Nepean Bay | |
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Location in South Australia
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Location | Kangaroo Island, South Australia |
Coordinates | 35°40′57″S 137°44′43″E / 35.68250°S 137.74528°ECoordinates: 35°40′57″S 137°44′43″E / 35.68250°S 137.74528°E |
Type | Bay |
Basin countries | Australia |
Max. length | 30 km (19 mi). |
Max. width | 30 km (19 mi) |
Max. depth | 13.4 m (44 ft) |
Islands | Busby Islet, Beatrice Islets |
Settlements |
Kingscote Cygnet River Brownlow KI Nepean Bay American River Baudin Beach Island Beach |
Nepean Bay is a bay located on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia about 130 kilometres (81 miles) south-south-west of Adelaide. It was named by the British navigator, Matthew Flinders, after Sir Evan Nepean on 21 March 1802.
Nepean Bay lies between Point Marsden and Kangaroo Head on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island facing into Investigator Strait. Nepean Bay itself includes the following coastal inlets from west to east - Bay of Shoals, Western Cove and Eastern Cove. Eastern Cove itself includes an inlet consisting of a channel known as American River and a lagoon system known as Pelican Lagoon.
The Bay of Shoals is a body of water which is located immediately north of the settlement of Kingscote and whose mouth is located between Cape Rouge in the north and Beatrice Point in the south over a distance of about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi). The bay has a maximum charted depth of 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in). Its mouth is bounded by a spit known as 'The Spit' which extends from Cape Rouge to within 0.5 nautical miles (0.93 km; 0.58 mi) of Beatrice Point, includes the islets of Busby and Beatrice and is reported as being exposed during local tides, i.e. ‘drying.’ Access for watercraft into the bay is via a natural channel at its southern end near Beatrice Point.
Kingscote Harbour is the sheltered water between Bay of Shoals and Western Cove. The harbour is sheltered by the Beatrice Islets, and it faces the northern part of the town of Kingscote.