Geographe Bay

Bay in south-west of Western Australia

Geographe Bay at sunset, looking towards Cape Naturaliste

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.[1]: 57 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 the Indian Ocean by Cape Naturaliste (named after Naturaliste),[1] 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 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.[2][3][4]

## References

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1. ^ a b F. Peron; L. Freycinet (1809). A Voyage of Discovery to the Southern Hemisphere: Performed by Order of the Emperor Napoleon during the Years 1801, 1802, and 1804. London: Richard Phillips. OCLC 6521670. OL 6948659M. Wikidata Q128790983.
2. ^ Coastal Zone Inquiry (Australia); Western Australia. Department of Planning and Urban Development; Australia. Resource Assessment Commission; Western Australia. Coastal Management Co-ordinating Committee; Meridian Environmental (1993), Western Australian case study report : study area: Geographe Bay, The Commission, ISBN 978-0-644-28610-7
3. ^ Geographe Bay Land and Sea Conference (1994 : Busselton, W.A.); Geographe Bay Advisory Committee (W.A.) (1994), Geographe Bay Land and Sea Conference 1994, The Committee, archived from the original on 31 August 2021, retrieved 28 November 2013`{{citation}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ Western Australia. Ministry for Planning; Geographe Bay Advisory Committee (1995), Geographe Bay integrated catchment management strategy (draft) : guidelines for people managing Geographe Bay and its catchment area, Western Australian Planning Commission, ISBN 978-0-7309-5357-9

## Further reading

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* Edward Duyker François Péron: An Impetuous Life: Naturalist and Voyager, Miegunyah/MUP, Melb., 2006, ISBN 978-0-522-85260-8,
* Fornasiero, Jean; Monteath, Peter and West-Sooby, John. Encountering Terra Australis: the Australian voyages of Nicholas Baudin and Matthew Flinders, Kent Town, South Australia, Wakefield Press, 2004. ISBN 1-86254-625-8
* Frank Horner, The French Reconnaissance: Baudin in Australia 1801–1803, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1987 ISBN 0-522-84339-5.
* Marchant, Leslie R. French Napoleonic Placenames of the South West Coast, Greenwood, WA. R.I.C. Publications, 2004. ISBN 1-74126-094-9

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Australian places named by French explorers in the 18th and 19th centuries

South Australia|

* Cape Bedout
* Cape Borda
* Cape Bouguer
* Cape Carnot
* Cape du Couedic
* Casuarina Islets (Ilots du Cassuarina)
* D'Estrees Bay (Baie D'Estrees)
* Dorothee Island (Ile Dorothee)
* Fleurieu Peninsula
* Cape Forbin
* Cape Gantheaume
* Guichen Bay (Baie de Guichen)
* Jussieu Peninsula
* Lacepede Bay
* Maupertuis Bay (Baie Maupertuis)
* Fenelon Island
* Masillon Island
* Ravine des Casoars
* Rivoli Bay (Baie de Rivoli)
* Cape Thevenard
* Veteran Isles (Ile du Veteran)
* Vivonne Bay (Baie Vivonne)

Western Australia|

* Cape Bouvard
* Cape Clairault
* Cape Freycinet
* Cape Mentelle
* Cape Naturaliste
* Faure Island
* Gantheaume Point
* Geographe Bay
* Lancelin Island
* Middle Island (Iles du Milieu)
* Peron Peninsula
* Recherche Archipelago (L’Archipel de la Recherche)

Only places with the name still in use in either the original or anglicised version are listed above. Many names have been anglicised; for these the original French name appears in brackets.

33°35′S 115°15′E﻿ / ﻿33.58°S 115.25°E﻿ / -33.58; 115.25

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