Pondalowie Bay is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

in the Australian state of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

located on the west coast of the south-west tip of

Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Strai ...

Spencer Gulf The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and ...

about west of Marion Bay. The coastline of Pondalowie Bay is both within the gazetted locality of Inneston and the Innes National Park.

Extent & description

Pondalowie Bay is located on the west coast of the south-west tip of Yorke Peninsula within

in South Australia about west of Marion Bay. It lies between Royston Head at its northern extremity and an unnamed point at its southern extremity which is reported as being north north-west of West Cape. The west side of the bay is guarded by three islands (from north to south) - Royston, Middle and

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

. The east side of the bay is formed by ‘a sandy beach backed by sand hills.’ The entry into and out of the bay by small vessels can be achieved by passing through the gap between Middle Island and South Islet as water depths approach and as the width of the gap approaches . There is a

navigation aid Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

consisting of a light is located on the South Islet.

Ports and other settlements

The south part of the bay is reported as providing anchorage, however the holding ground is considered to be poor due to the bottom consisting of ‘smooth limestone with a thin cover of sand.’ No infrastructure exists for maritime use apart from access to the beach from the national park’s road network which allows the launching and retrieval of small boats. The sole

settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the distortion or disruption of parts of a building * Closing (real estate), the final step in executing a real estate transaction *Settlement (fin ...

in Pondalowie Bay is a group of dwellings described as a ‘Fishermans village’. Immediately beyond the shores of the bay is a camping ground provided as part of the national park’s infrastructure.

Protected area status

The coastline of Pondalowie Bay and the land on the three islands have been part of Innes National Park since at least 1977 while the bay’s waters have been within the

Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

since 2012.DEH, 2003, page 7DEH, 2003, page 58BIA, 2005, page 203

Citations and references

Citations

References

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External links

Beachsafe webpage for Pondalowie BayBeachsafe webpage for Pondalowie Bay (north)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pondalowie Bay Bays of South Australia Yorke Peninsula Spencer Gulf