Fowlers Bay, South Australia
| Fowlers Bay South Australia |
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| File:Fowlers-Bay-town.JPG
Town of Fowlers Bay
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 Fowlers Bay
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| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | ||||||||
| Population | 125 (2006 census)[1] | ||||||||
| Established | 1890 | ||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 5690 | ||||||||
| Elevation | 3 m (10 ft)[2] | ||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | Outback Communities Authority | ||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Flinders | ||||||||
| Federal Division(s) | Grey | ||||||||
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Fowlers Bay, formerly Yalata, is a small coastal town in South Australia, approximately 912 kilometres (567 mi) north-west of the state capital, Adelaide. Situated on the Nullarbor Plain, it was once an active port and a gateway to the western reaches of the continent, but fell into decline in the 1960s. At the 2006 census, Fowlers Bay and the surrounding area had a population of 125.[1]
History
The coastline around Fowlers Bay was first mapped in 1627 by François Thijssen, a Dutch sea captain. His ship was the Golden Seahorse (Gulden Zeepard).[3] Fowlers Bay was named on 28 January 1802 by Matthew Flinders after his first lieutenant, Robert Fowler.[4]
Edward John Eyre set up base camp here in 1840 during his epic journeys across the Nullarbor Plain. By this time the area was well-known to American and French whaling ships; Eyre documents seeing whalers in the area.[5]
In the 1860s, the first pastoral leases were established by William Swan and Robert Barr Smith, forming Yalata station, a massive farming property, whose boundaries encompassed from the Head of the Great Australian Bight to Streaky Bay.[3]
The region was surveyed in March 1890 and proclaimed a town (under the name Yalata) in the Government Gazette in 1890, with the name changed to Fowler's Bay in 1940.[6] Yalata now refers to a nearby township.
Climate
| Climate data for Fowlers Bay, South Australia | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 48.4 (119.1) |
44.1 (111.4) |
42.8 (109) |
40.0 (104) |
33.3 (91.9) |
28.3 (82.9) |
27.2 (81) |
30.6 (87.1) |
38.9 (102) |
43.3 (109.9) |
44.4 (111.9) |
46.0 (114.8) |
48.4 (119.1) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 25.1 (77.2) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.2 (75.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.8 (64) |
17.0 (62.6) |
18.2 (64.8) |
20.3 (68.5) |
21.8 (71.2) |
23.2 (73.8) |
24.0 (75.2) |
21.5 (70.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 17.1 (62.8) |
17.0 (62.6) |
16.0 (60.8) |
13.4 (56.1) |
10.3 (50.5) |
8.1 (46.6) |
6.9 (44.4) |
7.6 (45.7) |
9.6 (49.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.9 (57) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.3 (54.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.2 (45) |
2.8 (37) |
5.0 (41) |
3.9 (39) |
−1.1 (30) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
1.7 (35.1) |
0.0 (32) |
3.9 (39) |
3.0 (37.4) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 8.4 (0.331) |
12.3 (0.484) |
13.7 (0.539) |
21.6 (0.85) |
42.0 (1.654) |
51.7 (2.035) |
43.5 (1.713) |
36.1 (1.421) |
21.8 (0.858) |
20.9 (0.823) |
16.5 (0.65) |
12.0 (0.472) |
300.2 (11.819) |
| Average precipitation days | 2.4 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 5.9 | 9.9 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 10.4 | 7.1 | 6.0 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 78.8 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology [7] | |||||||||||||
Fowler Bay has semi arid climate, which has influences of Great Australian Bight. The highest recorded temperature was +48,4 and the lowest recorded was -3.2 degrees.
In the 2000s
Today Fowlers Bay is located in the unincorporated area of South Australia (only 15% of the state is under Local Government). The town does not receive reticulated power or water. It is currently a popular overnight destination between Nundroo and Penong, and its fishing facilities, beaches and surrounding historical ruins gives the town some interest for tourists and sightseers. There are no sealed roads to Fowlers Bay and visitors should seek advice before driving across the saltwater bog behind the town.
Visually the town is dominated by a large sand dune that protects the town from the Southern Ocean. Southern right whales have recolonised into the area in recent years, with the bay providing a small but ideal sanctuary. Bottlenose dolphins and Australian sea lions may also be found.
The ruins of the homestead of the Yalata station can be found several kilometres from the town. There is a small cemetery on the outskirts of the town.
Gallery
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Fowlers-Bay-approach.JPG
The road to Fowlers Bay
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Fowlers-Bay-jetty.JPG
Jetty, Fowlers Bay
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Fowlers-Bay-town.JPG
Town, Fowlers Bay
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Fowlers-Bay-cemetery.JPG
Cemetery, Fowlers Bay
See also
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />External links
- Fowlers Bay - Nullarbor Travel Guide Australia
- The Township of Yalata
- Photos of Fowlers Bay cemetery and its headstones
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 10 November 2007
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Fowlers Bay, South Australia
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Pages with broken file links
- Pages with reference errors
- Use dmy dates from February 2012
- Use Australian English from February 2012
- All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
- Towns in South Australia
- Coastal towns in South Australia
- Bays of South Australia
- Places in the unincorporated areas of South Australia
