Great Australian Bight

Area of the Southern Ocean off the S coast of Australia between Cape Pasley (W) and Port Lincoln (E) (1450 km/900 mi); depth 70 m/230 ft over the continental shelf to c.5600 m/18 400 ft over the Great Bight abyssal plain.

The Great Australian Bight is a large bight, or open bay, encompassing an area of the Southern Ocean located off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. By definition of the International Hydrographic Bureau, the Great Australian Bight extends eastward from West Cape Howe, Western Australia, to South West Cape, Tasmania. Much of the Bight lies due south of the expansive Nullarbor Plain, which straddles the two Australian states of South Australia and Western Australia.

The Great Australian Bight was first encountered by European explorers in 1627, when a Dutch navigator, Captain Thyssen, sailed along its western margins.

The coast line of the Great Australian Bight is characterised by stunning cliff faces (up to 60 m high), surfing beaches and rock platforms, ideal for whale-watching. In consequence, the Great Australian Bight receives very little of the runoff that fertilises most continental shelves and is essentially a marine desert.

The bight is very stormy during winter months.

Economically, the Bight has been exploited over many years as part of the fishing, whaling and shellfish industries.

A number of settlements exist along the coastline of the Bight, such as Ceduna.

One location on the bight that is specifically oriented towards the understanding of the natural history on its coastline is the Eyre Bird Observatory.