Botany Bay

Botany Bay
Sting Ray Harbour
an open oceanic embayment
Aerial photo of Sydney showing Botany Bay in the foreground.
Name origin: great abundance of plants
Country	Australia
State	New South Wales
Region	Greater Metropolitan Sydney
Municipalities	Bayside, Randwick, Sutherland
Primary source	Georges River
- location	Taren Point
- coordinates	34°0′35.994″S 151°7′47.6394″E / 34.00999833°S 151.129899833°E / -34.00999833; 151.129899833
Secondary source	Cooks River
- location	Kyeemagh
- coordinates	33°56′57″S 151°10′06″E / 33.94917°S 151.16833°E / -33.94917; 151.16833
Mouth	Tasman Sea
- location	Kurnell
- coordinates	33°59′52.7994″S 151°13′58.8″E / 33.997999833°S 151.233000°E / -33.997999833; 151.233000Coordinates: 33°59′52.7994″S 151°13′58.8″E / 33.997999833°S 151.233000°E / -33.997999833; 151.233000
Length	10 km (6 mi)
Depth	11.4 m (37 ft)
Volume	440,815.8 m3 (15,567,263 cu ft)
Basin	54.9 km2 (21 sq mi)
Area	39.6 km2 (15 sq mi)
Website: NSW Environment & Heritage webpage

Botany Bay, an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 13 km (8 mi) south of the Sydney central business district. Botany Bay has its source in the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cooks River at Kyeemagh and flows 10 km (6 mi) to the east before meeting its mouth, the Tasman Sea, midpoint between La Perouse and Kurnell.

The total catchment area of the bay is approximately 55 km² (21 sq mi). Despite its relative shallowness, the bay serves as greater metropolitan Sydney's main cargo seaport, located at Port Botany, with facilities managed by Sydney Ports Corporation. Two runways of Sydney Airport extend into the bay. Botany Bay National Park is located on the northern and southern headlands of the bay. The area surrounding the bay is generally managed by Roads and Maritime Services.

The land adjacent to Botany Bay was settled for many thousands of years by the Tharawal and Eora Aboriginal peoples and their associated clans. On 29 April 1770, Botany Bay was the site of James Cook's first landing of HMS Endeavour on the land mass of Australia, after his extensive navigation of New Zealand. Later the British planned Botany Bay as the site for a penal colony. Out of these plans came the first European habitation of Australia at Sydney Cove. Although the penal settlement was almost immediately shifted to Sydney Cove, for some time in Britain transportation to "Botany Bay" was a metonym for transportation to any of the Australian penal settlements.