Moreton Bay is a
bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources.
The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are used by commercial operators who provide seafood to market.
The
Port of Brisbane
Port of Brisbane is the shipping port and coastal suburb of the City of Brisbane, on the east coast of Queensland, Australia. In the , Port of Brisbane had no residents living in the suburb. The port is the largest in the state of Queensland.
...
coordinates large traffic along the
shipping channel
In physical geography, a channel is a type of landform consisting of the outline of a path of relatively shallow and narrow body of water or of other fluids (e.g., lava), most commonly the confine of a river, river delta or strait. The word is ...
which crosses the northern section of the bay. The bay serves as a safe approach to the airport and reduces
noise pollution
Noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution, is the propagation of noise with ranging impacts on the activity of human or animal life, most of them are harmful to a degree. The source of outdoor noise worldwide is ma ...
over the city to the west of the runway. A number of barge, ferry and water-taxi services also travel over the bay.
Moreton Bay was the site of conflict between the
Quandamooka people
The Quandamooka people are Aboriginal Australians who live around Moreton Bay in Southeastern Queensland. They are composed of three distinct tribes, the Nunukul, the Goenpul and the Ngugi, and they live primarily on Moreton and North Stradb ...
and early
European settlers
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
. It contains environmentally significant habitats and large areas of sandbanks. The bay is the only place in Australia where
dugong
The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...
gather into herds. Many parts of the mainland foreshore and southern islands are settled.
The waters of Moreton Bay are relatively calm, being sheltered from large
swells by
Moreton Island
Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is an island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. The Coral Sea lies on the east coast of the island. Moreton Island lies northeast of the Queensland capital, Brisban ...
and
North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island ( Jandai: ''Minjerribah''), colloquially ''Straddie'' or ''North Straddie'', is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, southeast of the centre of Brisbane. Originally there was onl ...
.
In 2009 as part of the
Q150 celebrations, the Moreton Bay was announced as one of the
Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a "Natural attraction". Moreton Bay is a Pacific Ocean
Hope Spot.
History
Early history
Moreton 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 the
Quandamooka people
The Quandamooka people are Aboriginal Australians who live around Moreton Bay in Southeastern Queensland. They are composed of three distinct tribes, the Nunukul, the Goenpul and the Ngugi, and they live primarily on Moreton and North Stradb ...
.
The indigenous economy was very rich, one of the strongest for its productive yields of edible natural resources on the Australian continent. Of particular importance for the interclan trade and ceremonial life were in particular massive oyster beds, the annual mullet catch, and
bunya nut
''Araucaria bidwillii'', commonly known as the bunya pine and sometimes referred to as the false monkey puzzle tree, is a large evergreen coniferous tree in the plant family Araucariaceae. It is found naturally in south-east Queensland Austral ...
harvesting, on the coast and inland, which led to annual migrations either way to enjoy the abundance of the respective tribal group's territory.
An 1823 account by explorer John Uniacke described the importance of fish, kangaroo and fern-root called dingowa in the diet of the local tribes. His paper, titled 'Natives of Moreton Bay' also has a detailed summary of inter-tribal fights in the
Bribie Island region, as witnessed by castaways
John Finnegan and
Thomas Pamphlett
Thomas Pamphlett (1788?–1838), sometimes Pamphlet, also known as James Groom, was a convict in colonial Australia. He is best known for his time as a castaway in the Moreton Bay area, halfway up the eastern coast of Australia, in 1823. He was mar ...
.
In the 1840s, resident white administrators estimated the Aboriginal population of the area to be around 4,000. They were only outnumbered with the influx over the five-year period of 1850-1855 that saw the disembarkation of 3,000 European migrants on their land.
European exploration and settlement
![Manly 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Manly_1.JPG)
The name Morton's Bay was given by
Captain Cook
James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...
when he passed the area on 15 May 1770, honouring
Lord Morton, president of the
Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
.
The spelling Moreton was an error in the first published account of Cook's voyage (Hawkesworth's ''Voyages''). Cook gave the name only to the
bight
The word is derived from Old English ''byht'' (“bend, angle, corner; bay, bight”). In modern English, bight may refer to:
* Bight (geography), recess of a coast, bay, or other curved feature
* Bight (knot), a curved section, slack part, or loo ...
formed by the northern end of Stradbroke Island (in 1770, there was only one island) and the eastern side of Moreton Island. He was unaware of the
South Passage (as it's now called) between the two islands, and did not 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
Pumicestone Channel, also known as the Pumicestone Passage, is a narrow waterway between Bribie Island and the mainland in Queensland, Australia. The northern extent of the passage is at Caloundra, while at the south is Deception Bay. The ...
,
Redcliffe and
Coochiemudlo Island
Coochiemudlo Island is a small island in the southern part of Moreton Bay, near Brisbane, in South East Queensland, Australia. It is also the name of the locality upon the island, which is within the local government area of Redland City.
In ...
. 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.
After Oxley in 1823 came convicts and soldiers. As the
South Passage between Moreton and Stradbroke Islands was the shortest
shipping route
A sea lane, sea road or shipping lane is a regularly used navigable route for large water vessels (ships) on wide waterways such as oceans and large lakes, and is preferably safe, direct and economic. During the Age of Sail, they were determined ...
, a depot and
pilot station
Pilot Station ( esu, Tuutalgaq) is a city in Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 568 at the 2010 census, up from 550 in 2000.
Geography
Pilot Station is located at (61.936050, -162.883403), on the northern bank of t ...
were established at
Amity Point in 1825.
European settlement began in earnest after the abandonment of the Redcliffe settlement, and work began on the new
convict settlement
A penal colony or exile colony is a settlement used to exile prisoners and separate them from the general population by placing them in a remote location, often an island or distant colonial territory. Although the term can be used to refer t ...
several miles up the Brisbane River in 1825. Within a couple years, this new settlement was growing rapidly and the number of ships entering the bay was increasing. As a result, the facilities required to service the pilot station at Amity grew, and in 1827 convicts were sent to the island to build a new causeway at
Dunwich
Dunwich is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB around north-east of London, south of Southwold and north of Leiston, on the North Sea coast.
In the Anglo-Saxon period, Dunwich was ...
, remnants of which can still be found on the same site. Within a year the first permanent European settlement at Dunwich had been built.
Due to poor weather, smuggling, and conflict with aborigines this convict out-station was difficult to sustain and was closed in 1831.
The first immigrant ship from England, the ''
Artemisia
Artemisia may refer to:
People
* Artemisia I of Caria (fl. 480 BC), queen of Halicarnassus under the First Persian Empire, naval commander during the second Persian invasion of Greece
* Artemisia II of Caria (died 350 BC), queen of Caria under th ...
'', reached Moreton Bay in December 1848 after a four-month journey.
The next year saw the arrival of the carrying more free immigrants to the settlement.
By the 1850s, the region's earliest industry was utilising the bay for the transport of timber. After felling, the logs were dragged or rolled into flooded streams from where they were washed downstream to tidal reaches and bound together into rafts. After the floods had ceased and tides returned to normal, the
currents
Currents, Current or The Current may refer to:
Science and technology
* Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas
** Air current, a flow of air
** Ocean current, a current in the ocean
*** Rip current, a kind of water current
** Current (stre ...
of the bay and sometimes boats were used to delivered the timber north to the Brisbane River or to Dunwich for shipment to Sydney.
The bay was home to the ''Lightship Rose'' which provided a permanent navigation aid to passing ships at the mouth of the Brisbane River. The ''
SS John Oxley'' was another notable boat which temporarily acted as a pilot ship.
Car ferries began crossing the bay to reach North Stradbroke Island in 1947, leading to an increase in tourism on the island.
In the 1950s both sand mining and the first land sales at
Point Lookout occurred.
On 1 September 2007, four people were killed in a boat accident on the bay, two kilometres from the
Pinkenba
Pinkenba is a town and eastern coastal suburb within the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Pinkenba had a population of 368 people.
Geography
Pinkenba is a long narrow strip of land on the northern side of the Brisbane River ...
boat ramp. Ten others were injured.
Moreton Bay has at least 102 shipwrecks of which 26 have their exact location known.
European contact with Local Indigenous People
At first, the Quandamooka tribes had a choice of avoiding contact or engaging with the Europeans at the various small government institutions that were established on the mainland and on Minjerribah (
Stradbroke Island
Stradbroke Island, also known as Minjerribah, was a large sand island that formed much of the eastern side of Moreton Bay near Brisbane, Queensland until the late 19th century. Today the island is split into two islands: North Stradbroke Islan ...
). Aboriginal labour and resources were, however, voluntarily supplied to assist these newcomers for example, at the pilot station
Problems came about when the newcomers displayed a lack of respect for Aboriginal marriage rules, stole bones and other artefacts and desecrated sites important to the Aboriginals.
This produced a period of conflict through the 1830s, sometimes followed up by reprisals with guns, during which a number of Aboriginal people were massacred.
Like the mainland tribes, the Nooghie, Noonuccal and Goenpul people struggled when Moreton Bay was opened up to free settlers. The mainland Aboriginal people in particular were progressively deprived of the traditional hunting grounds and food. When they turned to killing domestic stock to survive, they were rounded up and shot. As their tribal groups and way of life disintegrated, many drifted towards towns and cities. Because of their isolation, the people of the islands, however, managed to keep a lot of their traditional ways alive.
In 1843, Catholic
missionaries chose Dunwich as the site for the first Catholic mission to Australian Aborigines.
The sand islands of Quandamooka did not support pasturage suitable for sheep and cattle, and thus there did not occur conversion of large tracts of land into farms and pastoral properties and the subsequent widespread annihilation and displacement of Aboriginal people. The very existence of the
quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...
station on Stradbroke Island from 1850 to the 1870s led to the official discouragement of
pastoralism
Pastoralism is a form of animal husbandry where domesticated animals (known as " livestock") are released onto large vegetated outdoor lands (pastures) for grazing, historically by nomadic people who moved around with their herds. The a ...
or wider settlement for fear of spreading disease.
Another reason for discouraging settlement was to reduce the likelihood of incoming vessels to the bay evading customs duty.
Thus the European usage and occupation of Quandamooka in the 19th century was largely restricted to government institutions on small portions on the islands, and with
free enterprise
In economics, a free market is an economic system in which the prices of goods and services are determined by supply and demand expressed by sellers and buyers. Such markets, as modeled, operate without the intervention of government or any ...
business men like the Campbell brothers who ran a saltworks and sugar
plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
s on
Russell and
Macleay islands, and the early fishing and oystering businesses in the bay who employed the Aboriginal people of Quandamooka.
Aboriginal peoples
Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...
were a source of labour for various institutions and enterprises from the time of the first pilot station. Conflict with Europeans intensified during the middle part of the 19th century, leading to significant numbers of Aboriginal people being killed (including at the hands of the native police). Despite these conflicts other Aboriginal people were able to evade intense contact due to the lack of European activity on the bay islands. From the 1830s to 1865 there remained virtual exclusive Aboriginal possession of most of Quandamooka. However trade and
social interaction with the mainland groups gradually diminished due to the outward march of pastoral settlement on the mainland. This resulted in irreparable damage to indigenous
social network
A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for ...
s and patterns of group intermarriage, as well as joint ceremonial activities.
Large Aboriginal campsites remained throughout the Moreton Bay region,
including on the mainland, until as late as the 1920s.
Geography and natural history
The bay extends some from
Caloundra
Caloundra ( ) is a coastal town and the southernmost town in the Sunshine Coast Region in South East Queensland, Australia.
Geography
Caloundra is north of the Brisbane central business district. Caloundra is accessible from Landsborough ...
in the north almost to
Surfers Paradise in the south.
The bay's southern navigation entrance is the
Gold Coast Seaway
The Gold Coast Seaway or Southport Seaway is the main navigation entrance from the Pacific Ocean into the Gold Coast Broadwater and southern Moreton Bay and is one of Australia's most significant coastal engineering projects. It is located at the ...
. The bay is across at its widest point.
It is separated from the Coral Sea by a chain of three
sand island
A sand island is an island that is largely made of sand. The largest sand island in the world is Fraser Island, Australia. Other examples of large sand islands are Moreton Moreton may refer to:
People Given name
* Moreton John Wheatley (183 ...
s:
Moreton Island
Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is an island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. The Coral Sea lies on the east coast of the island. Moreton Island lies northeast of the Queensland capital, Brisban ...
in the north,
North Stradbroke Island
North Stradbroke Island ( Jandai: ''Minjerribah''), colloquially ''Straddie'' or ''North Straddie'', is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, southeast of the centre of Brisbane. Originally there was onl ...
, and
South Stradbroke Island
The South Stradbroke Island (Indigenous: ''Minjerribah''), colloquially ''South Straddie'', is an island that lies within Moreton Bay in the Australian state of Queensland, south of Brisbane and forms the northern end of Gold Coast. The island ...
in the south.
Tipplers Passage is the main channel on the western coast of South Stradbroke Island. The Gold Coast Seaway is at the southern extent of Moreton Bay, before the
Gold Coast Broadwater
The Gold Coast Broadwater, also known as Southport Broadwater, Gold Coast Harbour and The Broadwater, is a large shallow estuary of water located in the district of South East Queensland, Australia. The estuary reaches from the locality of in ...
.
The bay itself contains around 360 islands in total. This includes the populated
Russell,
Macleay,
Lamb
Lamb or The Lamb may refer to:
* A young sheep
* Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep
Arts and media Film, television, and theatre
* ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut
* ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...
and
Karragarra Islands collectively known as the
Southern Moreton Bay Islands
The Southern Moreton Bay Islands, abbreviated as the ''SMBI'', also known as the ''Bay Islands'', or the ''RKLM'', are the four inhabited southern Moreton Bay islands located in South East Queensland, Australia. The group is part of the Redland ...
. Together with Coochiemudlo and Garden Island these are
bedrock islands.
Residential development
A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas.
Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family resi ...
has also occurred on
Coochiemudlo Island
Coochiemudlo Island is a small island in the southern part of Moreton Bay, near Brisbane, in South East Queensland, Australia. It is also the name of the locality upon the island, which is within the local government area of Redland City.
In ...
and
Bribie Island. In the past
Peel Island
Peel Island (Indigenous, Janday: ''Teerk Roo Ra'', also and more phonetically spelled 'Jercuruba' or 'Jercroobai' ) is a small heritage-listed island located in Moreton Bay, east of Brisbane, in South East Queensland, Australia. The island i ...
has been used as a sisal plantation, quarantine station, asylum and a leper colony.
Moreton Bay is generally shallow and sandy, though a substantive channel is maintained to allow access to the Port of Brisbane at Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the Brisbane River, for international shipping. Channels in the south of the bay are only rarely deep.
Waves penetrate a small way into the bay at its four southern passages.
Most waves in the bay are generated by local winds.
The
tidal range
Tidal range is the difference in height between high tide and low tide. Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and Sun and the rotation of Earth. Tidal range depends on time and location.
...
is moderate at in range. Moreton Bay has an average depth of ,
however parts of the bay are deeper than .
This relatively shallow depth lets light filter through to the seafloor, allowing an array of marine plants to grow which support a diverse range of fauna. The bay itself covers and has a catchment area 14 times larger, covering .
The waters of the bay are mostly blue in colour. Western parts of the bay are sometimes tinted green from algae, brown from suspended
sediment
Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand an ...
s or yellow-brown from
humic Humic substances (HS) are organic compounds that are important components of humus, the major organic fraction of soil, peat, and coal (and also a constituent of many upland streams, dystrophic lakes, and ocean water). For a long era in the 19th an ...
runoff.
The average annual temperature of the sea ranges from in July to in February.
As well as the Brisbane River, the
Pimpama River
The Pimpama River is a perennial river located in the South East region of Queensland, Australia. Its catchment lies within the Gold Coast local government area and covers an area of .
Course and features
The Pimpama River rises in the Darli ...
,
Logan River
The Logan River ( Yugambeh: ''Dugulumba'') is a perennial river located in the Scenic Rim, Logan and Gold Coast local government areas of the South East region of Queensland, Australia. The -long river is one of the dominant waterways in Sout ...
,
Albert River,
Pine River,
Tingalpa Creek
Tingalpa Creek is a creek in South East Queensland. It flows along Brisbane's south east boundary with Redland City Council. On early maps the creek was called both Tunim Creek and Tangulba Creek.
The waterway serves as important wildlife cor ...
and the
Schulz Canal
Schulz Canal is an artificial waterway in Nundah, Queensland that enters Moreton Bay. There are tributaries that enter the short canal, draining the suburbs of Hendra and Wooloowin in Brisbane's north east.
It was originally constructed in the ...
all empty into Moreton Bay. Within Moreton Bay are the smaller bays of Waterloo Bay, Redland Bay,
Raby Bay, Deception Bay and
Bramble Bay.
The bay contains a number of island villages such as the settlement on the bayside of Moreton Island,
Tangalooma and on North Stradbroke,
Dunwich
Dunwich is a village and civil parish in Suffolk, England. It is in the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB around north-east of London, south of Southwold and north of Leiston, on the North Sea coast.
In the Anglo-Saxon period, Dunwich was ...
and
Amity Point. Prominent coastal communities and mainland suburbs situated on the bay include
Deception Bay,
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
,
Redcliffe,
Margate
Margate is a seaside resort, seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay, UK, Palm Bay and Westbrook, Kent, ...
,
Woody Point,
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
,
Sandgate,
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
,
Victoria Point and
Redland Bay
Redland Bay is a coastal semi-rural locality in the City of Redland, Queensland, Australia. In the , Redland Bay had a population of 14,958 people.
Since the first European settlers arrived in the mid-19th century, Redland Bay has remained a f ...
. Other attractions in the bay include
Pumicestone Passage
Pumicestone Channel, also known as the Pumicestone Passage, is a narrow waterway between Bribie Island and the mainland in Queensland, Australia. The northern extent of the passage is at Caloundra, while at the south is Deception Bay. The ...
and numerous boat ramps,
marinas and
jetties
A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...
, including the
Shorncliffe pier
Shorncliffe Pier is a historic pier in Shorncliffe, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, situated near Saint Patrick's College and lower Moora Park. The pier with its white faded timber railings, colonial street lamps spaced out along the stretch ...
.
Sandbanks
Moreton Bay is filled with
sandbanks from sand supplied via littoral drift along the coast of Moreton Island.
[Harris, P.T., Pattiaratchi, C.B., Cole, A.R., Keene, J.B., 1992. Evolution of subtidal sandbanks in Moreton Bay, Eastern Australia. Marine Geology 103, 225-257.] The field of sandbanks extends across the entrance to Moreton Bay and evolved after sea level reached its present position, about 6,500 years ago after the last ice age
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
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...
for large projects such as the nearby
Brisbane Airport and port facilities. Past dredging has removed 18 million metres
3 and the removal of another 40 million metres
3 is planned. 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
Beach nourishment (also referred to as beach renourishment, beach replenishment, or sand replenishment) describes a process by which sediment, usually sand, lost through longshore drift or erosion is replaced from other sources. A wider beach ...
, aiding the natural long shore transport of sand along ocean beaches.
Flora and fauna
The bay's heritage protected wetlands, mudflats, and waterways are some of the healthiest in the region, supporting seasonally up to 25% of Australia's bird species. The combination of muddy habitats on the western side of the bay and sandy habitats on the eastern side of the bay together with coral and
seagrass
Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the or ...
beds support more than 43 species of shorebird.
Seven species of seagrass live in Moreton Bay.
''
Zostera capricorni
''Zostera capricorni'' is a species of eelgrass in the Zosteraceae family. It is native to the seacoasts of New Guinea, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Norfolk Island and the North Island of New Zealand. It was first dis ...
'' is the most common species.
Seagrass has been lost since colonization due to increased turbidity and sedimentation from erosion in the catchment.
Collectively, around 50,000 wading birds visit the Moreton Bay each year,
and its wetlands are classified by
BirdLife International as an
Important Bird Area (IBA). In its Shorebird Management Strategy, the Queensland Government notes that: "Moreton Bay's extensive intertidal areas are essential for shorebirds as they provide roosting, feeding and, in some cases, breeding habitat."
The bay is also home to other abundant wildlife, including whales, dolphins,
dugong
The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...
,
shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...
s and turtles. From 1824 to 1950 turtles were hunted for commercial purposes.
[ ] The
loggerhead turtle
The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when full ...
population in the bay is the most significant in the country.
The bay is ranked among the top ten dugong habitats in Australia and together with the Gulf of Carpentaria and Torres Strait is considered one of the most important areas for dugong in Queensland.
Moreton Bay is the only place in Australia where dugongs gather in herds.
In the past the dugongs in herds numbered in the thousands. Some herds 5 km long by 250 m wide were seen during the 1800s.
In 2009, there were just between 600 and 800 remaining.
The dugongs were traditional foods of indigenous Australians.
They were hunted for their oil and to make other products by early Europeans up until the 1920s.
Many whale and dolphin species can be found in Moreton Bay including
humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...
s,
killer whale
The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...
s,
southern right whales,
sperm whale
The sperm whale or cachalot (''Physeter macrocephalus'') is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. It is the only living member of the genus ''Physeter'' and one of three extant species in the sperm whale famil ...
s,
melon-headed whale
The melon-headed whale (''Peponocephala electra''), also known less commonly as the electra dolphin, little killer whale, or many-toothed blackfish, is a toothed whale of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). The common name is derived fro ...
s,
blue whale
The blue whale (''Balaenoptera musculus'') is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of and weighing up to , it is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale's long and slender body can ...
s,
Bryde's whales,
minke whale
The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish na ...
s, common dolphins,
spinner dolphin
The spinner dolphin (''Stenella longirostris'') is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which it rotates around its longitudinal axis as it leaps through the air. It is a ...
s and
Risso's dolphin
Risso's dolphin (''Grampus griseus'') is a dolphin, the only species of the genus ''Grampus''. Some of the closest related species to these dolphins include: pilot whales (''Globicephala'' spp.), pygmy killer whales (''Feresa attenuata''), melon ...
s. Under Australia's
EPBC Act
The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cultu ...
the southern right whale is listed as endangered and the humpback whale is listed as vulnerable. Commercial tour operators offer
whale watching
Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins ( cetaceans) in their natural habitat. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity (cf. birdwatching), but it can also serve scientific and/or educational purposes.Hoyt, E. 2 ...
cruises between June and September each year. Most of larger cetaceans observed in the bay are humpbacks, and several smaller dolphins live or regularly visit the bay.
The
Moreton Bay bug
''Thenus orientalis'' is a species of slipper lobster from the Indian and Pacific oceans.
''T. orientalis'' is known by a number of common names. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization prefers the name flathead lobster, while t ...
(''Thenus orientalis'') is a species of
slipper lobster
Slipper lobsters are a family (Scyllaridae) of about 90 species of achelate crustaceans, in the Decapoda clade Reptantia, found in all warm oceans and seas. They are not true lobsters, but are more closely related to spiny lobsters and furry ...
found throughout the waters of Australia's north coast. The bug is a relatively expensive delicacy served in many restaurants in Queensland.
The
Moreton Bay fig
''Ficus macrophylla'', commonly known as the Moreton Bay fig or Australian banyan, is a large evergreen banyan tree of the family Moraceae native to eastern Australia, from the Wide Bay–Burnett region in the north to the Illawarra in New So ...
(''Ficus macrophylla'') is a large tree endemic to the east coast of Australia within a range centred on the shores and surrounds of Moreton Bay.
The southern and western parts of the bay contain shallow mud-layered waters that are protected from strong wave action by the barrier islands. This has provided excellent habitat for
mangrove
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
s of which seven different species thrive within the bay,
particularly in the sheltered, southern sections of the bay.
The species ''
Avicennia marina
''Avicennia marina'', commonly known as grey mangrove or white mangrove, is a species of mangrove tree classified in the plant family Acanthaceae (formerly in the Verbenaceae or Avicenniaceae). As with other mangroves, it occurs in the interti ...
'' predominates.
About 1% of the bay is coral reef.
Land clearing and settlement in the catchment has led to unfavourable conditions for coral growth. Climate change is expected to raise sea levels and produce warmer waters that will aid coral growth in the bay.
The bay may experience widespread outbreaks of bacteria
lyngbya
''Lyngbya'' is a genus of cyanobacteria, unicellular autotrophs that form the basis of the oceanic food chain.
As a result of recent genetic analyses, several new genera were erected from this genus: ''e.g.'', ''Moorea'', '' Limnoraphis'', '' O ...
which can cause skin lesions and asthma attacks upon contact.
The
eastern shovelnose ray
The eastern shovelnose ray (''Aptychotrema rostrata'') is a species of guitarfish in the family Rhinobatidae of order Rhinopristiformes. The species is endemic to the east coast of Australia and inhabits subtropical and temperate waters from sou ...
is found in high abundance in Moreton Bay and has an important role in the
trophic structure of the area.
Ship strikes to marine megafauna
One of serious threats to marine animals in Moreton Bay is ship-strikes. Dugongs and turtles in Moreton Bay are often killed or injured when struck by speeding boats.
Southern right whales
Unlike the southern and south-western population of Australia,
southern right whales off the east coast of Australia, along with the west coast,
Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
, and eastern
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, are critically endangered, consisting of only 10 or more individuals. Whales have not been seen on the east coast for many years (unlike humpbacks) as the first whale came back to both Australia and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
in the early '60s,
largely due to mass illegal hunts by the Soviet Union as well as Japan although at first it was reported to take only 4 whales.
Recent increases in sightings along the east coast indicate very slow but certain recovery of the species in that area, and Moreton Bay was probably a prominent calving ground for these coast-loving whales. Very small but steady appearances of southern rights have been confirmed in Moreton Bay, Gold Coast, and
Hervey Bay
Hervey Bay () is a city on the coast of the Fraser Coast Region of Queensland, Australia. The city is situated approximately or 3½ hours' highway drive north of the state capital, Brisbane. It is located on the bay of the same name open to ...
. Seasonal presences of right whales have been recorded in Moreton Bay at least in the late '90s, and small family groups of whales have been observed visiting the southern bay each year since 2002, especially around
Toondah Harbour
Toondah Harbour is a boat harbour at Cleveland in Redland City, Queensland, Australia. It is in southern Moreton Bay. It is the location of the Stradbroke Island Ferry Terminal used by water taxis and vehicular ferries to provide access to North ...
.
However, there was an instance of a southern right whale being fatally struck by a ferry in August 2014. This whale was a calf, and her mother was also seriously injured by the accident and her fate is still unknown. Another southern right whale, possibly with a calf was also hit few days prior to the incident with a sighting of possibly the same whales near
Victoria Point. These ship-strikes and entanglements in fishing gear may contribute severely to preventing the future re-establishment of the species in the former habitats.
Environment
Environmental threats
Moreton Bay's sea grass beds and corals are subject to ongoing threat from soil run-off caused by agriculture in the Lockyer Valley and construction activity in south east Queensland. Professor John Olley has noted that mud is now flowing out to Moreton Bay 10 times as fast as it did before Europeans settled in the region 120 years ago. The 2013 Healthy Waterways Report shows a downward trend in the ecosystem health of Moreton Bay over the period from 2012 to 2013, with water quality also affected by major flood events such as those in 2009 and 2011.
After the
2011 Brisbane River floods washed contaminated water into the bay, commercial fishermen and recreation anglers were warned not catch or eat seafood from its waters.
The flood
plume was investigated to monitor its impact on the bay's marine ecosystems. It contained sewerage, pesticides, heavy metals such as lead and zinc as well as hydrocarbons.
An
oil spill occurred in March 2009 from the ''
MV Pacific Adventurer
MV ''Pacific Mariner'', formerly MV ''Pacific Adventurer'', is a 1123 TEU geared multi-purpose container ship that gained notoriety after causing Queensland's largest oil spill on the east coast of Australia in March 2009. The ship is owned by ...
'' dumping of oil, of fuel and other toxic chemicals on Brisbane's suburban beaches. Premier
Anna Bligh described the spill as the "worst environmental disaster Queensland has ever seen".
On 2 November 2012 the Queensland Government announced that in conjunction with the Gold Coast City Council it would call expressions of interest to develop an international cruise ship terminal and associated development for the Southport Broadwater at the southern end of Moreton Bay. On 13 February 2014 the Government announced that the ASF Consortium's proposal "has demonstrated a cruise ship terminal is a possibility that could be further developed, should the Council and the proponent choose to progress it". This project is opposed by the Gold Coast and Hinterland Environment Council.
On 31 May 2014 an approved development scheme was released for the
Toondah Harbour
Toondah Harbour is a boat harbour at Cleveland in Redland City, Queensland, Australia. It is in southern Moreton Bay. It is the location of the Stradbroke Island Ferry Terminal used by water taxis and vehicular ferries to provide access to North ...
Priority Development Area in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
which would allow development of a large marina up to 400 berths in southern Moreton Bay between Toondah Harbour, G.J. Walter Park and Cassim Island. The Queensland Government released at the same time a lengthy report on the 583 submissions received in response to a draft scheme released for consultation in January 2014. The draft Toondah scheme was opposed by marine planning experts and various environmentally concerned community groups including the Bay Wilderness Society. On 4 March 2014 a petition with 1,211 signatures calling for the Government's plans to be withdrawn was tabled in the Queensland Parliament.
Federal government protection
In 1993 large areas of Moreton Bay with a total area exceeding were recognised as
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...
s of international significance under the
Ramsar Wetland Convention 1971. Listing as a Ramsar site is justified on many grounds including:
* Moreton Bay supports large numbers of the nationally threatened
green turtle
The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the Family (biology), family Cheloniidae. It is the only species
In biology, a spec ...
,
Hawksbill turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution, that is large ...
and
Loggerhead turtle
The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when full ...
.
* The site is ranked among the top ten habitats in Queensland for the internationally vulnerable
dugong
The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...
and is a foraging and breeding ground for the dugong.
* The Moreton Bay Ramsar site supports 55 species of algae associated with
mangroves
A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...
, seven species of mangrove and seven species of seagrass.
* At least 43 species of shorebirds use intertidal habitats in the bay, including 30 migratory species listed by international migratory bird conservation agreements.
* The Moreton Bay Ramsar site supports more than 50,000 wintering and staging shorebirds during the non-breeding season.
* The Moreton Bay Ramsar site regularly supports more than 1% of the population the wintering
eastern curlew
The Far Eastern curlew (''Numenius madagascariensis'') is a large shorebird most similar in appearance to the long-billed curlew, but slightly larger. It is mostly brown in color, differentiated from other curlews by its plain, unpatterned brown ...
s and the
grey-tailed tattler
The grey-tailed tattler (''Tringa brevipes'', formerly ''Heteroscelus brevipes''Banks, Richard C.; Cicero, Carla; Dunn, Jon L.; Kratter, Andrew W.; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Remsen, J. V. Jr.; Rising, James D. & Stotz, Douglas F. (2006):Forty-seventh ...
.
Many of the migratory shorebirds which use the bay as part of the
East Asian–Australasian Flyway
The East Asian–Australasian Flyway is one of the world's great flyways. At its northernmost it stretches eastwards from the Taimyr Peninsula in Russia to Alaska. Its southern end encompasses Australia and New Zealand. Between these extremes th ...
are protected in accordance with three bilateral agreements:
*
Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA)
*
China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA)
*
Republic of Korea–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (ROKAMBA)
Actions that have a significant impact on a Ramsar listed site or on species which are the subject of international bird migratory agreements are "matters of national environmental significance" which are protected by the Federal Government in accordance with provisions of the
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
The ''Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that provides a framework for protection of the Australian environment, including its biodiversity and its natural and cult ...
.
Queensland government protection
Moreton Island is protected as
Moreton Island National Park
Gheebulum Kunungai (Moreton Island) is a national park which covers 98% of Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) in Queensland, Australia, 58km northeast of Brisbane. It has three main townships, Bulwer, Cowan Cowan and Kooringal.
The island is home to ...
. The bay itself contains
St Helena Island National Park and the
Moreton Bay Marine Park
The Moreton Bay Marine Park was established in 1992 to protect ecologically significant habitats in Moreton Bay. The marine park extends from Caloundra south to the southern tip of South Stradbroke Island. The marine park's border extends up to ...
with areas designated under the Marine Park Zoning Plan. The Marine Park was declared in 1993 and covers 3,400 square kilometres. Parts of the bay are also protected under the
Southern Moreton Bay Islands National Park
Southern Moreton Bay Islands is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 44 km southeast of Brisbane. It forms part of the Moreton Bay and Pumicestone Passage Important Bird Area, so identified by BirdLife International because it suppor ...
.
The bay's
marine park zoning plan was renewed in 2008. Despite angst from both commercial and recreational fishers, draft
Queensland Government
The Queensland Government is the democratic administrative authority of the Australian state of Queensland. The Government of Queensland, a parliamentary constitutional monarchy was formed in 1859 as prescribed in its Constitution, as amended fr ...
plans indicate further fishing restrictions aiming to protect more than 15% of important marine and coastal environments.
Artificial reef
An artificial reef is a human-created underwater structure, typically built to promote marine life in areas with a generally featureless bottom, to control erosion, block ship passage, block the use of trawling nets, or improve surfing.
Many ...
s could be placed in Moreton Bay to ease the concerns of fishermen who fear they are being forced out. The Queensland Government will spend A$1 million on research, planning and construction of a new concrete reef in the bay.
To make up for the fishing areas lost to the 2009 expansion of the Moreton Bay Marine Park, the Queensland Government agreed to create a total of six artificial reefs for anglers. The reefs are constructed from specially designed balls of concrete which will provide habitat for fish species.
According to former Sustainability Minister
Andrew McNamara the bay produces a commercial catch valued at $25 million and that $4 million worth of this figure has become off-limits with the rezoning.
In March 2012 the Queensland Government signalled its intention to allow recreational anglers back into marine park green zones in parts of Moreton Bay.
Mark Robinson, the Government's fishing spokesman, was quoted as saying: "Any changes we make would be evidence-based,". On 31 January 2014 the Queensland Government announced a proposed change to marine park zoning that would relax fishing restrictions at Scotts Point on the Redcliffe Peninsula. This policy change was criticised by the Australian Marine Conservation Society whose spokesperson said: "We question why Premier Newman is going against the science and the rigorously surveyed opinions of local recreational fishers to adopt a proposal that was being pushed by disgraced former MP
Scott Driscoll
Scott Nicolaus Driscoll (born 16 April 1975) is a former Australian politician, national peak industry association president, company director and a businessman. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from March 2012 until ...
whilst he was still the member for Redcliffe. There was no scientific process behind this decision".
In May 2014 the Queensland Government announced that MRAG Asia Pacific had been engaged to review fishing management in Queensland. MRAG has stated that while the green zones were not formally part of the review scope, it is likely that they would be discussed in the review team's report.
Economic aspects
The economic value of recreational fishing in Moreton Bay has been estimated at approximately $20 million per year.
Recreation
The bay is popular with recreational
anglers. The
Moreton Bay Classic fishing competition is held annually from the Manly foreshore.
There are many sailing events held on Moreton Bay including:
* Yacht and dinghy racing organised by the
Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron
The Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron is a Squadron (not a club which is reflected in its support for all things sailing) in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
History
The Queensland Yacht Squadron was founded in 1885, received royal charter in ...
at Manly.
* The
Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race
The Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race is held annually, starting on Good Friday. The premier blue water classic begins from Shorncliffe in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, and finishes in Gladstone Harbour. Yachts compete for the Courier M ...
, first staged in 1949, which starts from near the Shorncliff Pier every year on
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
.
* The Interclub Bay Cruise held each year in the first week of the Queensland September school holidays.
The bay is home to many other watersports and activities including kayaking, jet-skiing, windsurfing and water-skiing. Diving and snorkelling are popular around
Tangalooma on Moreton Island.
Celebrity sight-seeing tours operate around Moreton Bay regional areas, tourist attractions include the birthplace of
Jacob Francis Worrall
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...
and
Geoffrey Rush's holiday home.
See also
*
Moreton Bay Pile Light
Moreton Bay Pile Light was a pile lighthouse positioned at the mouth of Brisbane River, in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, marking the entrance to the port of Brisbane. The light's early history was closely related to the dredging of the ...
*
Moreton Bay
Moreton Bay is a bay located on the eastern coast of Australia from central Brisbane, Queensland. It is one of Queensland's most important coastal resources. The waters of Moreton Bay are a popular destination for recreational anglers and are ...
, a song
Notes
References
*
*
External links
SEQ HistorySouth East Queensland History
– a detailed chronicle of events
Moreton Bay Ramsar Site Location and maps- Australian Government, Department of the Environment
BayJournalAn online news source publishing one story a day about the Bay.
Folk song about the penal colony at Moreton Bay
Pencil drawing of Moreton Bay settlement, ca. 1835 by Henry Boucher Bowerman. Digitised and held by Heritage Collections,
State Library of Queensland.
Bribie Island Historical Society- a collection of local history articles curated by a community charity group on
Bribie Island.
{{Authority control
Australian penal colonies
Defunct prisons in Queensland
Bays of Queensland
Ramsar sites in Australia
Important Bird Areas of Queensland
South East Queensland
Articles containing video clips
Pre-Separation Queensland
Convictism in Queensland