Spencer Gulf
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The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being
Gulf St Vincent Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger Sp ...
) on the southern coast of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, in the 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 ...
, facing the
Great Australian Bight The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. Extent Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...
. It spans from the
Cape Catastrophe Cape Catastrophe is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located at the southeast tip of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula. It is one of the natural features named by the British navigator Matthew Flinders in memory of the e ...
and
Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...
in the west to Cape Spencer and
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 ...
in the east. The largest towns on the gulf are
Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...
,
Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...
,
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
, and
Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
. Smaller towns on the gulf include
Tumby Bay Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, north of Port Lincoln. The town of Tumby Bay is the major population centre of the District Council of Tumby Bay, and the cen ...
,
Port Neill Port Neill (formerly Carrow) is a small coastal town on the eastern side of the Eyre Peninsula, in South Australia about 3 km off the Lincoln Highway between the major towns of Whyalla and Port Lincoln. It is 576 km by road from Adelaid ...
, Arno Bay, Cowell, Port Germein,
Port Broughton Port Broughton is a small South Australian town located at the northern extent of the Yorke Peninsula on the east coast of Spencer Gulf. It is situated about 170 km north-west of Adelaide, and 56 km south of Port Pirie. At the , the t ...
,
Wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'', and not a portmanteau of the words "kangaroo" and "wal ...
, Port Hughes, Port Victoria, Port Rickaby, Point Turton, and Corny Point.


History

The first recorded exploration of the gulf was that of
Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...
in February 1802. Flinders navigated inland from the present location of
Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
to within of the termination of the water body. The gulf was named ''Spencer's Gulph'' by Flinders on 20 March 1802, after George John Spencer, the 2nd Earl Spencer. The Baudin expedition visited the gulf after Flinders with Nicholas Baudin giving it the name ''Golfe Bonaparte'' and
Louis de Freycinet Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French Navy officer. He circumnavigated the earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia. Biography He was born at ...
using the name ''Golfe de la Melomanie'' on the expedition's published charts. By the 1830s, the
natural harbour A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...
of
Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...
had become the site of an unofficial settlement, due in part to its convenience as a base for whaling vessels – which had long operated in the
Great Australian Bight The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia. Extent Two definitions of the extent are in use – one used by the International Hydrog ...
. Prior to the selection of
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, some consideration was given to Port Lincoln as the potential site of a capital city.


Geography and topography

The Gulf is wide at its mouth (from Cape Catastrophe to Cape Spencer) and long (from its mouth to Port Augusta). The western shore of the gulf is the
Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...
, while the eastern side is the
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 ...
, which separates it from the smaller
Gulf St Vincent Gulf St Vincent, sometimes referred to as St Vincent Gulf, St Vincent's Gulf or Gulf of St Vincent, is the eastern of two large inlets of water on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, the other being the larger Sp ...
. Its entrance was defined by
Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...
in 1802 as a line from
Cape Catastrophe Cape Catastrophe is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located at the southeast tip of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula. It is one of the natural features named by the British navigator Matthew Flinders in memory of the e ...
on Eyre Peninsula to Cape Spencer on Yorke Peninsula. At the time of Flinders' exploration the gulf was noted to extend inland from a point near the Port Augusta crossing. This so-called extension of the gulf consists of a land depression and occasional watercourse known as the Pirie–Torrens corridor, and the inland waterbody
Lake Torrens Lake Torrens ( Kuyani: ''Ngarndamukia'') is a large ephemeral, normally endorheic salt lake in central South Australia. After sufficiently extreme rainfall events, the lake flows out through the Pirie-Torrens corridor to the Spencer Gulf. Is ...
. The northern end of the gulf is spanned by the
Joy Baluch AM Bridge The Joy Baluch AM Bridge is a bridge across Spencer Gulf between Port Augusta and Port Augusta West in South Australia. It carries Highway 1 and is a key road link on both east–west and north–south road routes in Australia. The western en ...
between
Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
and Port Augusta West and further north by
Yorkey Crossing Yorkeys Crossing is a ford in the Australian state of South Australia located at the head of Spencer Gulf in the gazetted locality of Emeroo about north of Port Augusta. As of 2014, it is the site of an unsealed road that serves as a by-pass ...
. Informal names for subdivisions of the gulf waters are sometimes used. "Northern Spencer Gulf" refers to waters north of
Wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'', and not a portmanteau of the words "kangaroo" and "wal ...
and Arno Bay, while "Southern Spencer Gulf" refers to waters south of that line, extending to the mouth of the gulf. "Upper Spencer Gulf" includes the waters north of Port Pirie, and includes the three towns sometimes referred to as the Iron Triangle: Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie. Its boundary lacks precise definition.


Wildlife

The land surrounding the gulf, consisting of the Eyre and
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 ...
s, is the Eyre Yorke Block
bioregion A bioregion is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a biogeographic realm, but larger than an ecoregion or an ecosystem, in the World Wide Fund for Nature classification scheme. There is also an attempt to use the ...
. This was originally wooded shrubland but has now mainly been cleared for agriculture. The arid
Gawler bioregion Gawler is an interim Australian bioregion located in South Australia. It has an area of . Gawler bioregion is part of the Tirari–Sturt stony desert ecoregion. Geography The landscape consists of rolling terrain, rocky hills, plains, and salt ...
extends to the Spencer Gulf on the north-west. Many of South Australia's iconic marine species can be found on the shores and in the waters of Spencer Gulf.


Marine species

The rocky inshore reef along the coast near
Port Bonython Port Bonython is the location of a deepwater port, gas fractionation plant and diesel storage facility west of Point Lowly in the Upper Spencer Gulf region of South Australia. It lies 16 km east-northeast of Whyalla, South Australia and app ...
and
Point Lowly Point Lowly is the tip of a small peninsula north north-east of Whyalla in the Upper Spencer Gulf region of South Australia. The wider peninsula is shared by a combination of defence, industrial, residential, recreational and tourism interests ...
is a breeding ground for the Northern Spencer Gulf population of Australian giant cuttlefish. They are a favorite food of local
bottlenose dolphins Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the comm ...
, who have developed sophisticated techniques for safely eating these creatures. The Upper Spencer Gulf is also known for its snapper and
Yellowtail kingfish The yellowtail amberjack, yellowtail kingfish, hiramasa or great amberjack (''Seriola lalandi'') is a large fish found in the Southern Ocean. Although previously thought to be found in all oceans and seas, recent genetic analysis restricts ''S. ...
fishing.
Great white shark The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large Lamniformes, mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major ocean ...
s are sometimes seen in Spencer Gulf by fishermen, and
shark cage Shark cage diving is underwater diving or snorkeling where the observer remains inside a protective cage designed to prevent sharks from making contact with the divers. Shark cage diving is used for scientific observation, underwater cinematograph ...
diving and surface tours operate out of
Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...
. A relic population of tiger pipefish ('' Filicampus tigris''), a subtropical species is range limited to Northern Spencer Gulf.


Marine mammals

Visiting
southern right whales The southern right whale (''Eubalaena australis'') is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus ''Eubalaena''. Southern right whales inhabit oceans south of the Equator, between the latitudes of 20° ...
and humpback whales enter Spencer Gulf from June through to October, and can be seen as far north as Point Lowly and Port Augusta.
New Zealand fur seals ''Arctocephalus forsteri'' ( common names include the Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal) is a species of fur seal found mainly around southern Australia and New ...
and Australian sea lions can be found in southern Spencer Gulf, with significant breeding colonies located at Dangerous Reef and in the Sir Joseph Banks Group. Occasional sightings occurring in Northern Spencer Gulf.
Bottlenose dolphin Bottlenose dolphins are aquatic mammals in the genus ''Tursiops.'' They are common, cosmopolitan members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Molecular studies show the genus definitively contains two species: the common ...
s can be seen in the gulf's waters year-round.


Seabirds

Breeding colonies of
little penguins The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name . The Australian ...
exist on islands in Spencer Gulf. The northernmost colonies are located at Lipson Island and
Wardang Island Wardang Island, also known as Waralti (also spelled Waraldi or Wauraltee) is a low-lying 20 km2 island in the Spencer Gulf close to the western coast of the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. It acts as a natural breakwater, protecting the f ...
. In 2004, the Wardang Island colony's population was approximately 8,000 penguins.
Cape Barren geese The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') is a large goose resident in southern Australia. Etymology The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. It is known ...
and several species of
cormorants Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven gen ...
also breed on islands in Spencer Gulf.


Islands

Spencer Gulf contains a number of inshore and offshore islands. These include (from north to south): * Curlew Island (south of
Port Augusta Port Augusta is a small city in South Australia. Formerly a port, seaport, it is now a road traffic and Junction (rail), railway junction city mainly located on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf immediately south of the gulf's head and about ...
) * Weeroona Island (north of
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
) * Shag Island (north of Port Broughton) * Entrance Island (near Cowell) * Bird Islands (near
Wallaroo Wallaroo is a common name for several species of moderately large macropods, intermediate in size between the kangaroos and the wallabies. The word "wallaroo" is from the Dharug ''walaru'', and not a portmanteau of the words "kangaroo" and "wal ...
) * Lipson Island (north of
Tumby Bay Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, north of Port Lincoln. The town of Tumby Bay is the major population centre of the District Council of Tumby Bay, and the cen ...
) *
Tumby Island Tumby Island is a low bedrock island located 500 m east of the southern tip of Tumby Bay (Tumby Point) in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The island is a conservation park comprising 35 hectares. The island can be accessed on foot at low tide by ...
(south of Tumby Bay) *
Wardang Island Wardang Island, also known as Waralti (also spelled Waraldi or Wauraltee) is a low-lying 20 km2 island in the Spencer Gulf close to the western coast of the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. It acts as a natural breakwater, protecting the f ...
& the Goose Island group (near Port Victoria) * The
Sir Joseph Banks Group The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Co ...
(offshore from Tumby Bay) *
Louth Island Louth Island ( Nauo: ''Jorunu'' or ''Yoruna'') is a 135 ha island located in Louth Bay, Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The island is privately owned, and has previously been used for the grazing of sheep and mining of guano. The island has an o ...
& Rabbit Island (in
Louth Bay Louth Bay (formerly Laurence) is a town and locality in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after the bay named by Matthew Flinders on 26 February 1802 which itself is derived from a place in Lincolnshire. At the 2006 census, L ...
) * Boston Island (in Boston Bay) * Grantham Island and Bicker Isles (in Proper Bay) * Donington Island, Carcase Rock,
Owen Island Owen Island in the Antarctic is a small (19 ha), circular, ice-free island lying between Round Point and Pottinger Point about 500 m off the north coast of King George Island, in the South Shetland Islands The South Shet ...
, Taylor Island, Grindal Island, Little Island, Lewis Island, Smith Island, Hopkins Island and
Thistle Island Thistle Island / Noondala is in the Spencer Gulf, South Australia, some west of Adelaide, and northwest of the Gambier Islands. The city of Port Lincoln lies to the northwest of the island. Between them, the Gambier Islands and Thistle form a ...
(east of the
Jussieu Peninsula __NOTOC__ Jussieu Peninsula is a peninsula located at the south east end of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by Proper Bay and Spalding Cove within the natural harbour known as Port Lincoln to the north, Spencer Gulf to the e ...
). * Middle Island,
South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
and
Royston Island Royston Island (also known as North Island) is an island in the Australian state of South Australia at the northern end of Pondalowie Bay on the south-west extremity of Yorke Peninsula about north-west of the town of Stenhouse Bay. The isla ...
(in Pondalowie Bay) *
Gambier Islands The Gambier Islands ( or ) are an archipelago in French Polynesia, located at the southeast terminus of the Tuamotu archipelago. They cover an area of , and are made up of the Mangareva Islands, a group of high islands remnants of a caldera alo ...
including Wedge Island (in the mouth of Spencer Gulf)


Port development proposals

Due to its proximity to many identified mineral deposits in South Australia's Far North, Eyre Peninsula and Braemar regions, there are multiple new port and harbour developments proposed for the region. These include new or expanded facilities at (from north to south): *
Port Bonython Port Bonython is the location of a deepwater port, gas fractionation plant and diesel storage facility west of Point Lowly in the Upper Spencer Gulf region of South Australia. It lies 16 km east-northeast of Whyalla, South Australia and app ...
- Port Bonython Bulk Commodities Export Facility - Spencer Gulf Port Link (proposed 2012) *Port Playford - Iron ore transshipment port proposed to be constructed on the site of the former
Playford A Power Station Playford may refer to: Places * City of Playford, Australia * Electoral district of Playford, Australia * Playford B Power Station, South Australia * Playford, Suffolk, a village in England * Hotel in Australia, part of Accor Hotels People *The ...
, south of Port Augusta *
Whyalla Whyalla was founded as "Hummocks Hill", and was known by that name until 1916. It is the fourth most populous city in the Australian state of South Australia after Adelaide, Mount Gambier and Gawler and along with Port Pirie and Port Augusta ...
- Inner harbour expansion -
Arrium Arrium was an Australian mining and materials company, employing nearly 10,000 workers, that went into voluntary administration in 2016 with debts of more than $2 billion. In 2017 it was acquired by British-owned Liberty House Group. Hist ...
(completed 2013) *
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
- Possible expansion for trans-shipment of iron ore from the Braemar region (concept stage) *
Lucky Bay Lucky may refer to: *An adjective of luck Lucky may also refer to: Film and television * '' Lucky: No Time for Love'', a 2005 Hindi-language romance starring Salman Khan, Sneha Ullal, and Mithun Chakraborty * ''Lucky'', a 2005 short film by Av ...
- Lucky Bay Common User Export Facility (harbour expansion) - SeaSA (proposed 2013, construction commenced 2014) * Myponie Point - Possible port location for Braemar region mineral exports (concept stage) * Cape Hardy - Iron Road Limited (proposed 2013) *
Lipson Cove Lipson Cove is a tranquil sandy bay in the Australian state of South Australia on the east coast of Eyre Peninsula overlooking Spencer Gulf. It features in the 2012 book ''101 Best Australian Beaches'' by Andy Short and Brad Farmer. Location ...
- Port Spencer (formerly known as Sheep Hill) -
Centrex Metals Centrex Metals Limited is an Australian resources exploration and mining company. History Founded in 2001, Centrex Metals was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2006 with the aim of developing several iron ore projects on the Eyre ...
(proposed 2011) The port could be completed in 2023.


Seawater desalination plants

, one
reverse osmosis Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water purification process that uses a partially permeable membrane to separate ions, unwanted molecules and larger particles from drinking water. In reverse osmosis, an applied pressure is used to overcome osmotic pre ...
and one thermal seawater
desalination plant Desalination is a process that takes away mineral components from saline water. More generally, desalination refers to the removal of salts and minerals from a target substance, as in soil desalination, which is an issue for agriculture. Saltw ...
draw water from Spencer Gulf. Several others are planned. All currently or will produce water primarily or exclusively for industrial use. They are:


Spencer Gulf in film & video

The Spencer Gulf region, its wildlife and its development are the subjects of a documentary film in production entitled ''Cuttlefish Country''.


Protected areas


Reserves declared by the South Australian government


Aquatic Reserves

Spencer Gulf contains four aquatic reserves. Blanche Harbour-Douglas Bank Aquatic Reserve which is located in west side of Spencer Gulf, north of Whyalla, was declared in 1980 ‘for fisheries management, protection of its mangrove-seagrass communities and associated fish nursery areas.’ Goose Island Aquatic Reserve which is located at Goose Island on the east side of Spencer Gulf near Port Victoria was declared in 1971 to provide ‘a conservation area where teaching institutions may conduct classes and scientific research on marine biology and ecology and to protect the habitat of the seal colony situated on White Rocks.’ Whyalla - Cowleds Landing Aquatic Reserve which is located in on the west side of Spencer Gulf, just south of Whyalla, was declared in 1980 to ‘protect the mangrove-seagrass communities and associated fish nursery areas.’
Yatala Harbour Upper Spencer Gulf Aquatic Reserve __NOTOC__ Yatala Harbour Upper Spencer Gulf Aquatic Reserve is a marine protected area in the Australian state of South Australia covering the full extent of Yatala Harbor on the east side of Spencer Gulf including land within the locality of Mi ...
which is located in Yatala Harbour on the east side of Spencer Gulf, north of Port Pirie, was declared in 1980 for ‘the protection of its mangrove-seagrass communities and associated fish nursery areas.’


Marine Parks

Spencer Gulf contains five marine parks, each with its own outer boundary and internal zoning. Fishing is prohibited with Sanctuary Zones, and detailed maps and GPS coordinates for the parks are available from the Government of South Australia's Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources. The marine parks within Spencer Gulf are (from north to south): *
Upper Spencer Gulf Marine Park Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found f ...
* Franklin Harbor Marine Park * Eastern Spencer Gulf Marine Park *
Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...
*
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 ...


Terrestrial reserves

A number of terrestrial reserves either adjoin Spencer Gulf at
low water Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ca ...
or are located on islands within the gulf. On the west coast of the gulf, from north to south, they are
Munyaroo Conservation Park Munyaroo Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia in the gazetted locality of Midgee located on the east coast of the Eyre Peninsula about south south-west of Whyalla and east north-east of Cowell. T ...
, Franklin Harbor Conservation Park,
Lipson Island Conservation Park Lipson Island Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia associated with Lipson Island in Spencer Gulf about north northeast of Lipson, South Australia, Lipson. The land which now comprises the conservati ...
, Tumby Island Conservation Park,
Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the Sir Joseph Banks Group in Spencer Gulf about east-northeast of Port Lincoln. The conservation park of which specific islands ...
,
Lincoln National Park Lincoln National Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located about west of the state capital of Adelaide and about south of the municipal seat of Port Lincoln. It consists of a mainland area on the Jussieu Pe ...
and
Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the south east tip of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula and on a number of nearby islands about south-south east of Port Lincoln ...
. On the east coast of the gulf, from north to south, they are
Winninowie Conservation Park Winninowie Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the east coast of Upper Spencer Gulf about south by east of Port Augusta and northwest of Port Germein, in the locality of Miranda. Th ...
, Bird Islands Conservation Park,
Goose Island Conservation Park __NOTOC__ Goose Island Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia, located on Goose Island and other islets in the vicinity of Wardang Island in Spencer Gulf. The constituent islands are located within ...
,
Leven Beach Conservation Park Leven Beach Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia, located on the north coast of the lower part of Yorke Peninsula within the boundaries of the gazetted localities of Point Souttar and The Pines about ...
and Innes National Park. At the mouth of the gulf, the
Gambier Islands Conservation Park Gambier Islands Conservation Park is a protected area associated with the Gambier Islands Group which is located in the middle of the mouth of Spencer Gulf in South Australia about south east of Port Lincoln. The conservation park consists of ...
is located within the Gambier Islands group.


Non-statutory arrangements


Important Bird Areas

Three
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
s (IBAs) have been nominated by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
at locations in Spencer Gulf. The Spencer Gulf Important Bird Area lies along the north-eastern coast of the Gulf; it comprises a strip of coastal land consisting mainly of
intertidal The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of Marine habitat, habitats with var ...
mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal fl ...
s,
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 and
salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is dominated ...
es. It was identified as an IBA by BirdLife International because of its importance for the conservation of
wader 245px, A flock of Dunlins and Red knots">Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflat ...
s, or shorebirds. The other two IBAs within Spencer Gulf are located in the
Sir Joseph Banks Group The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Co ...
and at Goose Island. Both sites contain breeding colonies of various island seabird species.


Gallery

Image:Port-Broughton-harbor-0693.jpg, The harbor of
Port Broughton Port Broughton is a small South Australian town located at the northern extent of the Yorke Peninsula on the east coast of Spencer Gulf. It is situated about 170 km north-west of Adelaide, and 56 km south of Port Pirie. At the , the t ...
on the Eastern shore of Spencer Gulf Image:Australia.A2010283.0435.250m.jpg, Spencer Gulf seen from one of NASA's Satellites Image:MoontaBayJetty.JPG, Moonta Bay Jetty on the Eastern shore of Spencer Gulf


References


External links

* {{List of Australian seas Gulfs of Australia Bodies of water of South Australia Coastline of South Australia Eyre Peninsula Aulacogens Cenozoic rifts and grabens IMCRA meso-scale bioregions