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40-675: The Arafura Sea is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria and the continent of Australia to the south, the Timor Sea to the west, the Banda and Seram seas to the northwest, and the Torres Strait to the east. (Just across the strait, farther to the east, lies the Coral Sea ). The Arafura Sea is 1,290 kilometres (800 mi) long and 560 kilometres (350 mi) wide. The depth of the sea

80-546: A long row north to south, with a 125-mile-long sheltered passage between them and the mainland. He christened that stretch Forrest Strait , by which name it is still known. The log of the first voyage was published in 1783, entitled A journal of the Esther brig . The second voyage was published in 1792 as A Voyage from Calcutta to the Mergui Archipelago . This volume was dedicated to William Aldersey, president of

120-740: A number of ships from capture by the French. In the following June, 1783, Forrest set sail from Calcutta in the brig Esther to survey the Andaman Islands . However, he was blown to the east of them, passing through the Preparis Channel to the Tenassegim coast, which he examined southwards as far as Quedah . In 1790 he made a more thorough examination of the same coast and of the Mergui Archipelago , which forms

160-655: A sojourn in the interior of south-west New Guinea in 1835, referred to the tribespeople there as the "Horrafora", and had the impression that Papuans and Horraforans were two distinct groups in New Guinea. AJ van der Aa's 1939 Toponymic Dictionary, recently rediscovered in the Dutch National Archives , has this explanation for the name of the sea: "The inhabitants of the Moluccas called themselves 'haraforas', translating 'Anak anak gunung' as 'children of

200-698: Is 50–80 m (160–260 ft) in most places, with the depth increasing to the west. The sea lies over the Arafura Shelf, which is a section of the Sahul Shelf . When sea levels were low during the last glacial maximum , the Arafura Shelf, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Torres Strait formed a large, flat, land bridge that connected Australia and New Guinea and eased the migration of humans from Asia into Australia. The combined landmass formed

240-521: Is a sea off the northern coast of Australia . It is enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the eastern Arafura Sea , which separates Australia and New Guinea . The northern boundary is generally defined as a line from Slade Point, Queensland (the northwestern corner of Cape York Peninsula ) in the northeast, to Cape Arnhem on the Gove Peninsula , Northern Territory (the easternmost point of Arnhem Land ) in

280-530: Is an Australian Aboriginal language . The Yulluna language region includes the local government boundaries of the Shire of Cloncurry . Kayardild (also known as Kaiadilt and Gayadilta) is a language of the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Kayardild language region includes the landscape within the local government boundaries of the Mornington Shire Council . The first European explorer to visit

320-502: Is between two and three metres (6.5 and 10 ft). The Gulf and adjacent Sahul Shelf were dry land at the peak of the last ice age 18,000 years ago when global sea level was around 120 m (390 ft) below its present position. At that time a large, shallow lake occupied the centre of what is now the Gulf. The Gulf hosts a submerged coral reef province that was only recognised in 2004. Yulluna (also known as Yalarnga, Yalarrnga, Jalanga, Jalannga, Wonganja, Gunggalida, Jokula)

360-605: Is gradual. In September and October the Morning Glory cloud appears in the Southern Gulf. The best vantage point to see this phenomenon is in the Burketown area shortly after dawn. It has been hypothesized that the Gulf experienced a major asteroid impact event in 536 AD. The Gulf of Carpentaria is known to contain fringing reefs and isolated coral colonies, but no near-surface patch or barrier reefs exist in

400-559: Is part of the larger East Australian Basins physiographic division. 14°S 139°E  /  14°S 139°E  / -14; 139 Thomas Forrest (navigator) Thomas Forrest (c. 1729 – c. 1802) was a British navigator who served in the East India Company for more than 30 years. He is known for exploration, surveying, and diplomacy, and published three important accounts of his voyages in India and

440-466: The Carpentaria tropical savanna . The woodlands also extend up the west and east coast of the Gulf. They are dominated by Eucalyptus and Melaleuca species from the family Myrtaceae. The climate is hot and humid with two seasons per year. The dry season lasts from about April until November and is characterized by very dry southeast to east winds, generated by migratory winter high pressure systems to

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480-771: The Malay Archipelago He appears to have served for some time in the Royal Navy , and to have been a midshipman in 1745. Passages in his own writings show that he was active in the Malay Archipelago from at least 1753. The date of his employment by the Marine of the East India Company is not clear, but in 1757 he was master of the company's sloop Neptune , which left Madras for Bencoolen on 14 August. The ship capsized and sank with

520-587: The Portuguese word "Alfours", meaning "free men", it seems more likely that sea is named after the Harrafora, the indigenous name for "the people of mountains" in the Moluccas (part of Indonesia), which was the explanation recorded by Lieutenants Kolff and Modera in the 1830s. Thomas Forrest sailed through the Moluccas ( Maluku Islands ) in 1775, and documented that there were people who called themselves

560-530: The "Harafora" living in the western end of New Guinea , in subordination to the "Papuas". He also reported their presence in Magindano ( Mindanao ). The geographer Conrad Malte-Brun repeated Forrest's reports of a race of "Haraforas" in 1804, and added Borneo to the list of places this group inhabited. The ethnologist James C. Prichard described the Haraforas as head-hunters. John Coulter, in his account of

600-744: The Eastern limit of the Banda Sea [From Tg Borang, the Northern point of Noehoe Tjoet, through this island to its Southern point, thence a line to the Northeast point of Fordata, through this island and across to the Northeast point of Larat, Tanimbar Islands ( 7°06′S 131°55′E  /  7.100°S 131.917°E  / -7.100; 131.917 ), down the East coast of Jamdena [ Yamdena ] Island to its Southern point, thence through Anggarmasa to

640-697: The English navigator Matthew Flinders in 1802 and 1803. The first overland expedition to reach the Gulf was the Burke and Wills expedition , led by Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills which left Melbourne , Victoria in August 1860 and reached the mouth of the Bynoe River in February 1861. However, both men died on the return journey. The land bordering the Gulf is generally flat and low-lying. To

680-462: The French on 3 April 1760. He was released by the French as a private merchant, returned to Batavia to continue trading in opium, and his profits were sufficient for him to purchase the ketch Bonetta . She sailed from northern Sumatra to Bali in early 1762, but was then wrecked near Saleyer He was assisted by the Dutch, who returned him and other survivors to Fort Marlborough in August 1762. Records for

720-813: The Gulf at the present time. However, this has not always been the case. Expeditions carried out by Geoscience Australia in 2003 and in 2005 aboard the RV ; Southern Surveyor revealed the presence of a submerged coral reef province covering at least 300 km (120 sq mi) in the southern Gulf. The patch reefs have their upper surfaces at a mean water depth of 28.6 ± 0.5 m (94 ± 1.5 ft), were undetected by satellites or aerial photographs, and were only recognised using multibeam swath sonar surveys supplemented with seabed sampling and video. Their existence points to an earlier, late Quaternary phase of framework reef growth under cooler-climate and lower sea level conditions than today. In

760-572: The Gulf. Zinc, lead and silver is mined from the McArthur River zinc mine and exported via the Gulf. Another zinc mine, Century Zinc is in the gulf on the Queensland side of the border. It exports its product through the port facility at Karumba . The cattle industry is also a very important part of the regional economy in the gulf. According to the then Chairman of the Gulf of Carpentaria's Commercial Fisherman's Organisation, Gary Ward,

800-734: The Moluccas from Balambangan . The book brought him some fame in scientific circles, and he was able to introduce William Marsden , first Secretary to the Admiralty , to Joseph Banks , president of the Royal Society , in 1780. In 1780, Forrest took command of the Company brig Lively , leaving Gravesend on 26 September. He took with him an Arnold chronometer for determining longitudes in India. He arrived in Madras on 27 March 1781, and

840-675: The North point of Selaroe and through this island to Tg Aro Oesoe its Southern point ( 8°21′S 130°45′E  /  8.350°S 130.750°E  / -8.350; 130.750 )]. On the East. The Southwest coast of New Guinea from Karoefa (133°27'E) to the entrance to the Bensbak River (141°01'E), and thence a line to the Northwest extreme of York Peninsula , Australia ( 11°05′S 142°03′E  /  11.083°S 142.050°E  / -11.083; 142.050 ). On

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880-579: The South. By the North coast of Australia from the Northwest extreme of York Peninsula to Cape Don ( 11°19′S 131°46′E  /  11.317°S 131.767°E  / -11.317; 131.767 ). On the West. A line from Cape Don to Tanjong Aro Oesoe, the Southern point of Selaroe ( Tanimbar Islands ). European use of the name "Arafura Sea" dates back to at least 1663, when Joan Blaeu recorded in

920-832: The Top End, the Roper River , Walker River and Wilton River flow into the Gulf. The Cox River , Calvert River , Leichhardt River , McArthur River , Flinders River , Norman River and the Gilbert River drain the Gulf Country. A number of rivers flow from the Cape York Peninsula into the Gulf, including Smithburne River , Mitchell River , Alice River , Staaten River , Mission River, Wenlock River , and Archer River . Extensive areas of seagrass beds have allowed commercial shrimp operations in

960-585: The company's Marine at Fort Marlborough. Forrest was at that time in England and sailed from Gravesend to Madras with his wife Esther. In 1771 Forrest took command of the Company ship Luconia and was engaged in transporting officials and trade goods. In 1772, he transferred to the Britannia , which was carrying John Herbert (1723–1799) to Balambangan where he was to become governor of a new trading settlement. From 1774 to 1776 he led an exploring mission in

1000-779: The continent of Sahul . The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) categorizes the Arafura Sea as one of the bodies of water of the East Indian Archipelago . The IHO defines its limits as follows: On the North. The Southeastern limit of the Ceram Sea [A line from Karoefa, New Guinea, to the Southeastern extreme of Adi Island , thence to Tg. Borang, the Northern point of Noehoe Tjoet [ Kai Besar ] ( 5°17′S 133°09′E  /  5.283°S 133.150°E  / -5.283; 133.150 )] and

1040-536: The direction of New Guinea to locate potential sources of spices, and to carry out survey work. He sailed on 9 November in the Tartar , a garay boat from Sulu of about ten tons burden, with two English officers and a crew of eighteen Malays. In this, accompanied during part of the time by two small boats, he pushed his explorations as far as Geelvink Bay in New Guinea, examining the Sulu Archipelago ,

1080-421: The entire east and south-east coast, is responsible for the typical pattern of a well-watered coastal strip, a fairly narrow band of mountains, and then a vast, inward-draining plain that receives little rainfall. In the Gulf Country, however, there are no mountains to restrict rainfall to the coastal band and the transition from the profuse tropical growth of the seaside areas to the arid scrubs of central Australia

1120-556: The loss of most of its crew. Forrest and two others were rescued. He was next in command of the sloop Fanny trading in arrack and wine in Batavia in 1759, but fell foul of the Dutch who confiscated most of his cargo and damaged the ship. Forrest then became a "freighter" or private merchant, trading in opium. He was caught up in the Seven Years' War between France and Britain and was off Fort Marlborough when it capitulated to

1160-417: The mountains'." The Arafura Sea is a rich fishery resource, particularly for shrimp and demersal fish. Economically important species include Barramundi , grouper , Penaeid shrimp, and Nemipteridae fishes, among others. At a time when many marine ecosystems and fish stocks around the world are diminished or collapsing, the Arafura Sea stands out as among the richest marine fisheries on Earth. However,

1200-454: The natural resources of the Arafura have been under increased pressure from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities. The Arafura and Timor Seas Expert Forum (ATSEF) was established in 2002 to promote the economically and environmentally sustainable management of those seas. Gulf of Carpentaria The Gulf of Carpentaria ( / k ɑːr p ən ˈ t ɛər i ə / )

1240-594: The next 10 years are sparse. Forrest and his crew sailed the Company Ketch Nancy to India for repairs, arriving in Vizagapatam in early 1763. Forrest presumably resumed his position in the company's Marine. He commanded Company ships on two trading voyages to Bencoolen, in Syren in 1763 and Diligent in 1765. He must then have left the company's service, because on 17 January 1770 he was re-instated in

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1280-541: The number of sightings of Indonesian vessels fishing illegally in the gulf's waters increased in early 2005. By 2011, the numbers of illegal fishing boat interceptions had declined significantly with the cause attributed to enforcement efforts and education programs in Indonesia. In 2012, a major new port located to the west of Karumba and rail connection to the North West Minerals Province

1320-615: The region (and Australia) was the Dutch Willem Janszoon (whose name is also written as Jansz) in his 1605–06 voyage . His fellow countryman, Jan Carstenszoon (or Carstensz ), visited in 1623 and named the gulf in honour of Pieter de Carpentier , at that time the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies . Abel Tasman also explored the coast in 1644. The region was later explored and charted by

1360-499: The south coast of Mindanao , Mandiolo , Batchian , and particularly Waigeo , of which his was the first good chart. Forrest reached Dorei Harbour and returned to Achin (present-day Aceh) in March 1776. He then returned to London, arriving in early 1777, in order to give an account of his voyage to the directors of the company. They gave permission for publication of a book which appeared in 1779 entitled A Voyage to New Guinea, and

1400-561: The south. The wet season lasts from December to March. Most of the year's rainfall is compressed into these months, and during this period, many low-lying areas are flooded. The Gulf is prone to tropical cyclones during the period between November and April. The gulf experiences an average of three cyclones each year that are thought to transport sediments in a clockwise direction along the Gulf's coast. In many other parts of Australia, there are dramatic climatic transitions over fairly short distances. The Great Dividing Range , which parallels

1440-625: The text on his wall map of the East Indies ("Archipelagus Orientalis, sive Asiaticus") that the inland inhabitants of the Moluccas call themselves "Alfores". The name also appeared in George Windsor Earl 's 1837 Sailing Directions for the Arafura Sea , which he compiled from the narratives of Lieutenants Kolff and Modera of the Royal Netherlands Navy . Although it has been suggested that Arafura derives from

1480-707: The west is Arnhem Land and Groote Eylandt , the largest island in the Gulf. To the east is the Top End of the Northern Territory, including the Cape York Peninsula , and the Torres Strait which joins the Gulf to the Coral Sea . The area to the south (like the Cape York Peninsula, part of Queensland) is known as the Gulf Country . The Gulf Country supports the world's largest intact savanna woodlands as well as native grasslands, known as

1520-413: The west. At its mouth, the Gulf is 590 km (370 mi) wide, and further south, 675 km (420 mi). The north-south length exceeds 700 km (430 mi). It covers a water area of about 300,000 km (120,000 sq mi). The general depth is between 55 and 66 metres (30 and 36 fathoms ) with a maximum depth of 69 metres (38 fathoms). The tidal range in the Gulf of Carpentaria

1560-425: Was immediately engaged in supporting Britain in the war with France , both transporting people and material and in diplomatic and intelligence activity. In 1782, in the ketch Fly , he located the French fleet, which had left the coast of India and had eluded Sir Edward Hughes the English commander-in-chief, at Aceh . He was able to bring the information to Vizagapatam, which he reached on 20 December, and this saved

1600-595: Was proposed by Carpentaria Rail. The advantages of a port at Karumba compared to Townsville was that it was three or four days closer to Asia via shipping routes. Additionally, expansion is taking place of the Bing Bong Port which services the McArthur River zinc mine , awarded the Northern Territory Earth award. The Gulf is one of the distinct physiographic sections of the larger (and surrounding) Carpentaria Basin province, which in turn

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