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Bathurst Bay

Coordinates:14°15′0″S144°22′30″E/ 14.25000°S 144.37500°E/-14.25000; 144.37500
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Bathurst Bay

Bathurst Bayis abayin thelocalitiesofLakefieldandStarckein theShire of Cook,Queensland,Australia.[1]In the 19th century it was the base for thepearlingfleet. It is now a tourist attraction forCape York Peninsulain northernQueensland,Australia, near theGreat Barrier Reef.

History

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The area was home to theMutumuiandWalmbariatribes. TheBritishfirst settled Bathurst Bay sometime in the early-19th Century. The settlement had few tradable goods because of its climate and terrain. The site became important in the mid- to late-19th Century as ananchoragefor thepearlingfleet, which was discovering valuableoyster pearls.By the 1890s, the pearling fleet was the only reason for continued settlement. The settlement was destroyed on 4 March 1899, whenCyclone Mahinapassed through northern Queensland. Cyclone Mahina was notable for producing thehighest recorded stormsurge of anytropical cyclonein history. The once-abundant forests have not regrown, mainly because of continuing salt damage to the land by thestorm surge.Since theFederation of Australiain 1901, Bathurst Bay has become a popular fishing area. Few people have settled the bay area.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Bathurst Bay – bay in the Shire of Cook (entry 1842)".Queensland Place Names.Queensland Government.Retrieved23 October2017.

Further reading

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14°15′0″S144°22′30″E/ 14.25000°S 144.37500°E/-14.25000; 144.37500