Bass Strait

Map of Australia with Bass Strait marked in light blue

Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria. The strait was named after George Bass who travelled it in 1798.

It is about 240 km wide at its narrowest point and generally around 50 metres deep. It has many islands, with King Island and Flinders Island home to many towns.

The water is very rough, with many ships lost in the 19th century. A lighthouse was built on Deal Island in 1848 to help ships in the eastern part of the Straits. On the west, the Cape Otway Lighthouse was first lit in 1848. Another lighthouse was at Cape Wickham at the northern end of King Island in 1861.

Islands

Map of Bass Strait including major island groups

There are over 50 islands in Bass Strait. Major islands include:

Western section:

• King Island
• Three Hummock Island
• Hunter Island
• Robbins Island

South eastern section:

• Furneaux Group
  • Flinders Island
  • Cape Barren Island
  • Clark Island
  • and several other islands

North eastern section:

• Kent Group
  • Deal Island
  • and 3 smaller islands
• Hogan Island
• Curtis Island

Bass Strait Media

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  Monument commemorating the first flight across the Bass Strait, by Arthur Leonard Long in 1919. Note the spelling "Straits".

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  The shoreline of Tasmania and Victoria about 14,000 years ago as sea levels were rising, showing some of the human archaeological sites – see Prehistory of Australia

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  Shortest distance between the coasts of Bass Strait: South West Point on Wilsons Promontory to the northern tip of the Stanley peninsula

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  Major infrastructure connections between Tasmania and Victoria.

Other websites

Media related to Bass Strait at Wikimedia Commons