Nepean 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 ...

located on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island in the

Australian state The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing ...

of South Australia about south-south-west of Adelaide. It was named by the British navigator,

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 ...

, after

Sir Evan Nepean Sir Evan Nepean, 1st Baronet, PC FRS (9 July 1752 – 2 October 1822)Sparrow (n.d.) was a British politician and colonial administrator. He was the first of the Nepean Baronets. Family Nepean was born at St. Stephens near Saltash, Cornwall, ...

on 21 March 1802.

Extent & description

Nepean Bay lies between

Point Marsden Point Marsden (also called Marsden Point) is a headland located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island in South Australia. It was named after William Marsden, Second Secretary to the Admiralty by Matthew Flinders in 1802. It is the western ex ...

and

Kangaroo Head Kangaroo Head is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located at the north-west tip of Dudley Peninsula on Kangaroo Island. It was named by the British explorer, Matthew Flinders, on 23 March 1802. Description Kangaroo Head i ...

on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island facing into Investigator Strait. Nepean Bay itself includes the following coastal

inlets An inlet is a (usually long and narrow) indentation of a shoreline, such as a small arm, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In marine geogra ...

from west to east - Bay of Shoals, Western Cove and Eastern Cove. Eastern Cove itself includes an inlet consisting of a channel known as American River and a lagoon system known as

Pelican Lagoon Pelican Lagoon is a seawater lagoon in the Australian state of South Australia located on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about south east of Kingscote. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 4 April 1802 after the large population of peli ...

Bay of Shoals

The Bay of Shoals is a body of water which is located immediately north of the settlement of Kingscote and whose mouth is located between Cape Rouge in the north and Beatrice Point in the south over a distance of about . The bay has a maximum charted depth of . Its mouth is bounded by a spit known as 'The Spit' which extends from Cape Rouge to within of Beatrice Point, includes the islets of Busby and

Beatrice Beatrice may refer to: * Beatrice (given name) Places In the United States * Beatrice, Alabama, a town * Beatrice, Humboldt County, California, a locality * Beatrice, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Beatrice, Indiana, an unincorporated ...

and is reported as being exposed during local tides, i.e. ‘drying.’ Access for watercraft into the bay is via a natural channel at its southern end near Beatrice Point.

Kingscote Harbour

Kingscote Harbour is the sheltered water between Bay of Shoals and Western Cove. The harbour is sheltered by the

Beatrice Islets Beatrice Islets are pair of islets in the Australian state of South Australia located in Nepean Bay on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about east of Kingscote. The islets and adjoining intertidal areas are notable as habitat for bird li ...

, and it faces the northern part of the town of Kingscote.

Western Cove

Western Cove is a body of water whose mouth is located between Beare Point in the west and Morrison Point in the east separated by a distance of about . The cove has a maximum depth of about at its mouth. Its shoreline is described as (distances in nautical miles):

The S(outh) shore, between Morrison Point and a red cliffy point about 3 miles W, is high and rocky. A range of wooded hills along the S(outh) shore falls gradually to the W(est). Red cliffs extend about 1.5 miles W(est) from the red cliffy point, and from there to the head of the cove is a continuous sandy beach. The land at the head of the cove is low and swampy and continues so to Beare Point…

Eastern Cove

Eastern Cove is the body of water whose mouth is located between Morrison Point in the west and

in the east separated by a distance of about . The cove has a maximum depth of at its mouth. Its shoreline is described as (distances in nautical miles):DMH, 1985, chart 13

The shore of Eastern Cove, between Kangaroo Head and
American Beach American Beach is a historic beach community in northeastern Florida once popular with African-American vacationers. It is located north of Jacksonville on Amelia Island in Nassau County. During the time of segregation and the Jim Crow era, Afri ...
, 2.5 miles S(outh), is rugged and rocky. Between the SW end of American Beach and Rocky Point, it consists of alternate beaches and low, rocky points. A sandy beach forms the S(outh) shore between Rocky Point and Strawbridge Point, 2.75 miles WNW. The S(outh) side of the cove is low with wooded hills at the back.

Eastern Cove includes Ballast Head Harbor on the western side near Ballast Head.

European discovery

Matthew Flinders named Nepean Bay after Sir Evan Nepean, First Secretary to the Admiralty, on 21 March 1802.

Ports and other settlements

Settlements on its shores include Kingscote, Brownlow KI and Nepean Bay on the shores of Western Cove, and American River,

Baudin Beach Baudin Beach is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located on Dudley Peninsula on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about south of the capital city of Adelaide and about west of Penneshaw. It is named in 2002 after the Fre ...

and Island Beach on the shores of Eastern Cove.

Protected areas

Protected areas located within and adjoining the bay’s extent include: *Aquatic reserves - American River. *Conservation parks - Beatrice Islet,

Busby Islet Busby Islet (also known as Bushy Island and Anchorage Island) is an islet in the Australian state of South Australia located in Nepean Bay on the north coast of Kangaroo Island about north of the municipal seat of Kingscote. The islet and ...

, Cygnet Estuary, Nepean Bay and

. *Marine parks - Encounter Marine ParkDEWNR, 2012, page 2 of 6

Citations and references

;Citations ;References * * * * * * {{Bays of South Australia , state=collapsed Bays of Kangaroo Island