York Sound is a

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' b ...

located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia opening into the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

. The sound is bounded by Cape Pond to the North and Hardey Point with the Coronation Islands to the South. The nearest populated town to the Sound is Kalumburu, to the North East. The main feature of the sound is Boongaree Island which is situated close to the mainland to the South and the Anderdon Islands and Murrara Island to the North. Prince Frederick Harbour is found at the southern end of the sound. The Hunter and the

Roe River The Roe River runs from Giant Springs to the Missouri River near Great Falls, Montana, United States. The Roe River is only long at its longest constant point, and had been named as the World's Shortest River by the '' Guinness Book of World ...

s both discharge directly into the Sound. The first European to visit the area was the Dutch sailor and explorer,

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...

, who landed in the area in 1644. The area was surveyed in 1820 by

Philip Parker King Rear Admiral Phillip Parker King, FRS, RN (13 December 1791 – 26 February 1856) was an early explorer of the Australian and Patagonian coasts. Early life and education King was born on Norfolk Island, to Philip Gidley King and Anna Jos ...

aboard the ''Mermaid''. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

a small group of Japanese officers landed in the area to determine rumours that large air & naval bases were being built. They became the only Axis soldiers to have landed in Australia during the war.

References

Kimberley coastline of Western Australia Sounds of Western Australia {{WesternAustralia-geo-stub