The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight, or open bay, off the central and western portions of the southern coastline of mainland Australia.
Port Phillip or Port Phillip Bay is a horsehead-shaped enclosed bay on the central coast of southern Victoria, Australia. The bay opens into the Bass Strait via a short, narrow channel known as The Rip, and is completely surrounded by localities of Victoria's two largest cities — metropolitan Greater Melbourne in the bay's main eastern portion north of the Mornington Peninsula, and the city of Greater Geelong in the much smaller western portion north of the Bellarine Peninsula. Geographically, the bay covers 1,930 km2 (750 sq mi) and the shore stretches roughly 264 km (164 mi), with the volume of water around 25 km3 (6.0 cu mi). Most of the bay is navigable, although it is extremely shallow for its size — the deepest portion is only 24 m (79 ft) and half the bay is shallower than 8 m (26 ft). Its waters and coast are home to seals, whales, dolphins, corals and many kinds of seabirds and migratory waders.
The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and Eyre Peninsula in the west to Cape Spencer and Yorke Peninsula in the east.
Western Port, commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is dominated by two large islands; French Island and Phillip Island. At the time it was renamed, its position was west of other known ports and bays, but Western Port has become something of a misnomer as it lies just to the east of the larger Port Phillip and the city of Melbourne. It is visited by Australian fur seals, whales and dolphins, as well as many migratory waders and seabirds. It is listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international significance.
The common seadragon or weedy seadragon is a marine fish related to the seahorses. Adult common seadragons are a reddish colour, with yellow and purple markings; they have small leaf-like appendages that resemble kelp fronds providing camouflage and a number of short spines for protection. Males have narrower bodies and are darker than females. Seadragons have a long dorsal fin along the back and small pectoral fins on either side of the neck, which provide balance. Common seadragons can reach 45 cm (18 in) in length.
The tomato clownfish is a species of marine fish in the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes. It is native to the waters of the Western Pacific, from the Japan to Indonesia. Other common names include blackback anemonefish, bridled anemonefish, fire clown, and red tomato clown.
The porae, the grey morwong, blue morwong, butterfish, Douglas' morwong, Eastern blue morwong, great perch, queen snapper, rubberlip morwong or silver morwong, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, traditionally regarded as belonging to the family Cheilodactylidae, the members of which are commonly known as morwongs. It is found around south eastern Australia and the north eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand at depths of about 10 to 100 metres, on sandy and rocky coasts.
Discovery Bay is an open oceanic embayment lying along the coast of eastern South Australia and western Victoria in south-eastern Australia.
Arripis trutta, known as the Australian salmon in Australia and as kahawai in New Zealand, is a South Pacific marine fish and one of the four extant species within the genus Arripis, native to the cooler waters around the southeastern Australian coasts and the New Zealand coastline. Other common names for this species include Eastern Australian salmon, bay trout, blackback salmon, buck salmon, cocky salmon, colonial salmon, newfish and salmon trout.
The red saddleback anemonefish, Amphiprion ephippium, also known as the saddle anemonefish, is a marine fish belonging to the family Pomacentridae, the clownfishes and damselfishes.
Cephalopholis formosa, the Bluelined hind or bluelined rockcod is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a grouper from the subfamily Epinephelinae which is in the family Serranidae which also includes the anthias and sea basses. It is found in the Indo-Pacific where it is associated with reefs. It is sometimes found in the aquarium trade.
Meuschenia hippocrepis, commonly called the horseshoe leatherjacket, is a filefish endemic to the eastern Indian Ocean, in the temperate waters off the south and west of Australia. It grows to a length of about 50 cm. Its common name comes from a distinct horseshoe-shaped marking on their side. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade.
The Burrunan dolphin is a proposed species of bottlenose dolphin found in parts of Victoria, Australia first described in 2011. Its exact taxonomy is debated: numerous studies support it as being a separate species within the genus Tursiops and occupying a basal position within the genus, with limited phylogenetic studies using different methodologies indicate that it is a subspecies of the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin. The Burrunan dolphin is not currently recognized as a species by the Society for Marine Mammalogy or American Society of Mammalogists, which cites problematic methodology in the original study proposing species status and recommends further research.
Arenigobius is a genus of gobies native to the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean.
Scarus frenatus is a species of parrotfish. Common names include bridled parrotfish, sixband or six-banded parrotfish or vermiculate parrotfish.
Torquigener squamicauda, commonly known as the brush-tail toadfish or scalytail toadfish, is a species of fish in the family Tetraodontidae. It is found in the coastal waters off eastern Australia from Yeppoon in Queensland to Wattamolla just south of Sydney in New South Wales.
Arenigobius bifrenatus, commonly known as the bridled goby, is a fish native to the waters of southern Australia.
Ambassis jacksoniensis, commonly known as the Port Jackson glassfish or Port Jackson perchlet, is a species of fish in the family Ambassidae native to eastern Australia. It gains its common name from its transparent appearance.
Hardwicke Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the west coast of Yorke Peninsula in Spencer Gulf.
Lepadichthys frenatus, the bridled clingfish, is a species of clingfish from the family Gobiesocidae. It is found on shallow reefs in the western Pacific Ocean.
