Van Diemen Gulf

The Van Diemen Gulf is about 14,000 km ² large golf in northern Australia between the mainland and Melville Island.

Abel Tasman reached in 1644, the first European to this area and named the bay after Antonio van Diemen, at that time Governor-General of Dutch East Indies.

Geography

To the west of Van Diemen Gulf is connected by the strait Clarence Strait to the Timor Sea, to the north leads the Dundas Strait in the Arafura Sea. In the east it is bounded by the Cobourg Peninsula. To the south mainland is characterized by extensive plains, which are separated by a narrow mangrove belt from the sea. Here are shallow estuaries, such as Adelaide River, Mary River and Alligator Rivers (West Alligator River, South Alligator River and East Alligator River), which provide a strong sediment into the Gulf.

The water depth reaches up to about 100 m in the Dundas Strait, but otherwise is generally less than 30 m. It is followed by severe Tidenhübe on three to four meters.

Fauna

The reefs of the Vernon Islands and in the estuaries of the Alligator Rivers are habitat for the hawksbill turtle and the green turtle.

The estuaries of Adelaide River and Mary River in the Bay Chambers Bay is an important habitat for wading birds such as stilts and godwits and up to 800,000 Spaltfußgänse, in the east adjoining wetlands in the estuary area of the Alligator Rivers even for up to 1.6 million.