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30-570: Cambridge Gulf is a gulf on the north coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia . Many rivers flow into the gulf, including the Ord River , Pentecost River , Durack River , King River and the Forrest River , making the environment an estuarine one. The gulf experiences two large tidal flows each day between 7 and 9 metres (23 and 30 ft). The town of Wyndham ,

60-552: A bight . There are various ways in which bays can form. The largest bays have developed through plate tectonics . As the super-continent Pangaea broke up along curved and indented fault lines, the continents moved apart and left large bays; these include the Gulf of Guinea , the Gulf of Mexico , and the Bay of Bengal , which is the world's largest bay. Bays also form through coastal erosion by rivers and glaciers . A bay formed by

90-546: A "deep opening" to the south. Lacrosse Island is situated in the entrance of a deep opening trending to the South-South-West towards some steep rugged hills. This "deep opening" described came to be known as the Cambridge Gulf in the days that followed. On 18 September 1819 King's journal states. At last quarter ebb we got underweigh and proceeded to examine the opening by steering South-South-West towards

120-502: A broad, flat fronting terrace". Bays were significant in the history of human settlement because they provided easy access to marine resources like fisheries . Later they were important in the development of sea trade as the safe anchorage they provide encouraged their selection as ports . The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea defines a bay as a well-marked indentation in

150-441: A dry season and a wet season. The temperature is warm year-round, with July, the coolest month, having an average high of 27.2 °C (81.0 °F) and an average low of 12.6 °C (54.7 °F). November has the highest average high of 38.3 °C (100.9 °F), while December has the highest average low at 24.7 °C (76.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded was 45.0 °C (113.0 °F) on 8 November 1988 and

180-433: A glacier is a fjord . Rias are created by rivers and are characterised by more gradual slopes. Deposits of softer rocks erode more rapidly, forming bays, while harder rocks erode less quickly, leaving headlands . Halls Creek, Western Australia Halls Creek is a town situated in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia . It is located between the towns of Fitzroy Crossing and Turkey Creek (Warmun) on

210-481: A trading centre for cattle stations , Aboriginal communities and miners who stayed there. The post office with its telegraph line that terminated here, the police station, government office, racecourse and stores gave the town a purpose. In 1918 the Australian Inland Mission built a hospital and the old town continued, with few inhabitants and little water. In 1948 an airfield was built near

240-617: Is also Goat Paddock crater , 7 km in diameter and 106 km west-southwest of Halls Creek, and Piccaninny crater , 7 km in diameter, within the Purnululu (Bungle Bungle) National Park. Near the other end of the Tanami Road in the Northern Territory, over 1000 km away from Halls Creek, is Gosses Bluff crater , with the 5 km diameter, 180 m high crater-like feature, now exposed, being interpreted as

270-413: Is an arm of Hudson Bay in northeastern Canada . Some large bays, such as the Bay of Bengal and Hudson Bay, have varied marine geology . The land surrounding a bay often reduces the strength of winds and blocks waves . Bays may have as wide a variety of shoreline characteristics as other shorelines. In some cases, bays have beaches , which "are usually characterized by a steep upper foreshore with

300-526: Is available. Many talented artists producing Indigenous Australian art live in Halls Creek and the surrounding communities. Some artists sell directly, and there are also multiple art centres within the Shire of Halls Creek, where buyers can meet the artists and purchase works. There are alcohol restrictions within Halls Creek. In May 2009 the state Director of Liquor Licensing imposed a "prohibition on

330-469: Is cooler and has a higher diurnal temperature variation . January is the wettest month, receiving 155.2 millimetres (6.11 in) of rain on average. August is the driest month, receiving only 2.1 millimetres (0.083 in) of rainfall. August has the least precipitation days with 0.5 and January has the most with 13.5 days. Humidity is low year-round, but it is higher during the wet season. Halls Creek receives 3439 hours of sunshine annually, with July having

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360-626: Is the administration centre for Halls Creek Shire Council . The land now known as Halls Creek has been occupied for thousands of years by Aboriginal peoples . The land is crossed by songlines and trading paths stretching from the coasts to the deserts, some passing near the modern town. The story of that long occupation remains alive today and it is revealed in the culture of the Jaru , Kija , Kukatja , Walmajarri, Gooniyandi and other Indigenous people who live in Halls Creek Shire. Late in

390-769: The Cape Dussejour on the western shore, with King Shoals and Medusa Banks out in Joseph Bonaparte Gulf beyond Lacrosse Island. The conjunction between the gulf and the lower regions of the Ord River (the eastern arm), and the Durack and Pentecost Rivers (the western arm) are the main areas that have estuarine features. The western shore of the gulf is backed by high sandstone hills that are 30 metres (98 ft) to 250 metres (820 ft) in height and with fringing colonies of mangroves and mudflats when

420-678: The Great Northern Highway . It is the only sizable town for 600 km on the Highway. Halls Creek is also the northern end of the Canning Stock Route , which runs 1,850 km through the Great Sandy Desert until the southern end of the route at Wiluna . The town functions as a major hub for the local Indigenous population and as a support centre for cattle stations in the area. Halls Creek

450-570: The 19th century, Europeans arrived, searching for land for cattle and sheep, as well as minerals. On Christmas Day 1885 prospector Charlie Hall found a 870-gram (28-troy-ounce) gold nugget at a site that would eventually be named after him. News of the discovery drew more than 15,000 people to what is now Old Halls Creek to try their luck. It proved a barren land for these people, and some graves can be found in Old Town's small cemetery. The gold rush lasted less than three months and Halls Creek became

480-587: The area's principal port, lies on its eastern bank at the lower part of the gulf and is approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) by road west-north-west of Kununurra . Cambridge Gulf is a gulf within a gulf, being at the southern extremity of the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf , in the Timor Sea . The entrance of the Gulf is defined by Cape Domett on the eastern shore, Lacrosse Island in the middle, and

510-408: The coastline, whose penetration is in such proportion to the width of its mouth as to contain land-locked waters and constitute more than a mere curvature of the coast. An indentation, however, shall not be regarded as a bay unless its area is as large as (or larger than) that of the semi-circle whose diameter is a line drawn across the mouth of that indentation — otherwise it would be referred to as

540-490: The deepest part; at twenty-three miles from Lacrosse Island the gulf is divided by Adolphus Island into two arms; one of which trended to the South-South-East and the other to the South-South-West. As the western arm appeared to be of most importance we entered it and, with a strong flood tide, proceeded with great rapidity; as sunset approached we began to look for an anchorage, but found much difficulty on account of

570-691: The eroded relic of the crater's central uplift. In the 2016 Census, there were 1,546 people in Halls Creek. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 66.9% of the population. It is home to the Indigenous Djaru and Gija peoples as well as some Tjurabalan peoples from the desert to the south of the town. Indigenous people have lived in the region for at least 30,000 years. "Aboriginal people in Halls Creek are predominantly Jaru and Kija peoples. Many residents celebrate both Jaru and Kija heritage. there are also significant numbers of Gooniyandi people from further east, Walmajarri from

600-437: The lowest recorded temperature was 0.2 °C (32.4 °F) on 18 July 1945. Halls Creek has never recorded a temperature below freezing point. Halls Creek receives 571.5 millimetres (22.50 in) of precipitation annually. There is a wet season from December to March and a dry season for the rest of the year. The hottest time of year is just before the wet season and at the start of it, from October to January. The dry season

630-588: The port was named as Wyndham in 1886. During the 1886 gold rush up to sixteen vessels would be moored in the gulf waiting to dock. 14°54′S 128°14′E  /  14.900°S 128.233°E  / -14.900; 128.233  ( Cambridge Gulf ) Bay A bay can be the estuary of a river, such as the Chesapeake Bay , an estuary of the Susquehanna River . Bays may also be nested within each other; for example, James Bay

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660-425: The sale of packaged liquor with an alcohol content greater than 2.7 per cent from licensed premises" in the town. In September 2009 it was reported that assaults and drink driving arrests had decreased dramatically as a result of the bans. Full strength alcohol can be purchased with a meal at the local motel or hotel, however take-away sales of alcohol above 2.7% are prohibited. Halls Creek has two distinct seasons,

690-468: The site of the present town and over the next decade the old town moved nearer to this new site. Except for the police station, which was finally relocated in 1961, the old town was abandoned by 1954. The nearby settlements known as Chinaman's Garden (Yarrunga) and Wangu Outstation (Flora Valley Station) were funded by the federal government as outstations during the 1980s. For tourists, there are several nearby attractions such as: Tourism information

720-621: The south-east and Kukatja people originally from the desert country to the south. Over the years other Aboriginal people from nearby groups have moved to Halls Creek. These include the Gurindji and the Walpiri from the east, the Ngardi from the south-east and Malngin from the north-east." Halls Creek has a warm semi-arid climate ( BSh according to the Köppen climate classification ) with

750-406: The strength of the tides, the great depth of water, and, as I at first thought, the unfavourable quality of the bottom: at last the anchor was dropped close to the south-west shore of Adolphus Island in the entrance of another arm which appeared to trend to the south-east under Mount Connexion. It would seem from the description that the "arm" mentioned in the last sentence, was the Ord River , which

780-516: The tide is low. Dense mangrove stands fringe the marshy area on the eastern shore of the gulf. Adolphus Island splits the southern end of the sound with a navigatable channel being found on the western arm. The traditional owners of the area are the Jeidji people. On 17 September 1819 Philip Parker King on the survey cutter HMS  Mermaid , who was mapping the entire north Australian coastline, landed at Lacrosse Island, from where he noticed

810-411: The wet season (November - March) and the dry season (April - October). Permanent surface water sources are scarce during the dry season. During the wet season, Halls Creek is often cut off due to flooding; water levels can rise and fall very rapidly. Permits are required in some areas. Aside from the well known and well preserved Wolfe Creek Crater , averaging about 875 metres in diameter, nearby there

840-670: The whole of its waters in that case being in Western Australian territory. I have named this river the Ord, after his excellency the Governor of Western Australia who has taken so great an interest in this expedition. By late 1884 some of the first settlers had begun to arrive in the Kimberley, travelling overland. By early 1885 people were arriving at the Cambridge Gulf to move inland in search for gold around Halls Creek , before

870-490: Was not named for another 60 years. Mermaid spent many days during which King sighted, mapped and named the Cambridge Gulf, which was named after the Duke of Cambridge . However, having first spotted the "deep opening" of the gulf on 17 September 1819, then spending 12 days within it, King did not name the gulf in his journal until 29 September 1819 when he was leaving it. Adolphus Island too was named after him. Alexander Forrest

900-546: Was the next European to explore the area in 1879. However, the closest he got was to the junction of the Ord River and the Negri River , near the WA/NT Border , both of these rivers being named by him. On 2 August 1879 Forrest records in his journal the following. No-one can regret more than I do, that I am unable to follow this magnificent stream to its mouth, which I have no doubt will be found in Cambridge Gulf –

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