Steep Point

Watching the final sunset in Australia, at Steep Point.
An aerial view of Steep Point from the west.
Steep Point, as seen from the east.

Steep Point is the westernmost point of the Australian mainland, located at 26°09′05″S 113°09′18″E / 26.15139°S 113.15500°E / -26.15139; 113.15500 (Steep Point)Coordinates: 26°09′05″S 113°09′18″E / 26.15139°S 113.15500°E / -26.15139; 113.15500 (Steep Point). It is located within the Edel Land National Park (proposed) in the Shark Bay World Heritage site within the Gascoyne region of Western Australia.

Dirk Hartog Island is immediately north of Steep Point across the South Passage, the closest named point being Surf Point (26°7′26″S 113°10′46″E / 26.12389°S 113.17944°E / -26.12389; 113.17944 (Surf Point)).

The nearest town is Denham in the area of Shark Bay, with the point some 200 kilometres (120 mi) from the North West Coastal Highway.

It is often cited as a reference point for other places and issues - for example, the location of the wreck of HMAS Sydney or other locations on the coast.[1][2]

Also the cliff-lined coast that runs south is often referred to in terms of wrecks and survivors of wrecks, being called in one book the Castaway Coast.[3]

Access to Steep Point is by four-wheel drive vehicle only through sand dunes. A permit is required and can be purchased at the rangers house in Edel Land National Park (proposed). Basic camping areas and facilities are also available.

On 17 July 2006, the largest recorded tsunami to strike Australia was measured at 7.9 m at Steep Point after being triggered by an earthquake off Java in Indonesia.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Williams, Sheree; Warren, Jillian; Western Australian Museum; Williams, Sheree; Warren, Jillian; Western Australian Maritime Museum (1994), The castaway coast : Port Gregory to Steep Point, W.A. Maritime Museum, retrieved 5 March 2012
  2. ↑ Western Australia. Transport. Coastal Management Branch (2000). In Australia - west coast, Western Australia, Shark Bay. Transport, [Fremantle, W.A.] Scale 1:30 000 and 1:50 000 transverse Mercator proj. (E 113°08'36"--E 113°37'48"/S 25°53'00"--S 26°11'30") (1) Steep Point to Bellefin Flats. Scale 1:30 000 (2) Bellefin Flats to Denham. Scale 1:50 000. Insets: Denham. Scale 1:15 000 (30) Monkey Mia. Scale 1:50 000
  3. ↑ Williams, Sheree; Warren, Jillian; Western Australian Museum; Williams, Sheree; Warren, Jillian; Western Australian Maritime Museum (1994), The castaway coast : Port Gregory to Steep Point, W.A. Maritime Museum, retrieved 29 December 2014
  4. ↑ "Australian tsunami database reveals threat to continent". Space Daily. Space Media Network. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2014.


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