Broad Sound (Queensland)
| Broad Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
Primary inflows Styx River | | |
| Basin countries | Australia | |
| Max. length | 50 kilometres (31 mi) | |
| Max. width | 20 kilometres (12 mi) | |
Broad Sound is a large bay on the east coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland, 675 kilometers (419 miles) northwest of the state capital, Brisbane. It is about 50 kilometers (31 miles) long and 20 kilometers (12 miles) across at its widest point. The Torilla Peninsula forms the eastern side of the bay; Shoalwater Bay is on the other side of the peninsula. The sound has a large tidal range of about 10 metres (33 ft).[1] This is the largest variance on the eastern Australia coastline.[2]
History
British explorer
The town of St Lawrence was established midway between Rockhampton and Mackay on St Lawrence Creek and developed as a port for the export of cattle from the hinterland, with a large meatworks built close by in 1893. The processing and export of meat and cattle continued until 1919 when rail links were built elsewhere, making the port redundant. By 2006 the population of St Lawrence had dropped to 125, out of a population in the Broad Sound area of 268.[3]
Description
Broad Sound is 50 kilometres in length and 20 kilometres wide.
Parts of the sound and adjoining estuarine systems are in a Declared Fish Habitat Area, the states largest such area.[4]
Birds
The extensive tracts of mangroves and mudflats, comprising some 1,200 square kilometers (460 square miles) in the southern part of the bay, have been classified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area. It supports globally important populations of the straw-necked ibis (with up to 15,000 individual birds), Australian bustard, Latham's snipe, sharp-tailed sandpiper and mangrove honeyeater.[5]
See also
- Broad Sound Islands
- Broad Sound Islands National Park
- List of sounds
References
Notes
- . Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Tremendous Tides in Broad Sound". NASA Earth Observatory. NASA. 21 November 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Queensland by Degrees.
- ^ "Declared Fish Habitat Area summary - Broad Sound". Department of Environment and Science. Government of Queensland. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ Birdata.
Sources
- "IBA: Broad Sound". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
- "22°S 150°E Broadsound". Queensland by Degrees. Royal Geographical Society of Queensland. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2011.
