Bass Strait - Islands, Natural resources

A channel separating Tasmania from Victoria, Australia, maximum width 240 km/150 mi, depth 50–70 m/180–240 ft; named in 1798 after the British explorer George Bass; oil and natural gas.

Bass Strait (IPA: [bæs]) is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland (Victoria in particular). It contains many islands, with King Island and Flinders Island home to substantial human settlements. A lighthouse was erected on Deal Island in 1848 to assist ships in the eastern part of the Straits, but there were no guides to the western entrance until the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse was completed in 1859, followed by another at Cape Wickham at the northern end of King Island in 1861.

Islands

There are over 50 islands in Bass Strait. Major islands include:

Western section:

King Island Three Hummock Island Hunter Island Robbins Island

South eastern section:

Furneaux Group Flinders Island Cape Barren Island Clark Island and over 50 other islands

North eastern section:

Kent Group Deal Island and 3 smaller islands Hogan Island Curtis Island

Natural resources

A number of oil and gas fields exist in Bass Strait.

Other submarine cables include:

Date	Northern end	Southern end	Companies (Manufacturer / Operator)	Details
1859-1861	Cape Otway	Stanley Head	Henley's Telegraph Works Tas & Vic Govts	System 140 nm
1869-?	?	?	Henley's Telegraph Works Australian Govt	System 176 nm
1885-?	?	?	Telcon Australian Government
1909-1943	?	?	Siemens Bros Australian Government	System 285 nm. Was reused at Torres Strait
1935-?	?	?	Siemens Bros Australian Government	First telephone cable
1995-	Sandy Point	Boat Harbour	ASN Telstra	First fibre optic cable
2003-	Inverloch	Stanley	ASN Calais Telstra
2005-	Loy Yang	Bell Bay	Basslink	First electrical distribution cable