Admiralty Gulf is a

gulf A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodie ...

in the Kimberley region of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

that opens 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 th ...

Description

The Gulf is bounded by the

Bougainville Peninsula Bougainville may refer to: Places * Autonomous Region of Bougainville, historically known as the North Solomons, ** Bougainville Island, the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea *** Bougainville campaign, Wor ...

to the north and Bigge Point to the south. The nearest populated place is Kalumburu, located to the east. Many islands are found within the Gulf, including

Middle Osborn Island Middle Osborn Island is an island off the coast of the Kimberley region in Western Australia. Located on the western side of Admiralty Gulf and a part of the Bonaparte Archipelago, the island encompasses an area of . It is part of the Osborn ...

, Kingsmill Island, Borda Island and the Montesquieu Islands (including the Low Rocks and Sterna Island Important Bird Area). Two natural harbours are found in the Gulf, Port Warrender and Walmesly Bay.

History

The

traditional owners Native title is the designation given to the common law doctrine of Aboriginal title in Australia, which is the recognition by Australian law that Indigenous Australians (both Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people) have rights ...

of the areas around the gulf are the

Wenamba The Wenamba are an indigenous Australian people of the central eastern edge of Western Australia in the Goldfields Region. Language The Wenamba spoke a dialect similar to that of the Pintupi. Country The Wenamba ranged over an estimated . Norma ...

peoples to the west and the

Kambure The Kambure, more commonly known now as ''Gamberre'', were an Aboriginal Australian people of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Language The Kambure spoke a dialect of Wunambal. Country Norman Tindal estimated Kambure lands to extend ...

peoples to the east.

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 1754 – 16 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. Biography Early career Born a comm ...

charted Cape Bougainville in 1803 and Cassini Island and was most likely the first European to visit the Gulf. The coastline around the Gulf was explored 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 J ...

aboard ''Mermaid'' in 1819 as part of his survey of the area. King named the Gulf along with Port Warrender and Vansittart Bay.

References

Gulfs of Australia Kimberley (Western Australia) Bays of Western Australia {{WesternAustralia-geo-stub