King George Sound
Encyclopedia
King George Sound is the name of a sound
on the south coast of Western Australia
. Located at 35°02′S 117°56′E, it is the site of the city of Albany
.
The sound covers an area of 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and varies in depth from 10 m (32.8 ft) to 35 m (114.8 ft).
The sound is bordered by the mainland to the north, by Vancouver Peninsula on the west, and by Bald Head and Flinders Peninsula to the south. Although the sound is open water to the east, the waters are partially protected by Breaksea Island
and Michaelmas Island
. There are two harbours located within the sound, Princess Royal Harbour and Oyster Harbour. Each receive excellent protection from winds and heavy seas. Princess Royal Harbour was Western Australia's only deep-water port for around 70 years until Fremantle Harbour
, south of Perth
was opened.
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The first reported sighting of King George Sound by a European was in 1791 by the English explorer George Vancouver
, Vancouver named it after the reigning monarch, King George III.
The next Europeans to visit the Sound were whalers Capt. Dennis of The Kingston, and Captain Dickson aboard The Elligood who caught three whales in August 1800. This expedition left an inscribed piece of metal behind to be found by Flinders crew in the following year.
Matthew Flinders
anchored in the Sound for about a month in 1801, during this time Brown
(ship's botanist) and Good
(ship's gardener) collected samples of over 500 plant species.
Nicolas Baudin
arrived in the sound in February 1803 aboard Le Geographe to rendezvous with Louis de Freycinet aboard the Casuarina before doing further exploration of the West Australian coastline. During the course of their stay the ship's naturalist, Francois Peron, collected 1060 new species of shellfish and a large number of starfish from the sound.
Phillip Parker King visited the Sound in 1818 aboard the cutter Mermaid while en route to conduct a nautical survey of the North West Cape, and Frenchman Dumont d'Urville visited it in 1826 aboard the Astrolabe.
On 25 December 1826, the British ship Amity, under the command of Major Edmund Lockyer
, arrived at King George Sound to establish a military outpost. Lockyer named his settlement "Fredrickstown", but this name never gained wide acceptance. Instead the settlement and surrounding locality were usually referred to as King George Sound. In 1832, Governor of Western Australia
Captain (later Admiral) Sir James Stirling
declared the settlement a town and renamed it Albany
, but the broader locality continued to be referred to as King George Sound for many years.
A panorama print of the view
from Mount Clarence was published in England in 1834, accompanied by a pamphlet describing the sound and the geography, geology, flora, fauna and native inhabitants of the immediate region.
Until the construction of Fremantle Harbour
in 1897, King George Sound contained the only deepwater port in Western Australia, and so was the favoured location for delivery of mail and supplies from abroad to Western Australia. These were then transported to Perth and Fremantle by road or coastal shipping until the early 1890s, when the completion of the Great Southern Railway
provided a quicker service.
Albany Port
is located on the north shore of Princess Royal Harbour adjacent to the city of Albany
. The port was first established in 1826 has been expanded regularly since. The port now has five berths able to cater to panamax
class vessels. The port typically caters for loading of about 120 vessels per annum.
In 1914, King George Sound was the last Australian anchorage for the fleet taking the first Australian and New Zealand soldiers, later to become known as ANZACs, to Europe. A memorial to the ANZACs of the Desert Mounted Corps
has been established on top of Mount Clarence
. Albany was where the first commemorative dawn service was held on ANZAC Day
, 25 April 1923. The contribution of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
, president of Turkey from 1923 until 1938 is recognised by naming the entrance into Princess Royal Harbour as Ataturk Entrance.
The Cheynes Beach Whaling Company began operating out of Frenchman Bay that is located within the Sound in 1952 with a small quota of 50 humpback whales that was eventually increased to 175. At the peak of the whaling activity in the Sound the company was taking between 900 to 1100 Sperm
and Humpback whales
in a year. Humpback whaling was banned in 1963 which in turn decreased the viability of the operation.
In 1978 the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company closed down after increasing environmental lobby group pressure, it was the last whaling station in Australia.
beds still exist in King George Sound, although they have been adversely affected by increased nutrient levels and industry in the area. Some of the seagrasses present in the sound include Posidonia australis
, Posidonia robertsoneae, Posidonia kirkmanii, Posidonia sinuosa, Posidonia denhartogii, Posidonia ostenfeldii
, Amphibolis antarctica
, Amphibolis griffithii
, Halophila australis, Halophila ovalis
, Ruppia megacarpa and Heterozostera tasmanica.
The fringing vegetation around the sound includes both the saltmarshes of Oyster Harbour and Princess Royal Harbour, and the sandy beach vegetation. Saltmarshes contain a variety of species including samphire
, seablite, astartea
, wattle
, greenbush, shore rush, twig rush and saltwater paperbark
Freshwater species also occur in areas where substantial freshwater seepage occurs.
Sandy beach areas contain a mix of shrubs and sedges such as the grey white cushion bush, coast sword sedge, knotted club rush, sea rocket, pigface and false caper.
Many species of coral
s are present including Turbinaria frondens, Turbinaria mesenterina and Turbinaria renformis which cover an extensive area. Other coral species that can be found include Scolymia australis, Plesiastrea versipora, Coscinaraea mcneilli and Coscinaraea marshae.
A large, wild mussel population was known to exist in the sound, and now commercial mussel farms operate within the area that grow and harvest Blue mussel
s.
It is estimated that 203 species of fish inhabit the Oyster Harbour, Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound, with Australian Pilchards Sardinops sagax neopilchardus making up 97% of the total fish catch. Other species that are commonly found include Australian Herring
, leatherjackets, cobbler, King George Whiting, Tailor, Australian Anchovy, Garfish, Sand Trevally, Tarwhine, Flathead, Tuna, Snapper, Australian Salmon, Yellowtail scad, Sea Mullet, Striped trumpeter, Long-toothed flounder, Dusky morwong and Long-finned goby.
Seal
s are known to inhabit the sound in various locations along the coast and on the islands. The species that are sighted most often are the Australian Sea Lion
and the New Zealand Fur Seal
. Species that have been sighted, but are considered to be occasional visitors, include the Subantarctic Fur Seal
and the Leopard Seal
.
Dolphin
s are also found in the area, and are occasionally caught and drowned in fishing nets or stranded. The Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis and the Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncates have both been recorded in the area.
Southern Right Whale
s and Humpback whale
s frequent the area between the months of July and October when they congregate to mate and calve in the protected waters of the sound. Other whales that have been spotted in the area include Minke Whale
s, Blue Whale
s, Short-Finned Pilot Whale
s, False Killer Whale
s and Killer Whales. Sperm Whale
s were known to visit the sound during the whaling era but none have been sighted recently, although a pod was detected further out in the Southern Ocean in 2002.
The sound becomes a perfect habitat for migratory wading birds during the summer, when an estimated 2,000-3,000 birds flock to the area to feed in the shallow mudflats of the harbours. Some of the species that can be found during the summer months include the red-necked stint
and the red knot
as well as sandpipers, Grey Plover
s, Red capped plovers, Lesser Sand Plover
s, Grey-tailed tattler
s, whimbrel
s, common greenshanks, Yellow-billed Spoonbill
, White-faced Heron
and stilt
s. Other birds that are commonly seen around the sound include cormorant
s, Pied Oystercatcher
s, Sooty Oystercatcher
s, Pacific gull
s, Caspian tern
s, pelican
s, osprey
and White-bellied Sea Eagle
.
and is fringed with prominent headlands composed of granite
and gneiss
es formed by Proterozoic tectonic activity. Arcuate Bays that contain beaches backed by holocene
dunes are found between the headlands.
King George Sound includes many islands and some islets, these are all composed of granite with accumulations of soil on most.
Islands of note include Breaksea Island, Michaelmas Island
, Seal Island
, Mistaken Island
, and Green Island
The temperature of the water in the sound is slightly different to that of the open sea.
The salinity
level within the Sound remains relatively constant ranging between 34.8 to 35.5 '‰
', the lower levels occurring during heavy winter rain events when large volumes of freshwater enter the sound from the King
and Kalgan rivers
.
The Leeuwin Current
exerts some influence in the sound as it flows eastwards along the continental shelf
in the main part of the sound.
to be used as a dive-site.
The former whale chaser, Cheynes, was sold for scrap in 1961 and subsequently sunk between Michaelmas island and the northern shoreline of the sound. Another chaser in the fleet, Cheynes II, was blown ashore on Geak Point near Quaranup in Princess Royal Harbour in 1990 and is still there to this day approximately 290 metres (951 ft) off-shore.
A wooden Barque, the Fanny Nicholson was being used as a whaling vessel when it was run ashore during a gale in 1872, the remains can still be seen in the shallow water in Frenchman's Bay. Another whaling barque, the Runnymede, met a similar fate in 1881 when it was also driven aground during a storm in 1881.
Two wrecks located within the sound are protected by the Department of Matitime Archeology at the Federal level, these are the wooden Barque Athena that was sunk in 1908 and the Wooden boat Elvie that sunk in 1923.
In 1868, Northumberland, a wooden Barque laden with 2000 tonnes of coal was grounded on a reef off Bald Head near the entrance to King George Sound. The ship was eventually freed and sailed into the sound with a broken rudder, the crew eventually abandoned ship and took to the life boats. Northumberland foundered and sunk between Cape Vancouver and Breaksea Island
.
Sound (geography)
In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....
on the south coast of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Located at 35°02′S 117°56′E, it is the site of the city of Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
.
The sound covers an area of 110 square kilometres (42 sq mi) and varies in depth from 10 m (32.8 ft) to 35 m (114.8 ft).
The sound is bordered by the mainland to the north, by Vancouver Peninsula on the west, and by Bald Head and Flinders Peninsula to the south. Although the sound is open water to the east, the waters are partially protected by Breaksea Island
Breaksea Island (Western Australia)
Breaksea Island is an island in King George Sound in the Great Southern of Western Australia and is South East of Albany. The island is a nature reserve and managed by Department of Environment and Conservation , it’s reserve number is 27614. The island is also registered as a national estate....
and Michaelmas Island
Michaelmas Island
Michaelmas Island is an island located in King George Sound near Albany, Western Australia.The island is a nature reserve and managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation; its reserve number is 30049. The island is also registered as a national estate. The island is in area...
. There are two harbours located within the sound, Princess Royal Harbour and Oyster Harbour. Each receive excellent protection from winds and heavy seas. Princess Royal Harbour was Western Australia's only deep-water port for around 70 years until Fremantle Harbour
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, south of Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
was opened.
History
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
, Vancouver named it after the reigning monarch, King George III.
The next Europeans to visit the Sound were whalers Capt. Dennis of The Kingston, and Captain Dickson aboard The Elligood who caught three whales in August 1800. This expedition left an inscribed piece of metal behind to be found by Flinders crew in the following year.
Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
anchored in the Sound for about a month in 1801, during this time Brown
Robert Brown (botanist)
Robert Brown was a Scottish botanist and palaeobotanist who made important contributions to botany largely through his pioneering use of the microscope...
(ship's botanist) and Good
Peter Good
Peter Good was the gardener assistant to botanist Robert Brown on the voyage of HMS Investigator under Matthew Flinders, during which the coast of Australia was charted, and various plants collected.-Biography:...
(ship's gardener) collected samples of over 500 plant species.
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer.Baudin was born a commoner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. At the age of fifteen he joined the merchant navy, and at twenty joined the French East India Company...
arrived in the sound in February 1803 aboard Le Geographe to rendezvous with Louis de Freycinet aboard the Casuarina before doing further exploration of the West Australian coastline. During the course of their stay the ship's naturalist, Francois Peron, collected 1060 new species of shellfish and a large number of starfish from the sound.
Phillip Parker King visited the Sound in 1818 aboard the cutter Mermaid while en route to conduct a nautical survey of the North West Cape, and Frenchman Dumont d'Urville visited it in 1826 aboard the Astrolabe.
On 25 December 1826, the British ship Amity, under the command of Major Edmund Lockyer
Edmund Lockyer
Edmund Lockyer, – 10 June 1860) was a British soldier and explorer of Australia.Born in Plymouth, Devon, Lockyer was son of Thomas Lockyer, a sailmaker, and his wife Ann, née Grose. Lockyer began his army career as an ensign in the 19th Regiment in June 1803, was promoted lieutenant in early 1805...
, arrived at King George Sound to establish a military outpost. Lockyer named his settlement "Fredrickstown", but this name never gained wide acceptance. Instead the settlement and surrounding locality were usually referred to as King George Sound. In 1832, Governor of Western Australia
Governor of Western Australia
The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...
Captain (later Admiral) Sir James Stirling
James Stirling (Australian governor)
Admiral Sir James Stirling RN was a British naval officer and colonial administrator. His enthusiasm and persistence persuaded the British Government to establish the Swan River Colony and he became the first Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Western Australia...
declared the settlement a town and renamed it Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
, but the broader locality continued to be referred to as King George Sound for many years.
A panorama print of the view
Panoramic View of King George's Sound, Part of the Colony of Swan River
Panoramic View of King George's Sound, Part of the Colony of Swan River is a panoramic hand-coloured print published in 1834 by Robert Havell, based on sketches by Robert Dale.-Background:...
from Mount Clarence was published in England in 1834, accompanied by a pamphlet describing the sound and the geography, geology, flora, fauna and native inhabitants of the immediate region.
Until the construction of Fremantle Harbour
Fremantle Harbour
Fremantle Harbour is Western Australia's largest and busiest general cargo port and an important historical site. The inner harbour handles a large volume of sea containers, vehicle imports and livestock exports, cruise shipping and naval visits, and operates 24 hours a day.The harbour is also...
in 1897, King George Sound contained the only deepwater port in Western Australia, and so was the favoured location for delivery of mail and supplies from abroad to Western Australia. These were then transported to Perth and Fremantle by road or coastal shipping until the early 1890s, when the completion of the Great Southern Railway
Great Southern Railway (Western Australia)
The Great Southern Railway was the name of a railway company that operated from Beverley to Albany in Western Australia between 1886 and 1896. In 1896 the Western Australian Government Railways took over this company and the railway route also kept the name.- Construction :The first sods for the...
provided a quicker service.
Albany Port
Port of Albany
The Port of Albany or Albany Port is an Western Australian port located on the south coast of the state in the Great Southern region.-Location:...
is located on the north shore of Princess Royal Harbour adjacent to the city of Albany
Albany, Western Australia
Albany is a port city in the Great Southern region of Western Australia, some 418 km SE of Perth, the state capital. As of 2009, Albany's population was estimated at 33,600, making it the 6th-largest city in the state....
. The port was first established in 1826 has been expanded regularly since. The port now has five berths able to cater to panamax
Panamax
Panamax and New Panamax are popular terms for the size limits for ships traveling through the Panama Canal. Formally, the limits and requirements are published by the Panama Canal Authority titled "Vessel Requirements"...
class vessels. The port typically caters for loading of about 120 vessels per annum.
In 1914, King George Sound was the last Australian anchorage for the fleet taking the first Australian and New Zealand soldiers, later to become known as ANZACs, to Europe. A memorial to the ANZACs of the Desert Mounted Corps
Desert Mounted Corps
The Desert Mounted Corps was a World War I Allied army corps that operated in the Middle East during 1917 and 1918.Originally formed on 15 March 1916 as the Australian and New Zealand Mounted Division under the command of Major General Harry Chauvel The Desert Mounted Corps was a World War I...
has been established on top of Mount Clarence
Mount Clarence, Western Australia
Mount Clarence is an inner suburb of Albany, Western Australia, between the Albany city centre and Middleton Beach. Its Local Government Area is the City of Albany, and over three-quarters of its land area is either parkland or forest, including Albany's Heritage Park.Mount Clarence was gazetted as...
. Albany was where the first commemorative dawn service was held on ANZAC Day
ANZAC Day
Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour the members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all...
, 25 April 1923. The contribution of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
, president of Turkey from 1923 until 1938 is recognised by naming the entrance into Princess Royal Harbour as Ataturk Entrance.
The Cheynes Beach Whaling Company began operating out of Frenchman Bay that is located within the Sound in 1952 with a small quota of 50 humpback whales that was eventually increased to 175. At the peak of the whaling activity in the Sound the company was taking between 900 to 1100 Sperm
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
and Humpback whales
Humpback Whale
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
in a year. Humpback whaling was banned in 1963 which in turn decreased the viability of the operation.
In 1978 the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company closed down after increasing environmental lobby group pressure, it was the last whaling station in Australia.
Flora
Dense seagrassSeagrass
Seagrasses are flowering plants from one of four plant families , all in the order Alismatales , which grow in marine, fully saline environments.-Ecology:...
beds still exist in King George Sound, although they have been adversely affected by increased nutrient levels and industry in the area. Some of the seagrasses present in the sound include Posidonia australis
Posidonia australis
Posidonia australis is a species of seagrass that occurs in the southern waters of Australia. It is sometimes referred to as Fibreball Weed. The marine plant forms large meadows that are considered to be of high importance to the environmental conservation of the region...
, Posidonia robertsoneae, Posidonia kirkmanii, Posidonia sinuosa, Posidonia denhartogii, Posidonia ostenfeldii
Posidonia ostenfeldii
Posidonia ostenfeldii is a species of seagrass that occurs in the southern waters of Australia.-Description:A species of Posidonia. A perennial rhizomatous herb that appears as clumps on sand in marine habitat. It is found at depths between 1 and 15 metres. The leaf blades are 6-12 mm...
, Amphibolis antarctica
Amphibolis antarctica
Amphibolis antarctica, commonly known as Wire weed or Sea Nymph, is a seagrass found in coastal waters of southern and western Australia.-Description:...
, Amphibolis griffithii
Amphibolis griffithii
Amphibolis griffithii is a seagrass found in waters along the southwestern coasts of Western Australia. -Description:A common marine herb, the rhizomatous plant forms meadows which stabilise sands; the intertwining roots and leaves protects the substrate from ocean currents...
, Halophila australis, Halophila ovalis
Halophila ovalis
Halophila ovalis is a seagrass in the family Hydrocharitaceae, a common name is paddle weed. It is a small herbaceous plant that occurs in sea beds and other saltwater environments....
, Ruppia megacarpa and Heterozostera tasmanica.
The fringing vegetation around the sound includes both the saltmarshes of Oyster Harbour and Princess Royal Harbour, and the sandy beach vegetation. Saltmarshes contain a variety of species including samphire
Samphire
Samphire is a name given to a number of very different edible plants that happen to grow in coastal areas.*Rock samphire, Crithmum maritimum is a coastal species with white flowers that grows in the United Kingdom...
, seablite, astartea
Astartea
Astartea is a genus of the botanical family Myrtaceae. The genus is endemic to the south west of Western Australia.Species include:*Astartea affinis Rye*Astartea ambigua F.Muell.*Astartea aspera Schauer...
, wattle
Acacia
Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
, greenbush, shore rush, twig rush and saltwater paperbark
Melaleuca
Melaleuca is a genus of plants in the myrtle family Myrtaceae known for its natural soothing and cleansing properties. There are well over 200 recognised species, most of which are endemic to Australia...
Freshwater species also occur in areas where substantial freshwater seepage occurs.
Sandy beach areas contain a mix of shrubs and sedges such as the grey white cushion bush, coast sword sedge, knotted club rush, sea rocket, pigface and false caper.
Fauna
The sound comprises a wide variety of habitats that supports an abundance of marine life.Many species of coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s are present including Turbinaria frondens, Turbinaria mesenterina and Turbinaria renformis which cover an extensive area. Other coral species that can be found include Scolymia australis, Plesiastrea versipora, Coscinaraea mcneilli and Coscinaraea marshae.
A large, wild mussel population was known to exist in the sound, and now commercial mussel farms operate within the area that grow and harvest Blue mussel
Blue mussel
The blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, is a medium-sized edible marine bivalve mollusc in the family Mytilidae. In spite of its specific name edulis, it is not the sole edible Mytilus species.-Distribution:...
s.
It is estimated that 203 species of fish inhabit the Oyster Harbour, Princess Royal Harbour and King George Sound, with Australian Pilchards Sardinops sagax neopilchardus making up 97% of the total fish catch. Other species that are commonly found include Australian Herring
Australian herring
The Australian Herring, Arripis georgianus, is one of four species within the Arripis genus. It closely resembles its 'cousins', the Australian Salmon, although it grows to a smaller size. Like the other members of its genus, it is found in cooler waters around the southern coast of Australia...
, leatherjackets, cobbler, King George Whiting, Tailor, Australian Anchovy, Garfish, Sand Trevally, Tarwhine, Flathead, Tuna, Snapper, Australian Salmon, Yellowtail scad, Sea Mullet, Striped trumpeter, Long-toothed flounder, Dusky morwong and Long-finned goby.
Seal
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
s are known to inhabit the sound in various locations along the coast and on the islands. The species that are sighted most often are the Australian Sea Lion
Australian Sea Lion
The Australian Sea Lion , also known as the Australian Sea-lion or Australian Sealion, is a species of sea lion that breeds only on the south and west coasts of Australia...
and the New Zealand Fur Seal
New Zealand Fur Seal
The Australian fur seal , or New Zealand fur seal or southern fur seal, is a species of fur seal found around the south coast of Australia, the coast of the South Island of New Zealand, and some of the small islands to the south and east of there...
. Species that have been sighted, but are considered to be occasional visitors, include the Subantarctic Fur Seal
Subantarctic Fur Seal
The subantarctic fur seal is a fur seal found in the southern parts of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. It was first described by Gray in 1872 from a specimen recovered in northern Australia—hence the inappropriate tropicalis specific name.- Description :The subantarctic fur seal is...
and the Leopard Seal
Leopard Seal
The leopard seal , also referred to as the sea leopard, is the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic...
.
Dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
s are also found in the area, and are occasionally caught and drowned in fishing nets or stranded. The Common Dolphin
Common dolphin
The common dolphin is the name given to two species of dolphin making up the genus Delphinus.Prior to the mid-1990s, most taxonomists only recognised one species in this genus, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis...
Delphinus delphis and the Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...
Tursiops truncates have both been recorded in the area.
Southern Right Whale
Southern Right Whale
The southern right whale is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Like other right whales, the southern right whale is readily distinguished from others by the callosities on its head, a broad back without a dorsal fin, and a long arching...
s and Humpback whale
Humpback Whale
The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
s frequent the area between the months of July and October when they congregate to mate and calve in the protected waters of the sound. Other whales that have been spotted in the area include Minke Whale
Minke Whale
Minke whale , or lesser rorqual, is a name given to two species of marine mammal belonging to a clade within the suborder of baleen whales. The minke whale was given its official designation by Lacepède in 1804, who described a dwarf form of Balænoptera acuto-rostrata...
s, Blue Whale
Blue Whale
The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....
s, Short-Finned Pilot Whale
Short-finned Pilot Whale
The Short-finned Pilot Whale is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It is part of the oceanic dolphin family , though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales....
s, False Killer Whale
False Killer Whale
The False Killer Whale is a cetacean, and the third largest member of the oceanic dolphin family . It lives in temperate and tropical waters throughout the world. As its name implies, the False Killer Whale shares characteristics, such as appearance, with the more widely known Orca...
s and Killer Whales. Sperm Whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
s were known to visit the sound during the whaling era but none have been sighted recently, although a pod was detected further out in the Southern Ocean in 2002.
The sound becomes a perfect habitat for migratory wading birds during the summer, when an estimated 2,000-3,000 birds flock to the area to feed in the shallow mudflats of the harbours. Some of the species that can be found during the summer months include the red-necked stint
Red-necked Stint
The Red-necked Stint is a small migratory wader.- Description :These birds are among the smallest of waders, very similar to the Little Stint, Calidris minuta, with which they were once considered conspecific...
and the red knot
Red Knot
The Red Knot, Calidris canutus , is a medium sized shorebird which breeds in tundra and the Arctic Cordillera in the far north of Canada, Europe, and Russia. It is a large member of the Calidris sandpipers, second only to the Great Knot...
as well as sandpipers, Grey Plover
Grey Plover
The Grey Plover , known as the Black-bellied Plover in North America, is a medium-sized plover breeding in arctic regions. It is a long-distance migrant, with a nearly worldwide coastal distribution when not breeding....
s, Red capped plovers, Lesser Sand Plover
Lesser Sand Plover
The Lesser Sand Plover, Charadrius mongolus, is a small wader in the plover family of birds. The spelling is commonly given as Lesser Sandplover, but the official British Ornithologists' Union spelling is Lesser Sand Plover....
s, Grey-tailed tattler
Grey-tailed Tattler
The Grey-tailed Tattler, Tringa brevipes , is a small shorebird.- Description :...
s, whimbrel
Whimbrel
The Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, is a wader in the large family Scolopacidae. It is one of the mostwidespread of the curlews, breeding across much of subarctic North America, Europe and Asia as far south as Scotland....
s, common greenshanks, Yellow-billed Spoonbill
Yellow-billed Spoonbill
The Yellow-billed Spoonbill is common in southeast Australia; it is not unusual on the remainder of the continent, and is a vagrant to New Zealand, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. It is around 90 cm long, and has white plumage with a yellow bill, legs and feet. It nests in trees, marshes or...
, White-faced Heron
White-faced Heron
The White-faced Heron, Egretta novaehollandiae, also known as the White-fronted Heron, and incorrectly as the Grey Heron, or Blue Crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, the islands of the Subantarctic, and...
and stilt
Stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
s. Other birds that are commonly seen around the sound include cormorant
Cormorant
The bird family Phalacrocoracidae is represented by some 40 species of cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed recently, and the number of genera is disputed.- Names :...
s, Pied Oystercatcher
Pied Oystercatcher
The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. The similar South Island Pied Oystercatcher The Pied Oystercatcher, Haematopus longirostris, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading...
s, Sooty Oystercatcher
Sooty Oystercatcher
The Sooty Oystercatcher, Haematopus fuliginosus, is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird native to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries....
s, Pacific gull
Pacific Gull
The Pacific Gull is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common between Carnarvon in the west, and Sydney in the east, although it has become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a result of competition from the Kelp Gull, which has "self-introduced" since...
s, Caspian tern
Caspian Tern
The Caspian Tern is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no subspecies accepted either...
s, pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
s, osprey
Osprey
The Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk or fish eagle, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching more than in length and across the wings...
and White-bellied Sea Eagle
White-bellied Sea Eagle
The White-bellied Sea Eagle , also known as the White-breasted Sea Eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related to Sanford's Sea Eagle of the Solomon Islands, and the two are considered a superspecies...
.
Geology
The Western Australian South Coast is formed along the edge of the southern margin of the Yilgarn cratonYilgarn craton
The Yilgarn Craton is a large craton which constitutes the bulk of the Western Australian land mass. It is bounded by a mixture of sedimentary basins and Proterozoic fold and thrust belts...
and is fringed with prominent headlands composed of granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and gneiss
Gneiss
Gneiss is a common and widely distributed type of rock formed by high-grade regional metamorphic processes from pre-existing formations that were originally either igneous or sedimentary rocks.-Etymology:...
es formed by Proterozoic tectonic activity. Arcuate Bays that contain beaches backed by holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
dunes are found between the headlands.
King George Sound includes many islands and some islets, these are all composed of granite with accumulations of soil on most.
Islands of note include Breaksea Island, Michaelmas Island
Michaelmas Island
Michaelmas Island is an island located in King George Sound near Albany, Western Australia.The island is a nature reserve and managed by the Department of Environment and Conservation; its reserve number is 30049. The island is also registered as a national estate. The island is in area...
, Seal Island
Seal Island (Western Australia)
Seal Island is an island located approximately South East of Albany, Western Australia. The island is located approximately off-shore from Frenchman Bay in King George Sound...
, Mistaken Island
Mistaken Island
Mistaken Island is an island located approximately South East of Albany, Western Australia.Located in King George Sound the island is located approximately from Vancouver peninsula....
, and Green Island
Green Island (Western Australia)
Green Island is an island in Oyster Harbour located approximately northeast of Albany in Western Australia.The island has a total area of and was designated as a Class 1A Nature Reserve in 1988....
Oceanography
The tidal range in King George Sound (including Princess Royal Harbour and Oyster Harbour) is 0.4 metres (1 ft) with spring tidal range of 1.1 metres (4 ft). Tidal levels can remain static for periods of time. Semi-diurnal tides are frequent and diurnal tides are occasional.The temperature of the water in the sound is slightly different to that of the open sea.
| Location | Mean Summer Temp (°C) | Mean Winter Temp (°C) |
|---|---|---|
| Open Sea | 20.1 | 17.3 |
| King George Sound | 20.5 | 13.6 |
The salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
level within the Sound remains relatively constant ranging between 34.8 to 35.5 '‰
Parts-per notation
In science and engineering, the parts-per notation is a set of pseudo units to describe small values of miscellaneous dimensionless quantities, e.g. mole fraction or mass fraction. Since these fractions are quantity-per-quantity measures, they are pure numbers with no associated units of measurement...
', the lower levels occurring during heavy winter rain events when large volumes of freshwater enter the sound from the King
King River (Western Australia)
The King River is a river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.The river rises east of the town of Redmond. The river flows for approximately and along with the Kalgan River drains into Oyster Harbour and finally King George Sound north east of Albany.The river was named after Captain...
and Kalgan rivers
Kalgan River
The Kalgan River is a river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.The mouth of the river is found at coordinates 34°57'3.13"S 117°58'41.41"E.- Geography :The river is long and, along with the King River, drains into Oyster Harbour...
.
The Leeuwin Current
Leeuwin Current
The Leeuwin Current is a warm ocean current which flows southwards near the western coast of Australia. It rounds Cape Leeuwin to enter the waters south of Australia where its influence extends as far as Tasmania...
exerts some influence in the sound as it flows eastwards along the continental shelf
Continental shelf
The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain. Much of the shelf was exposed during glacial periods, but is now submerged under relatively shallow seas and gulfs, and was similarly submerged during other interglacial periods. The continental margin,...
in the main part of the sound.
Shipwrecks
Many wrecks exist within King George Sound, the most recent and best known is the 133 metres (436 ft) guided missile destroyer HMAS Perth that was scuttled in 2001 in 35 metres (115 ft) of water off Seal IslandSeal Island (Western Australia)
Seal Island is an island located approximately South East of Albany, Western Australia. The island is located approximately off-shore from Frenchman Bay in King George Sound...
to be used as a dive-site.
The former whale chaser, Cheynes, was sold for scrap in 1961 and subsequently sunk between Michaelmas island and the northern shoreline of the sound. Another chaser in the fleet, Cheynes II, was blown ashore on Geak Point near Quaranup in Princess Royal Harbour in 1990 and is still there to this day approximately 290 metres (951 ft) off-shore.
A wooden Barque, the Fanny Nicholson was being used as a whaling vessel when it was run ashore during a gale in 1872, the remains can still be seen in the shallow water in Frenchman's Bay. Another whaling barque, the Runnymede, met a similar fate in 1881 when it was also driven aground during a storm in 1881.
Two wrecks located within the sound are protected by the Department of Matitime Archeology at the Federal level, these are the wooden Barque Athena that was sunk in 1908 and the Wooden boat Elvie that sunk in 1923.
In 1868, Northumberland, a wooden Barque laden with 2000 tonnes of coal was grounded on a reef off Bald Head near the entrance to King George Sound. The ship was eventually freed and sailed into the sound with a broken rudder, the crew eventually abandoned ship and took to the life boats. Northumberland foundered and sunk between Cape Vancouver and Breaksea Island
Breaksea Island (Western Australia)
Breaksea Island is an island in King George Sound in the Great Southern of Western Australia and is South East of Albany. The island is a nature reserve and managed by Department of Environment and Conservation , it’s reserve number is 27614. The island is also registered as a national estate....
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