Baird Bay, South Australia

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Baird Bay
state = sa


caption = The isolated waters of Baird Bay
lga = District Council of Streaky Bay
postcode = 5671
est =
pop =
elevation= 1
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Flinders
fedgov = Grey
dist1 = 50
dir1 = South West
location1= Streaky Bay

Baird Bay is a small fishing village located 50km South of Streaky Bay on the Eyre Peninsula of South Australia. It is situated on the shallow western arm of Anxious Bay, a sheltered inlet lined by cliffs and beaches.

The bay and township are named after James Baird, who settled on the shores of Anxious Bay in 1850 before being speared by local Aboriginals on the 2nd November 1850. [Citation
last = Manning Index of SA History| first = | author-link = | last2 =| first2 =| author2-link | title = Place Names of SA-B| date = | year = | url = http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/manning/pn/b/b1.htm | access-date = 2007-04-07]

Although the township is small, Baird Bay has garnered considerable tourist attention due to its sea lion colony, with local tour guides giving interactive swimming sessions with the sea lions. This has become one of the main tourist attractions on the Eyre Peninsula. The isolated town has very limited facilities, with only a few houses, a camping ground and boat ramp. The nearest town for supplies is Streaky Bay, around 50km away.

The remote waters of Baird Bay are also excellent for recreational fishing, as well as a number of other water based activities such scuba diving and snorkelling.

References

External links

* [http://www.streakybay.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=305 Baird Bay Tourism Site]
* [http://www.streakybay.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=100 District Council of Streaky Bay Site]
* [http://www.bairdbay.com Baird Bay township and eco-tourism site]