Sceale Bay (formerly Yanera) (pronounced "Scale Bay") is a small

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

32 km south of

Streaky Bay Streaky the Supercat is a fictional superhero cat that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared in ''Action Comics'' #261 (February 1960) and was created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney. He is Supergirl's pet cat who g ...

on 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. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. With a permanent

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of only 28, the town's numbers increase by threefold over the summer

holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

period. The town is primarily an isolated holiday destination, with nothing in the way of

commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

occurring in its bounds. The

2016 Australian census The 2016 Australian census was the 17th Census in Australia, national population census held in Australia. The census was officially conducted with effect on Tuesday, 9 August 2016. The total population of the Commonwealth of Australia was count ...

which was conducted in August 2016 reports that Sceale Bay had a population of 42 people.

Geography

The township of Sceale Bay lies on the

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'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

of the same name. The protected waters of the bay have long sandy

beaches A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

with minimal swell. However the exposed

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

surrounding the bay feels the full force of the

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

swells.

Cliffs In geography and geology, a cliff or rock face is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are com ...

and diverse

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

formations can be found on the coast bordering the bay. Inland is highly unremarkable for the most part, with

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

land dominating the scenery. .

History

The bay was named Sceale Bay by Captain Bloomfield Douglas of the South Australian Marine Board in 1858. The town was proclaimed with the name of Yanera on 25 October 1888. It was officially renamed Sceale Bay in 1940. A

jetty A jetty is a man-made structure that protrudes from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater (structure), breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French la ...

was built to service the

coastal A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

traders in 1910, but despite a fierce fight to save it, was demolished in 1972. The locality was created on 12 April 2001 and was given the "long established name". Its boundaries include the Government Town of Sceale Bay. The locality's boundaries were revised on 21 July 2017 to include a parcel of land from the adjoining locality of Yanerbie to satisfy an "administrative direction from the Surveyor General to place all of Allotment 1051, DP.111974 within Sceale Bay."

Tourism

The town is a minor

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity on ...

destination, but the small size of the town and restricted accommodation keeps numbers low. A

caravan park Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel * Campervan, a type of vehicle also known as a motor caravan *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop * Caravan (tra ...

once existed in the town, as well as a new general store that provided petrol, take away food, fishing and camping needs but has also since closed down

Fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

is the areas major attraction, with

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size or capacity, its shape, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically used on inland waterways s ...

, rock and beach fishing all possible in the vicinity of the town. All year round the deep

reefs A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral, or similar relatively stable material lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic (non-living) processes such as deposition of sand or wave eros ...

hold Snapper,

Trevally The Carangidae are a family of ray-finned fish that includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, trevallies, and scads. It is the largest of the six families included within the order Carangiformes. Some authorities classify it as the ...

, Nannygai, Whiting, Kingfish and in the summer,

Bluefin Tuna Bluefin tuna is a common name used to refer to several species of tuna of the genus ''Thunnus''. {{Animal common name Commercial fish Thunnus Fish common names ...

congregate on the offshore lumps. Whiting, Tommy Ruff and

Salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

can be caught in the calmer protected waters. A boat ramp is located in Sceale Bay. Murphy's Haystacks are roughly 15 minutes drive from the township.

Protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s in close proximity of Sceale Bay include the Cape Blanche Conservation Park and the Nicolas Baudin Island Conservation Park about and respectively to the west, the

Searcy Bay Conservation Park Searcy Bay Conservation Park is a protected area located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about south of Streaky Bay. It was proclaimed under the ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972'' in 2012 for the purpose of prot ...

about to the east and the

Sceale Bay Conservation Park Sceale Bay Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in the gazetted locality of Yanerbie, South Australia, Yanerbie about north of the town of Sceale Bay, South ...

about to the north. Sceale Bay Conservation Park was proclaimed in June 2006 to aid in the protection of native

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

, particularly the

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

colony located in the bay.

Notes and references

External links

Streaky Bay Council page
{{authority control Coastal towns in South Australia Eyre Peninsula Bays of South Australia 1888 establishments in Australia