Bathurst Harbour, Tasmania
Bathurst Harbour is a shallow bay located in the south west region of Tasmania, Australia. Bathurst Harbour is contained within the Port Davey/Bathurst Harbour Marine Nature Reserve, and the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
| Bathurst Harbour | |
|---|---|
Forest Lagoon, an offshoot of Bathurst Harbour, looking south with "Claytons Corner" in lower right | |
Bathurst Harbour Location in Tasmania | |
| Location | South West Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 43°20′33.68″S 146°10′32.38″E |
| River sources | North River, Old River, Ray River and Melaleuca Creek |
| Primary outflows | Bathurst Channel to Port Davey and then the Southern Ocean |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Average depth | 3 to 7 metres (9.8 to 23.0 ft) |
| Max. depth | 29 metres (95 ft) |
| Settlements | Melaleuca |
The harbour is an expansive, almost landlocked, shallow bay of relatively uniform depth ranging from 3 to 7 metres (9.8 to 23.0 ft), which provides safe anchorage from the Roaring Forties that buffet the western and southern coasts of Tasmania. The harbour is connected by the narrow 12-kilometre (7.5 mi)-long Bathurst Channel to Port Davey, and then water flows into the Southern Ocean. Like most estuarine systems in southwest Tasmania, the water is stained a deep red-brown due to tannin leached from buttongrass and adjacent heathland.