Bramble Bay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bramble |
|
|---|---|
Bramble Bay, 2009 (top-right of image)
|
|
| Country | Australia |
| State | Queensland |
| Region | South East Queensland |
| City | Brisbane |
| Basin features | |
| River system | Moreton Bay |
| Tributaries |
|
Bramble Bay is a part of Moreton Bay in Queensland, Australia. It's like a big, sheltered bay that connects to a larger one.
Three important bridges cross Bramble Bay. These are the Houghton Highway, Hornibrook Bridge, and Ted Smout Memorial Bridge. They connect the city of Brisbane with the town of Redcliffe.
Bramble Bay is also where the famous Brisbane to Gladstone yacht race starts each year. The activities for this race often happen near the Shorncliffe pier.
Because Bramble Bay is close to the cities of Brisbane and Redcliffe, it has faced some environmental challenges. To protect the marine life, collecting shellfish like oysters and scallops is not allowed. Fishing in certain areas of the bay is also restricted to help protect the fish.
Where is Bramble Bay?
Bramble Bay is surrounded by several suburbs. To the north, you'll find the Redcliffe City suburbs of Clontarf and Woody Point.
Along the southern shore, there are Brisbane City suburbs like Brighton, Sandgate, and Shorncliffe. There used to be a suburb called Cribb Island here too. It was removed to make space for the Brisbane Airport.
Bramble Bay connects to Hays Inlet in the north-west. The Pine River flows into Bramble Bay from the south-west. Some people also consider the mouth of the Brisbane River and the Boondall Wetlands to be part of Bramble Bay. This means smaller creeks like Cabbage Tree Creek and Kedron Brook would also flow into the bay.
Water Quality in Bramble Bay
The rivers that flow into Bramble Bay carry a lot of nutrients and tiny particles of dirt. This makes the water in the bay quite cloudy.
The water in Bramble Bay stays in the bay for a long time, about 59 to 62 days. This is longer than any other part of Moreton Bay.
In 2009, a report on water health gave Bramble Bay a low rating. This was because there were more tiny plants called phytoplankton and more nitrogen in the water. The water also became less clear and less salty.
In the past, Bramble Bay had large areas of seagrass. These seagrass beds were important feeding grounds for animals like dugongs. However, today there are no seagrass beds left in the bay. This is mainly because not enough sunlight can reach the seabed through the cloudy water.
