Taylor Inlet is an inlet

Inlet

An inlet is a narrow body of water between islands or leading inland from a larger body of water, often leading to an enclosed body of water, such as a sound, bay, lagoon or marsh. In sea coasts an inlet usually refers to the actual connection between a bay and the ocean and is often called an...

 located in the Great Southern

Great Southern

Great Southern can refer to any of the following:*Great Southern Television, based in Auckland and Sydney.*Great Southern , a region in Western Australia.*Great Southern , the backing band for American rock guitarist Dickey Betts....

 region 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...

. The inlet is located on the coast near Nanarup beach and is approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) East 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....

 and is contained within the Taylor Inlet nature reserve.

The inlet is a wave dominated estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

 with a degraded catchment, that is a result of substantial clearing and a saline

Saline water

Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....

 run-off. It covers a total area of 1.2 square kilometres (297 acre) and the cathment covers a total area of about 10 square kilometres (4 sq mi)

The inlet is separated from the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean

The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...

 by a sand bar and typically open once or twice a year for a few weeks at a time usually between September and January. It kidney shaped and lies almost parallel to the shoreline. The channel is approximately 300 metres (984 ft) in length and 100 metres (328 ft) wide.

The vegetation fringing the inlet include Melaleuca cuticularis

Melaleuca cuticularis

Melaleuca cuticularis, or Saltwater Paperbark is a native tree of Western Australia.- Description :M. cuticularis is a tree that typically grows to a height of - and is fairly dense....

, Juncus kraussii

Juncus kraussii

Juncus kraussii is a species of rush known by the common name Jointed Rush. It is native to temperate coastlines and estuaries of Australia flowering year round.-External links:*...

, Samolus repens

Samolus repens

Samolus repens is a species of water pimpernel native to Australia, New Zealand and adjacent Pacific islands, and South America , where it is common in temperate and subtropic coastlines. This species has small white or occasionally pink flowers with a flowering period from September through to...

, Gahnia trifida

Gahnia trifida

Gahnia trifida is a tussock-forming perennial in the family Cyperaceae, endemic to southern Australia.A herb, sedge or grass-like, with very rough leaf margins and underside. The species grows in dense tussocks, 1.5 metres and 1 metre across, with leaves over 1 metre long and drooping. It is found...

 and Baumea juncea

Baumea

Baumea is a genus of the sedge family, which includes around 30 species native to Madagascar and the Pacific Islands, with 15 species in Australia. All are perennial rhizomatous herbs, with leaves and stems very similar in appearance. The inflorescence is terminal, with the flowers tightly...

. Other plants found in the surrounding dunes include Sand spinifex, Sword sedge

Lepidosperma gladiatum

Lepidosperma gladiatum is commonly known as the coast sword sedge or coastal sword sedge. It is an evergreen species of sedge that is native to southern coastal areas of Australia. It was described by French botanist Jacques Labillardière in 1805....

 and berry saltbush

Rhagodia baccata

Rhagodia baccata, commonly known as Berry Saltbush, is a species of shrub endemic to Western Australia.-Description:It is a spreading shrub up to two metres high, with elliptical leaves, and flowers that occur in a panicle. It bears red berries....

, pigface

Carpobrotus

Carpobrotus is a genus of ground-creeping plants, with succulent leaves and large daisy-like flowers. The name refers to the edible fruits. It comes from the Greek "karpos" and "brota" .There are about 25 species in this genus, having a disperse distribution worldwide...

 and peppermint trees

Agonis flexuosa

Agonis flexuosa is a species of tree that grows in the south west of Western Australia. It is easily the most common of the Agonis species, and is one of the most recognisable trees of Western Australia, being commonly grown in parks and on road verges in Perth.The species is commonly known as...

.