.A.)
Title 3rd WA State Coastal Conference, Mandurah - Bunbury - Busselton, November 2005 : coastal solutions : balancing the waves of change : program and papers. Canning Bridge, W.A. : Promaco Conventions Pty Ltd, 2005. ISBN 1863081267
Locations
- Murray, Ian and Marion Hercock (2008) Where on the Coast is That? Victoria Park, Western Australia. Hesperian Press. ISBN 978-0-85905-452-2
Government reports
- Department of Conservation and Land Management, 1994: A Representative Marine Reserves
- System for Western Australia: Report of the Marine Parks and Reserves Selection Working Group (the Wilson Report).
- Government of Western Australia, 1998: New Horizons: the Way Ahead in Marine Conservation and Management.
- Government of Western Australia, 2002b: Focus on the Future: the Western Australian State Sustainability Strategy, Consultation Draft.
- Government of Western Australia, 2002c: A Biodiversity Conservation Act for Western Australia, Consultation Paper.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2001: Coastal Zone Management Policy for Western Australia, for public comment.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2002: Coastal Planning Program - Status of Coastal Planning in Western Australia 2001/02.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2003a: Statement of Planning Policy No. 2.6: StateCoastal Planning Policy.
- Western Australian Planning Commission, 2003b: Coastal Planning and Management Manual
See also
Australian context:-
Local features:-
Regional divisions:-
Plants and natural history:-