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, circular bay with a narrow entrance. A fjord is an elongated bay formed by glacial action. The term embayment is also used for related features , such as extinct bays or freshwater environments.
29-632: Jervis Bay ( / ˈ dʒ ɜːr v ɪ s , ˈ dʒ ɑːr -/ ) is a 102-square-kilometre (39 sq mi) oceanic bay and village in the Jervis Bay Territory and on the South Coast of New South Wales , Australia . In the Dhurga language of the Aboriginal inhabitants of the area, it is called Booderee, which translates as "bay of plenty". A 70-square-kilometre (27 sq mi) area of land around
58-545: A bight . There are various ways in which bays can form. The largest bays have developed through plate tectonics . As the super-continent Pangaea broke up along curved and indented fault lines, the continents moved apart and left large bays; these include the Gulf of Guinea , the Gulf of Mexico , and the Bay of Bengal , which is the world's largest bay. Bays also form through coastal erosion by rivers and glaciers . A bay formed by
87-496: A broad, flat fronting terrace". Bays were significant in the history of human settlement because they provided easy access to marine resources like fisheries . Later they were important in the development of sea trade as the safe anchorage they provide encouraged their selection as ports . The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea defines a bay as a well-marked indentation in
116-476: A front of rapidly moving cool air known as a southerly buster . Rainfall is fairly evenly distributed throughout the seasons, with a bias to the first half of the year, due to prevailing easterlies. Short high intensity rainfall events may happen at any time of the year and can lead to local flooding. Jervis Bay also experiences thunderstorms during the warmer months bringing lightning, heavy rain and occasionally hail. With an annual rainfall around 1,200 mm, it
145-403: A glacier is a fjord . Rias are created by rivers and are characterised by more gradual slopes. Deposits of softer rocks erode more rapidly, forming bays, while harder rocks erode less quickly, leaving headlands . Booderee National Park and Botanic Gardens Booderee National Park and Botanic Gardens , formerly Jervis Bay National Park and Jervis Bay Botanic Gardens , are located in
174-513: A slow but steady increase in recent years as they re-colonise former habitats, having been extensively hunted in the 19th and 20th centuries. Other species sighted have been false killer whales , orcas , minke whales and, on one occasion, a blue whale . Tourism in Jervis Bay is one of the most important avenues of income for many of the local residents, with many businesses orienting themselves towards it. The Jervis Bay Visitors Information Centre
203-481: A submerged Fairey Firefly aeroplane, scallop beds, Middle Ground, Ten Fathom Reef, and Bowen Island. Jervis Bay is also known for whale watching , because whale migration, both north and south, can be observed as the animals pass the entrance to the bay, frequently entering the sheltered waters to rest. The majority of whales sighted at Jervis Bay are humpbacks , which migrate along Australia's east coast from June to November. Southern right whales are also showing
232-413: Is an arm of Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada . Some large bays, such as the Bay of Bengal and Hudson Bay, have varied marine geology . The land surrounding a bay often reduces the strength of winds and blocks waves . Bays may have as wide a variety of shoreline characteristics as other shorelines. In some cases, bays have beaches , which "are usually characterized by a steep upper foreshore with
261-485: Is at Huskisson, and is part of the Lady Denman Maritime Museum and Gallery. Local council-managed visitor information centres are at Nowra and Ulladulla . The first commercial aquaculture licence for an area in the bay was granted in 2015, for an enterprise which started growing blue mussels . They also found abundant Angasi oysters and scallops growing on the lines which they dropped at first, but
290-507: Is available between Sydney Airport and the South Coast every day. Significant areas of the Jervis Bay natural environment have been established as protected areas , including Booderee National Park , Jervis Bay National Park (NSW) and the Jervis Bay Marine Park . Some 158 km (61 sq mi) of the land on both sides of the bay have been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because
319-457: Is managed as an Indigenous Protected Area . The reserve is composed of two sections: There are hundreds of kilometres of walking tracks. Cave Beach with its unspoiled beaches and abundant flora and fauna, the park, located just three hours from the cities of Sydney and Canberra , is extremely popular with tourists. The park's sea cliffs are the highest in New South Wales and among
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#1732845616773348-681: Is wetter than other areas in the South Coast due to its exposed eastward location on a peninsula facing the Tasman Sea , thus making it more susceptible to moist easterly flows. Yearly rainfall is influenced by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation . Bay A bay can be the estuary of a river, such as the Chesapeake Bay , an estuary of the Susquehanna River . Bays may also be nested within each other; for example, James Bay
377-515: The Jervis Bay Territory of Australia. The reserve is composed of two sections: What is now a national park was declared as a nature reserve in 1971. In 1992, Jervis Bay National Park was declared. The local Aboriginal community was offered two seats on the park's Board of Management and declined as part of a protest over land rights issues. In 1995, the park was transferred to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community . At this time,
406-558: The Shoalhaven displaced the Aboriginal inhabitants, who were moved to Wreck Bay in 1822. Smallpox and syphilis significantly reduced their population. A separate population of Aborigines, whom settlers called "the Jervis Bay tribe" — the Wandandian people — remained on their traditional lands on the bank of Currambene Creek, near Huskisson , and around St Georges Basin, until well into
435-470: The 20th century. In 1841, the private township of South Huskisson on Jervis Bay was founded as a seaport and terminus of The Wool Road . It was renamed Vincentia in 1952. The bay was a base for whaling in 1912 and 1913. The vessels involved were the factory ship Loch Tay and her two catchers Campbell and Sorrell . !n 1915, the land now comprising the Jervis Bay Territory was surrendered to
464-507: The Commonwealth Government by the state of New South Wales . It was proposed that it would become a seaport for the new federal capital under construction at Canberra , which would be Australia's only inland capital. In the late 1960s, Australia's first nuclear power plant was proposed for the area, and a site was prepared, but the project did not proceed. In 1995, Jervis Bay National Park and Botanic Gardens were handed back to
493-500: The Wreck Bay Aboriginal community. In 1997, the community, who jointly manage the park with the Commonwealth Government, decided to rename it Booderee National Park and Botanic Gardens . Jervis Bay is a drowned river valley and formed 15,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age . The bay took on its present appearance around 4000 BC after the sea levels had risen 120 metres (390 ft), and as sand dune barriers created
522-532: The bay aboard Matilda , which had also been part of the Third Fleet, in order to undertake repairs to the ship. In mid 1797, survivors of the wreck of Sydney Cove passed through the area on foot, while undertaking an arduous trek of 600 kilometres in an attempt to get to Port Jackson (Sydney) – only three of them completed the journey. Explorer George Bass entered the bay on 10 December 1797 and named Bowen Island . Alexander Berry's takeover of land in
551-512: The bay are the settlements of Greenpatch , Hyams Beach , and Bowen Island . From north to south on the New South Wales shore of the bay are Callala Beach , Callala Bay , Huskisson and Vincentia . Beecroft Peninsula , on the northern side of the bay, has been used as a bombing range by the RAN. Point Perpendicular forms the southern end of the peninsula. Jervis Bay is approximately a three-hour drive south of Sydney . A door-to-door shuttle service
580-511: The coastal heathland supports the largest sub-population of the endangered eastern bristlebird , isolated from other sub-populations. Jervis Bay has been recorded as having the whitest sand in the world. Jervis Bay is known for recreational fishing, kayaking , paddleboarding , sailing and scuba diving , with tour operators departing from Huskisson and amateurs using boat ramps at bayside towns and camp sites. Popular diving sites include The Labyrinths, Gorgonian Wall, Point Perpendicular ,
609-408: The coastline, whose penetration is in such proportion to the width of its mouth as to contain land-locked waters and constitute more than a mere curvature of the coast. An indentation, however, shall not be regarded as a bay unless its area is as large as (or larger than) that of the semi-circle whose diameter is a line drawn across the mouth of that indentation — otherwise it would be referred to as
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#1732845616773638-536: The highest anywhere on the east coast of Australia, peaking at Steamers Head which rises to 130 m. The Cape St George Lighthouse ruin is considered the most significant European heritage site in the park and was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1981. The beach at Greenpatch is a popular destination, and is said to have the whitest sand in the world. In addition there are abundant surf breaks on
667-400: The industry focus is on the blue mussels, which have a high ratio of meat to shell. The first full-scale commercial harvest of blue mussels was scheduled for November 2020. The potential of growing seaweeds for commercial use is also being explored, and Shoalhaven City Council is investing A$ 2.3 million to develop a wharf, boat maintenance facility and other infrastructure needed to service
696-444: The industry. It is hoped that the industry will create up to 1,000 jobs. Jervis Bay experiences an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification: Cfb ), with average maximum temperatures varying from 16 °C in winter to 25 °C in summer tempered by sea breezes. Since 2001, the highest recorded temperature is 42.1 °C on 1 January 2006, and the lowest 4.7 °C on 13 August 2005. Hot summer evenings are often relieved by
725-534: The name of the park was changed to "Booderee". The name, meaning "bay of plenty" or "plenty of fish" in the Dhurga language , was chosen by the local Aboriginal community. It is now co-managed with Parks Australia . In 1995, the park was transferred to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community, when the name was changed to "Booderee". The name, meaning "bay of plenty" or "plenty of fish" in the Dhurga language,
754-724: The southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia , known as the Jervis Bay Territory , which is administered by, but is not a part of, the Australian Capital Territory . The Territory includes the settlements of Jervis Bay Village and Wreck Bay Village . The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) base, HMAS Creswell , is in the Jervis Bay Territory between Jervis Bay Village and Greenpatch Point . Archaeological finds at Burrill Lake , 55 kilometres south of Jervis Bay, provide evidence of Aboriginal occupation dating back 20,000 years. Jervis Bay
783-519: The southern peninsula. Much of the rock in Jervis Bay is part of the Sydney Basin sandstone formation, which is 280-225 million years old, although lower areas are overlain with Tertiary -era sediments. Several features at Jervis Bay have been used as evidence that the Australian coast experienced many giant tsunamis prior to European colonisation. In the Jervis Bay Territory on the southern side of
812-477: Was chosen by the local Aboriginal community. It is now co-managed with Parks Australia. In 2010 the park won international award in the Virgin Holidays' Responsible Tourism Awards. The lighthouse was built during the 19th century because of the number of the shipwrecks that happened nearby. Unfortunately, the lighthouse was built in the wrong spot and it came to be regarded as a navigational hazard. The park
841-497: Was sighted by Lieutenant James Cook aboard HMS Endeavour on 25 April 1770, two days after Saint George's Day , and he named the southern headland Cape St George. In August 1791, Lieutenant Richard Bowen , aboard the convict transport ship Atlantic , part of the Third Fleet , sailed into the bay and named it in honour of Admiral John Jervis , under whom he had served. In November 1791 Master Matthew Weatherhead entered
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