Botany Bay

Botany Bay, inlet, New South Wales, SE Australia, just S of Sydney. It was visited in 1770 by James Cook, who proclaimed British sovereignty over the east coast of Australia. The site of the landing is marked by a monument on Inscription Point. The bay was named by Cook and Sir Joseph Banks because of the interesting flora on its shores. Although Australia's first penal colony was often called Botany Bay, its actual site was at Sydney on Port Jackson. The bay is now an important cargo port with chemical facilities and an oil refinery.

Inlet of the South Pacific Ocean, southeastern Australia. Lying south of Sydney off Port Jackson, it is about 5 mi (8 km) at its widest. It was the scene of the first Australian landing by Capt. James Cook in 1770; he named the bay for its great variety of plants. It was selected in 1787 as the site for a penal settlement, but the settlement was soon transferred inland. Its shores are now ringed by Sydney's suburbs.

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Botany Bay National Park is a national park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia located approximately 16 km south east of the Sydney central business district, on the northern and southern headlands of Botany Bay. The northern headland is at La Perouse and the southern headland is at Kurnell.

A number of memorials, commemorating Australia's history are located at the entrance to the Kurnell Peninsula portion of the Botany Bay National Park. This area has a coast walk connecting the memorials, and is near the information centre and a museum.

The Kurnell Peninsula portion includes much of the eastern half of the promontory, adjacent to the Caltex Oil Refinery. The area is bordered by sandstone cliffs, eroded to a few metres above sea level in the north and higher in the south. The highest point is about a hundred metres above sea level and there are two mapped lookouts, Kurnell Lookout, and Houston Lookout. Hills of dry sclerophyll bushland include Botany Cone, 55 m, and Long Nose, 101 m. There are many small points and cliff formations and several walking tracks. The carpark and lookout at the end of the Yena Track is popular for whale watching in the migration season.

Fact sheet

• Area: 4.9 km²
• Coordinates:
• Date of establishment: November 23, 1984
• Managing authorities: New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service
• IUCN category: V

See also

• Protected areas of New South Wales (Australia)