The Bunda Cliffs, also known as the Nullarbor Cliffs, are a coastal scarp on the southern coast of Australia, extending from the western coast of South Australia to the south-eastern corner of Western Australia.
The Bunda Cliffs extend for 210 kilometres (130 mi) along the shore of the Great Australian Bight near its northern extremity. The cliffs extend from Head of the Bight in the east to Eucla, Western Australia in the west. There are some local cliff-line breaks towards the eastern and western ends, with a 160 kilometres (99 mi) uninterrupted cliff line from near the eastern end to a point 28 km west of the South Australia–Western Australia border. [2]
The cliffs are bounded on the north by the arid Nullarbor Plain, in a very sparsely settled area of Australia. The cliffs, which are some 60–120 metres (200–390 ft) in height, can be viewed from several viewing points along the Eyre Highway east of Eucla and west of Nullarbor roadhouse.
Geologically the cliffs are made of Cenozoic age fossiliferous limestone, part of the Eucla Basin geologic formation. They are the eastern portion of the Great Southern Scarp, an 820-kilometre-long formation which extends across the Eucla Basin. The cliffs are subjected to high-energy waves from the Southern Ocean, and are receding northwards. The same formation extends from Eucla to Madura in Western Australia where it forms the scarp separating the Roe Plains from the Hampton Tableland, but in this section the coastline has moved away from the cliffs. The scarp in this area runs parallel to, and within sight of, the Eyre Highway. The Baxter Cliffs west of the Roe Plains are a further continuation of the escarpment, stretching for nearly 160 km along the coast. [2]
Bunda is an aboriginal word, [3] which has been used in South Australia for the name of the Nullarbor coastal cliffs. The name was gazetted by the Government of South Australia on 2 October 2014 in response to a submission from the Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources for approval to use it for a sanctuary zone in the Far West Coast Marine Park and refers to the extent of cliff line extending from the Western Australian border to the Head of the Bight. [1] [4] [5] [6]
Most of the cliffs are in protected areas. Nullarbor Wilderness Protection Area extends eastwards from the Western Australia-South Australia border. Yalata Indigenous Protected Area covers the eastern portion of the cliffs. Eucla National Park protects the Western Australian portion of the cliffs. Far West Coast Marine Park includes the South Australian waters along the cliffs.
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The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single exposure of limestone bedrock, and occupies an area of about 200,000 square kilometres (77,000 sq mi). At its widest point, it stretches about 1,100 kilometres (684 mi) from east to west across the border between South Australia and Western Australia.
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.
Eyre Highway is a 1,664-kilometre (1,034 mi) highway linking Western Australia and South Australia via the Nullarbor Plain. Signed as National Highways 1 and A1, it forms part of Highway 1 and the Australian National Highway network linking Perth and Adelaide. It was named after explorer Edward John Eyre, who was the first European to cross the Nullarbor by land, in 1840–1841. Eyre Highway runs from Norseman in Western Australia, past Eucla, to the state border. Continuing to the South Australian town of Ceduna, it crosses the top of the Eyre Peninsula before reaching Port Augusta.
Eucla is the easternmost locality in Western Australia, located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia along the Eyre Highway, approximately 11 kilometres (7 mi) west of the South Australian border. At the 2016 Australian census, Eucla had a population of 53.
Mundrabilla is in a very sparsely populated area in the far south east of Western Australia. The two significant features are Mundrabilla Roadhouse and Mundrabilla Station, which are approximately 35 kilometres (22 mi) apart. At the 2016 census, Mundrabilla had a population of 23, 32% male and 68% female. The time zone in use is UTC+08:45.
The Eucla Basin is an artesian depression located in Western Australia and South Australia. The onshore-offshore depression covers approximately 1,141,000 km² and slopes southward to an open bay known as the Great Australian Bight.
Madura is a small roadhouse community located on the Eyre Highway in Western Australia, on the Roe Plains. It is 1,253 kilometres (779 mi) from Perth. It is at the foot of the escarpment next to the Madura Pass down from the Nullarbor Plain. UTC+8:45 is the local time zone in use.
Nuytsland Nature Reserve is a protected area of Western Australia in the south-eastern part of the state, on the south coast.
Nullarbor is a locality in the Australian state of South Australia located 295 kilometres (183 mi) to the west of the town of Ceduna in the western part of the state immediately adjoining the border with Western Australia.
Hampton is an interim Australian bioregion located in southeastern coastal Western Australia, with a small portion (4%) extending into adjacent South Australia. It has an area of 1,088,198 hectares. The Hampton bioregion is part of the Coolgardie woodlands ecoregion.
The Mirning, also known as the Ngandatha, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands lay on the coastal region of the Great Australian Bight extending from Western Australia into south-west South Australia.
Nurina Land District is a land district of Western Australia, located within the Eucla Land Division on the Nullarbor Plain. It spans roughly 31°00'S - 32°20'S in latitude and 125°30'E - 127°30'E in longitude.
Mundrabilla Land District is a land district of Western Australia, located within the Eucla Land Division on the Nullarbor Plain. It spans roughly 31°00'S - 32°00'S in latitude and 127°30'E - 129°00'E in longitude.
Nuyts Land District is a land district of Western Australia, located within the Eastern and Eucla land divisions on the Nullarbor Plain. It spans roughly 31°00'S - 32°50'S in latitude and 124°00'E - 125°30'E in longitude.
Border Village is a settlement located in South Australia within the locality of Nullarbor on the Eyre Highway at the border with Western Australia.
The Roe Plains is a coastal plain in the southeastern corner of Western Australia.
Wilson Bluff is a coastal cliff on the Australian continental coastline, extending from east of Eucla in Western Australia to south of Border Village in South Australia. It was first recorded in 1885 as Wilson Point, but was Wilson Bluff in volume one of the Australian Pilot 1914–1918 edition. It is reported as being named after "Professor Wilson of Victoria" by E. A. Delisser, a surveyor employed by DeGraves and Co., a pastoral company.
Old Eyre Highway is a remnant part of the Eyre Highway that was abandoned in the construction of a route closer to the coast of the Great Australian Bight.
The Baxter Cliffs is a long stretch of coastal cliff on the south coast of Western Australia.
The Yalata Indigenous Protected Area is an Indigenous Protected Area in South Australia. It has an area of 4643.97 km2.