Venus Bay, South Australia
| Venus Bay South Australia |
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 The entrance to Venus Bay |
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 Venus Bay
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| Population: | 139 (2006 Census)[1] |
| Established: | 1820 |
| Postcode: | 5607 |
| Elevation: | 1 m (3 ft) |
| Location: | 665 km (413 mi) North West of Adelaide |
| LGA: | District Council of Elliston |
| State electorate: | Flinders |
| Federal Division: | Grey |
Venus Bay is a small tourist and fishing town sited on the bay of the same name, on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. The town population numbers in the twenties during most of the year, but its numbers greatly increase during the summer holidays. At the 2006 census, Venus Bay had a population of 139.[1] The town also serves the professional fishermen who fish the Southern Ocean.
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[edit] History
Venus Bay, as with most of the coast of the Eyre Peninsula was first recorded by Captain Matthew Flinders in 1802, during his attempt to map the coast of southern Australia. The bay takes its name from the first vessel to enter the bay, a schooner named Venus, which continued to trade along the coast until she ran aground at Tumby Bay in 1850.
The town was established after a whaling station was built in the 1820s, and for twenty years it existed as no more than a shop, hotel and police station. The focus of the town soon turned to agriculture as the area was opened up in the 1840s and then cereal cropping in the 1870s. The township was abandoned by 1900, but was revitalised in the 1920s when it became the base for a commercial fishing operation.[2] This led to a school being established in 1939 which, however, closed in 1955.[3]
[edit] Environment
The town of Venus Bay lies on the bay of the same name, with numerous tidal flats, shallow lagoons, mangroves, islands, and a number of deep channels that carry water in and out of the bay. The entrance is lined by towering cliffs, as is much of the coast, but in the bay, the landscape is flat lying, with much of this land used for agricultural purposes. The bay is highly sheltered, contrasting to the entrance where large swells constantly batter the coast.
[edit] Important Bird Area
The bay, with its wetlands and beaches, has been identified as an 83 km2 Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it regularly supports over 1% of the world populations of Pied and Sooty Oystercatchers as well as small numbers of Fairy Terns.[4]
[edit] Economy
The economy of the town is heavily dependent on commercial fishing, with a number of boats using Venus Bay as an offloading base, where fish, lobster and abalone are transported for sale. Agriculture does impact the town’s economy, but the agricultural areas are more centralised toward Port Kenny.[2]
[edit] Tourism
Venus Bay also relies heavily on tourism, particularly during the summer, where its small caravan park regularly fills up. Venus Bay is primarily a fishing and water sport based destination, with the sheltered waters providing small boat users a safe fishing environment. The bay is known to hold whiting, salmon, garfish, snook, tommy ruff, flathead and gummy shark, with most of these caught off the town’s jetty also.[5]
There are several tourist walks near the town, as well as drives to surrounding areas such as Talia Caves and Mount Camel Beach. Daily supplies and accommodation are available from the licenced general store and cafe, as well as other accommodation in the caravan park and private beach houses.[6] The northern end of the Lake Newland Conservation Park lies about 20 km to the south of the town.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Venus Bay (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=SSC45141&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
- ^ a b Sydney Morning Herald Tourism (2004-02-08), Port Kenny and Venus Bay, The Sydney Morning Herald, http://www.smh.com.au/news/South-Australia/Port-Kenny/2005/02/17/1108500204601.html, retrieved 2007-05-25
- ^ Manning Index of South Australia, Venus Bay, http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/v/v1.htm#venusB, retrieved 2007-05-25
- ^ "IBA: Venus Bay". Birdata. Birds Australia. http://www.birdata.com.au/iba.vm. Retrieved 2011-11-19.
- ^ Tourism EP, Fishing Key, http://tep.com.au/region_fishing.htm, retrieved 2007-05-25
- ^ Waterways in South Australia, Venus Bay, http://users.senet.com.au/~gittins/venus.html, retrieved 2007-05-25
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Venus Bay, South Australia |
- Venus Bay town information
- Tourism Eyre Peninsula page
- Sydney Morning Herald – Venus Bay & Port Kenny
- Venus Bay Licenced General Store
Coordinates: 33°13′S 134°40′E / 33.217°S 134.667°E
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