Culham Inlet

Last updated

Culham Inlet is an inlet located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. The inlet is also referred to as a coastal salt lake or a transient estuary, as the sand bar that prevents it discharging is almost always closed. The wetlands formed by the system are DIWA listed due to their ecological significance. [1]

The inlet is located on the eastern flank of East Mount Barren [2] in the Fitzgerald River National Park and is approximately 7 kilometres (4 mi) west of Hopetoun.

The inlet is a wave dominated estuary with a degraded catchment, that is a result of substantial clearing and a saline run-off. It covers a total area of 11.3 square kilometres (4 sq mi). [3] The lagoon area is shallow with a typical maximum depth of 2 metres (7 ft) with a record depth of 4.5 metres (15 ft) recorded after exceptional rainfall. Two rivers discharge into the inlet, the Phillips and the Steere.

The inlet is separated from the Southern Ocean by a bar of dunes between 30 metres (98 ft) to 40 metres (131 ft) wide. The dunes are breached intermittently, breaking naturally in 1849, 1872, [4] 1919, [4] 1993 and 2000 [5] and artificially in 1920, each time for a period of 3 to 4 weeks.

The inlet was a river valley prior to 6,500 years ago when a rise in sea levels caused the valley to flood, it would have remained an open estuary until 3,500 years ago when the sand bar at the entrance built up to such a degree that discharge into the ocean was prevented. Then further dune building occurred so that breaks became less frequent. [6]

The area periodically supports a large array of flora and fauna. It is used as a commercial fishery and supplied large catches of Black Bream. The waters also support populations of smaller endemic species such as Goby and two Hardyheads. A large population of waterbirds is also found in the area with up to 25 species being recorded in the inlet.

The inlet was named by John Septimus Roe, who named the inlet in 1848 after the Toodyay homestead of his son in law, Samuel Pole Phillips. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peel-Harvey Estuarine System</span> Estuarine system south of Mandurah, Western Australia

The Peel-Harvey Estuarine System is a natural estuarine system that lies roughly parallel to the coast of Western Australia and south of the town of Mandurah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barker Inlet</span> Inlet in South Australia

The Barker Inlet is a tidal inlet of the Gulf St Vincent in Adelaide, South Australia, named after Captain Collet Barker who first sighted it in 1831. It contains one of the southernmost mangrove forests in the world, a dolphin sanctuary, seagrass meadows and is an important fish and shellfish breeding ground. The inlet separates Torrens Island and Garden Island from the mainland to the east, and is characterised by a network of tidal creeks, artificially deepened channels, and wide mudflats. The extensive belt of mangroves are bordered by samphire saltmarsh flats and low-lying sand dunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leschenault Estuary</span> Estuarine lagoon north of Bunbury, Western Australia

Leschenault Estuary is an estuarine lagoon that lies to the north of Bunbury, Western Australia. It had in the past met the Indian Ocean at the Leschenault Inlet, but that has been altered by harbour works for Bunbury, and the creation of The Cut north of the historical inlet location.

Pallinup River is a river located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It was previously known as Salt River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Inlet</span> Inlet south of Denmark, Western Australia

Wilson Inlet is a shallow, seasonally open estuary located on the coast of the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Broke Inlet, originally named Broke's Inlet, is an inlet in the South West region of Western Australia located 19 kilometres (12 mi) west of Walpole.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stokes Inlet</span> Inlet on south coast of Western Australia

Stokes Inlet is an inlet in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Irwin Inlet is an inlet in the located on the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hardy Inlet</span> Inlet in Western Australia

Hardy Inlet is an inlet that is located in the South West region of Western Australia.

The Phillips River is an ephemeral river in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

The Steere River is a river in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Oldfield Estuary is an estuary in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.

Gordon Inlet is an estuarine inlet, located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. The inlet is at the south west corner of the Fitzgerald River National Park and approximately 15 kilometres (9 mi) north west of the town of Bremer Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellstead Estuary</span> Estuarine inlet in Western Australia

Wellstead Estuary is an estuarine inlet in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

The Hamersley River is an ephemeral river in the Great Southern region of Western Australia.

Beaufort Inlet also locally known as Pallinup Estuary is an inlet located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia about 130 kilometres (81 mi) east of Albany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adyar River</span> River in India

The Adyar River, which originates near the Chembarambakkam Lake in the Kanchipuram district, is one of the three rivers that winds through Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and joins the Bay of Bengal at the Adyar estuary. The 42.5-kilometre (26.4 mi) long river contributes to the estuarine ecosystem of Chennai. Despite the high pollution levels, boating and fishing take place in this river. The river collects surplus water from about 200 tanks and lakes, small streams and the rainwater drains in the city, with a combined catchment area of 860 square kilometres (331 sq mi). Most of the waste from the city is drained into this river and the Cooum.

The Tarwin River is a perennial river of the West Gippsland catchment, located in the South Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. The Tarwin River is the primary river system within South Gippsland Shire and has a catchment area of approximately 1,500 square kilometres (580 sq mi), predominantly rural with small pockets of residential land use. It flows south from the Strzlecki Ranges and discharges in the eastern reaches of Anderson Inlet, a shallow estuary connected to Bass Strait.

Taylor Inlet is an inlet located in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. The inlet is located on the coast near Nanarup Beach and is approximately 23 kilometres (14 mi) east of Albany and is contained within the Taylor Inlet nature reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Georges Basin (New South Wales)</span> Lake in the state of New South Wales, Australia

St Georges Basin is an open intermediate estuary, or inland sea, located in the South Coast region of New South Wales, adjacent to the Jervis Bay Territory.

References

  1. ↑ "Southern Prospects - The South Coast Regional Strategy for Natural Resource Management" (PDF). 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  2. ↑ "About Australia - Culham Inlet". 2009. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  3. ↑ "Estuary Assessment Framework for Non-pristine estuaries - Estuary 638 - Culham Inlet". 2004. Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  4. 1 2 "The Ravensthorpe Country". Great Southern Herald. Katanning, WA. 21 May 1919. p. 3. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "South Coast Rivercare - Culham Inlet". 2001. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  6. ↑ "History and Management of Culham Inlet, a coastal salt lake in South Western Australia" (PDF). 1997. Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  7. ↑ "Australian Dictionary of Biography - Phillips, Samuel Pole (1819–1901)". 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2009.

33°54′29″S120°04′07″E / 33.90806°S 120.06861°E / -33.90806; 120.06861

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.