34°12′S 116°12′E / 34.2°S 116.2°E / -34.2; 116.2
4-448: Geographe Bay is in the south-west of Western Australia , around 220 kilometres (140 mi) southwest of Perth . The bay was named in May 1801 by French explorer Nicolas Baudin , after his ship, Géographe . It is a wide curve of coastline extending from Cape Naturaliste past the towns of Dunsborough and Busselton , ending near the city of Bunbury . Protected from the rough seas of
8-529: Is one of the nine regions of Western Australia . It has an area of 23,970 km , and a population of about 170,000 people. Bunbury is the main city in the region. The South West has a Mediterranean climate , with dry summers and wet winters. There is about 900 mm of precipitation per year, with most between May and September. Mean maximum daily temperatures range from 16 °C in July to 34 °C in February. The economy of
12-454: The Indian Ocean by Cape Naturaliste (named after Naturaliste ), which makes it a popular destination for recreational boaters, the bay is extremely shallow, limiting the entrance of large ships. To alleviate this problem the two-kilometre-long (1.2 mi) Busselton Jetty , the longest in the southern hemisphere , was built. Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Swan was sunk in
16-530: The bay off the town of Dunsborough on 14 December 1997, for use as a dive wreck . The bay also attracts whale watchers , who see it as an alternative to Flinders Bay , and the north-west part of the bay is the location of a number of surf breaks . The environment of the drainage systems into the bay, and the bay itself have attracted research and studies. 33°35′S 115°15′E / 33.58°S 115.25°E / -33.58; 115.25 South West (Western Australia) The South West region
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