Fowlers Bay, South Australia
| Fowlers Bay South Australia | |||||||
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 Town of Fowlers Bay | |||||||
  Fowlers Bay | |||||||
| Coordinates | 31°59′S 132°26′E / 31.983°S 132.433°ECoordinates: 31°59′S 132°26′E / 31.983°S 132.433°E | ||||||
| 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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The road to Fowlers Bay
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Jetty, Fowlers Bay
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Town, Fowlers Bay
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Cemetery, Fowlers Bay
See also
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Fowlers Bay (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2007-11-10.
- ↑ Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved on 10 November 2007
- 1 2 Fowlers Bay, South Australia
- ↑ Flinders, Matthew (1966) [1814]. A Voyage to Terra Australis : undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803 in His Majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland Schooner; with an account of the shipwreck of the Porpoise, arrival of the Cumberland at Mauritius, and imprisonment of the commander during six years and a half in that island. (Facsimile ed.). Adelaide; Facsimile reprint of: London : G. and W. Nicol, 1814 ed. In two volumes, with an Atlas (3 volumes): Libraries Board of South Australia. p. 211. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ↑ Edward John Eyre. "Book 2. - Australian Discovery by Land - XV Eyre's journey from Fowler's Bay to Albany in 1841".
- ↑ "New town names approved". The Advertiser. 26 July 1940. p. 10. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
- ↑ "Climate Statistics for Fowlers Bay, South Australia". Retrieved 20 January 2012.
External links
- Fowlers Bay - Nullarbor Travel Guide Australia
- The Township of Yalata
- Photos of Fowlers Bay cemetery and its headstones
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