Bunda cliffs facts for kids
The Bunda Cliffs are an amazing natural wonder in Australia. They are part of the longest continuous line of sea cliffs anywhere in the world! You can find them stretching along the southern coast of Australia, from South Australia into Western Australia. No other country has such a long stretch of cliffs right next to the ocean.
These cliffs are part of a larger landform called a scarp, which is like a steep slope or cliff formed by a break in the Earth's crust. This scarp is part of the Eucla Basin, a huge bowl-shaped area of land.
The name "Bunda Cliffs" comes from an Aboriginal word. The government of South Australia officially approved this name in 2014. It was suggested by a government department to name a special protected area for marine life, called the Far West Coast Marine Park. The name refers to the entire cliff line from the border with Western Australia to a place called the Head of the Bight.
The Bunda Cliffs stretch for about 100 kilometers (about 62 miles) along the edge of the Great Australian Bight. This area is very remote and not many people live there. It's also close to the huge, flat Nullarbor Plain.
Exploring the Bunda Cliffs
The cliffs themselves are quite tall, ranging from about 60 to 120 meters (200 to 400 feet) high. That's like a 20 to 40-story building!
You can see these impressive cliffs from several viewing spots along the Eyre Highway. This highway runs east of a town called Eucla and west of the Nullarbor roadhouse. While you can get a good view from the road, many people say the best way to truly appreciate their size is from an airplane.
How the Cliffs Formed
The Bunda Cliffs are very old, formed during a time called the Tertiary period. They are made of a type of rock called limestone, which contains many fossils. This means that long, long ago, this area was covered by an ocean, and the remains of ancient sea creatures formed these rocks.
You can see similar rock formations from Eucla all the way to Madura. In those areas, the same rock forms a scarp that separates two different land areas: the Roe Plains and the Hampton Tableland. However, in those places, the coastline has moved away from the cliffs, so they aren't right on the ocean's edge like the Bunda Cliffs are.
Baxter Cliffs Section
A part of the Bunda Cliffs located in Western Australia is known as the Baxter Cliffs. These cliffs are found between two specific places called Toolinna Cove and Twilight Cove.
They were named after John Baxter, an explorer who traveled with Edward John Eyre.
