South coast of Western Australia facts for kids

The south coast of Western Australia comprises the Western Australian coastline from Cape Leeuwin to Eucla. This is a distance of approximately 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi), fronting the Great Australian Bight and the Southern Ocean.

Components

The region is usually broken up into smaller regions, oriented to the Great Southern regional centre of Albany, Western Australia and, further east, Esperance.

Rainbow Coast

The Rainbow Coast is a tourist region name for the coast as well. It is called the Rainbow Coast because of the fast-moving weather fronts that buffet the coast from the south. This, combined with the sun being close to the northern horizon in winter, creates regular displays of rainbows in the south. The main towns of the Rainbow Coast are Albany, Denmark and Walpole. The coast has dozens of National Parks and Nature Reserves including:

• Mount Frankland National Park
• William Bay National Park
• West Cape Howe National Park, which is the southernmost point of Western Australia

Considerable numbers of government reports and environmental studies with "South Coast" in the titles are focused specifically on the coastline adjacent to the Great Southern region.