Great Australian Bight (2)

Great Australian Bight.  In geography, bight has two meanings. A bight can be simply a bend or curve in any geographical feature, usually a coast. Alternatively, the term can refer to a large (and often only slightly receding) bay. It is distinguished from a sound by being shallower. Traditionally, explorers defined a bight as a bay that could be sailed out of on a single tack in a square-rigged sailing vessel, regardless of the direction of the wind (typically meaning the apex of the bight is less than 25 degrees from the edges).

That's the definition of  'Great Australian Bight' for those that asked the question.
So the photos below are of some of the scenery along the Bight.

Whales can be seen at designated area for tourist and it's guaranteed that you will see a whale from June to September.  At the height of the season July/August, over 100 whates can be in the area at one time.
We saw a few way out in the sea.
These whales are Southern Right Whales which come into calf during their winter migration.
The southern right whale spends summer in the far Southern Ocean feeding, probably close to Antarctica.
A link to read (if you wish) about the Southern Right Whale is [ here ]

Swallows.

No whales.

The viewing area for watching the whales.  There is another viewing area the on the other side of that hill.

Mulga Snake, or King Brown snake, or Pilbara Cobra, is a species of venomous snake found in Australia. It is one of the longest venomous snakes in the world and is the second longest in Australia.

We came across this snake not that far from the Nullarbor Roadhouse on the walk to see the Whales in the Great Australian Bight.  (I showed the photo of the snake and Swallows last year)

The cost of seeing the Whales.

Great Australian Bight

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.
The Great Australian Bight was first encountered by European explorers in 1627 when a Dutch navigator François Thijssen sailed along its western margins. The coast was later first accurately charted by the English navigator Matthew Flinders in 1802, during his circumnavigation of the Australian continent. A later land-based survey was accomplished by the English explorer Edward John Eyre.

The coastline of the Great Australian Bight is characterised by cliff faces (up to 60 metres (200 ft) high), surfing beaches and rock platforms, ideal for whale-watching. This is a popular activity during the southern hemisphere winter, when increasing numbers of southern right whales migrate to the region from their summer feeding grounds in the Antarctic. The whales come to the Bight region, especially to the Head of Bight, to calve and breed, and do not feed until they return to the Antarctic. Their numbers were severely depleted by whaling, particularly during the 19th Century, but have since recovered to some extent.

The Nullarbor Plain, which borders much of the length of the Bight's coastline, is a former seabed, uplifted during the Miocene. Consisting of limestone, it is very flat, and has an arid or semi-arid climate with very little rainfall, and high summer temperatures and high evaporation rates. It has no surface drainage, but has a karst drainage system through cave formation in the underlying limestone. North of the Nullarbor lies the Great Victoria Desert, which has an internal drainage system terminating in numerous small salt lakes.
Wikipedia

There's a few lookouts across the Nullarbor which many people call into.
The photos below show what it's like.  It wasn't a clear morning as you can see...looking towards the Great Southern Ocean.

The Great Australian Bight

I love the trip across the Nullarbor meaning no trees or very few.  The road is mostly flat, water is scarce and Roadhouses are but a few. Beautiful scenery for part of the way if one drives off the main road at designated roads to see the Great Australian Bite.
1,100 kilometres (684 miles) from East to West according to Wikipedia.

 

Facing West.

Facing East