Clayton Bay is a town in South Australia located on Lake Alexandrina and Lower Murray River, part of the lower lakes and Coorong region at the end of the Murray River System. The town is located north of the north-east tip of Hindmarsh Island about from Adelaide and 30.7 kilometres (19 mi) by road from Goolwa.
In 2008, the name of Clayton was officially changed to Clayton Bay by application to the Alexandrina Council and the government of South Australia to avoid confusion with Clayton, Victoria.
Description The wetlands, waters, foreshore and wider environs at Clayton Bay host spectacular sunsets and area attracting national and international environmentalists, ornithologists, bird watchers, photographers, artists, botanists, anthropologists, astronomers and those engaged in ecotourism and water based activities, particularly sailing (popular due to seasonal high wind speeds).
Experience is needed for water activities as the area is very exposed to the wind and the shallow nature of Lake Alexandrina and Lower Lakes creates large choppy waves.Fatal Boat Accident on Lake Alexandrina. (22 January 1879). Queanbeyan Age (NSW : 1867 – 1904), p. 4. Retrieved 25 January, 202o, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30674905TWO MEN DROWNED IN LAKE ALEXANDRINA. (24 April 1885). The South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 – 1889), p. 5. Retrieved 25 November 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36305038LAKE ALEXANDRINA DROWNING ACCIDENT. (21 April 1924). The Register (Adelaide, SA : 1901 – 1929), p. 11. Retrieved 25 November 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article64210174DROWNED IN LAKE ALEXANDRINA. (24 August 1903). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 – 1954), p. 6. Retrieved 25 November 2019, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article197221060SIXTEEN HOURS IN LAKE ALEXANDRINA. (25 March 1898). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 – 1931), p. 5. Retrieved 25 November 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article35109317Man missing on lake (28 September 1983). Victor Harbour Times (SA : 1932 – 1986), p. 3. Retrieved 25 November 2020, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article186021741FOUR MEN DROWNED (14 March 1939). Northern Standard (Darwin, NT : 1921 – 1955), p. 2. Retrieved 25 November, 202o, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49454123Five dead, one missing in water (24 August 1987). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 – 1995), p. 3. Retrieved 19 November 2018, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article132154839 Waters around the area are classified as either 'protected' and 'semi-protected' waters by the South Australian Government. Appropriate safety equipment according to those classifications is required under legislation for all boating activities. Anyone aboard a motorised boat less than 4.8 metres long must wear a life jacket of all times, and children aged 12 or younger must do so in open areas of boats up to 12 metres in length.
International significance Clayton Bay is included within the Coorong, Lower Murray, Lower Lakes, Murray Mouth, Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert wetland, as one of Australia's most important wetland areas.
Australia designated the site, covering approximately 140,500 ha in South Australia, as a Wetland of International ImportanceMosley, L., Ye, Q., Shepherd, S., Hemming, S., & Fitzpatrick, R. (2019). Natural History of the Coorong, Lower Lakes, and Murray Mouth Region (Yarluwar-Ruwe). University of Adelaide Press on behalf of the Royal Society of South Australia. under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 1985. The Coorong, and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland RAMSAR site:...encompasses the Coorong National Park, Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert, and tributaries, up to +0.85m AHD. Where unalienated crown land, DEWNR reserve or crown land under licence exists adjacent to the waters edge the boundary has been extended to include this cadastral parcel. The site excludes all privately owned fringing wetlands around the edge of the lakes except for land subject to inundation in Clayton Bay, Marshall Bight and Tookayerta Creek."Register of the National Estate (Non-statutory archive), Tolderol Game Reserve, Langhorne Creek, SA, Australia". Commonwealth of Australia (C of A), Department of the Environment. 21 October 1980. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
Wetlands in Clayton Bay and surrounds are nesting and breeding grounds for a large variety of migratory birds.O’Connor, J, Rogers, D & Pisanu, P (2012) Monitoring the Ramsar Status of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth: a case study using birds. South Australian Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Adelaide.Paton, D (1997) Bird ecology in the Coorong and Lower lakes region, in River Murray Barrages Environmental Flows: An evaluation of environmental flow needs in the Lower Lakes and Coorong, pp 106- 109. Jensen, A., Good, M., Tucker, P. & Long, M. (eds). Report to the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, Canberra.Paton, D & Bailey, C (2010) Condition monitoring of the Lower Lakes, Coorong and Murray Mouth Icon Site: Waterbirds using the Coorong and Murray Mouth estuary in 2010. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of AdelaideWainwright, P & Christie, M (2008) Wader surveys at the Coorong and S.E. coastal lakes, South Australia, February 2008. The Stilt 54: 31-47. Under RAMSAR criteria the wetlands supports one or more percent of the population of the following species: Australian Pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) Australasian bittern (Botaurus poiciloptilus) Australian shelduck (Tadornis tadornoides) Australian Painted Snipe (Rostratula australis benghalensis) Banded Stilt (Cladorhynchus leucocephalus) Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) Chestnut Teal (Anas castanea) Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea) Greater Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii) Grey Teal (Anas gracilis) Hoary-headed Grebe (Poliocephalus poliocephalus) Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillus) Red-necked Stint (Calidris ruficollis) Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (Calidris acuminata) Silver Gull (Larus novaehollandiae) Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybridus fluviatilis) Fairy Tern (Sterna nereis nereis) Australian Painted Snipe (Rostratula aust) Red-capped Plover (Charadrius ruficapillu) Australasian Swamphen (Porphyrio melanotus) Australasian Shoveler (Anas rhynchotis)
Many other birds can be seen in the region including: Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) Willie Wagtail (Rhipidura leucophrys) Long-billed Corella (Cacatua tenuirostris) Galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) Pied Butcher Bird (Cracticus nigrogularis) Tawny Frogmouth (Eurostopodus argus) Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) and more.
The area is inhabited by common, threatened and/or endangered species of mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. These include: Swamp Rat (Rattus lutreolus), Murray Turtle (Emydura macquarii) Yellow-bellied Water Skink (Eulamprus heatwolei), Eastern long-necked turtles (Chelodina longicollis), Eastern brown snakes (Pseudonaja textilis) Tiger snakes (Notechis scutatus) Southern Bell frogs (Ranoidea raniformis)Mason K (2010) Southern bell frog (Litoria raniformis) inventory of Lake Alexandrina, Lake Albert and tributaries. SA Murray-Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board, Murray Bridge.Mason, K & Hillyard, K (2011) Southern Bell Frog (L. raniformis) monitoring in the Lower Lakes. Goolwa River Murray Channel, tributaries of Currency Creek and Finniss River and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert. Report to Department for Environment and Natural Resources. The South Australian Murray Darling Basin Natural Resources Management Board, Murray Bridge. South Australia.
There are populations of kangaroos, sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosa) and short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus) within the town and environs.
Plant species include:
River club rush (Schoenoplectus validus) Sandhill Greenhood Orchid (Pterostylis arenicola) Silver Daisy-bush (Olearia pannosa ssp pannosa) Diverse reed beds Freshwater herblands (e.g. Triglochin sp.) Cutting Grass (Gahnia filum) sedgeland, Swamp Paperbark (Melaleuca halmaturorum) Lignum shrubland (Muehlenbeckia florulenta) Samphire chenopod shrubland (including Tecticornia pergranulata ssp. Pergranulata, Suaeda australis, Sarcocornia quinqueflora and Juncus kraussi).Gehrig S, Nicol J & Marsland, K (2011) Lower Lakes Vegetation Condition Monitoring – 2010/2011. SARDI Aquatic Sciences, Adelaide.Marsland, K & Nicol, J (2009) Lower Lakes vegetation condition monitoring 2008/09. SARDI Aquatic Sciences, Adelaide.
The Ramsar site supports approximately 43 fish speciesWedderburn, S & Hillyard, K (2010) Condition monitoring of threatened fish populations at Lake Alexandrina and Lake Albert (2009-2010). The University of Adelaide, Adelaide. including:
Basinendemic Yarra Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca obscura), Small-mouthed Hardyhead (Atherinosoma microstoma) Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii) Murray Hardyhead (Craterocephalus fluviatilis) Lagoon Goby (Tasmanogobius lasti) Tamar Goby (Afurcagobius tamarensis). Freshwater Catfish (Tandanus tandanus) Southern Purple-spotted Gudgeon (Morgurnda adspersa) Southern Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca australis) Yarra Pygmy Perch (Nannoperca obscura) Flat-headed Gudgeon (Philypnodon grandiceps) Dwarf Flat-headed Gudgeon (Philypnodon macrostomus) Unspecked Hardyhead (Craterocephalus stercusmuscarum fulvus) Congolli (Pseudophritis urvillii) Pouched Lamprey (Geotria australis) Short-headed Lamprey (Mordacia mordax) Mountain Galaxias (Galaxias olidus) Estuary Perch (Macquaria colonorum) Short-finned Eel (Anguilla australis)Bice, C (2009) Literature review of the ecology of fishes of the Lower Murray, Lower Lakes and Coorong. Report the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide.
History Aboriginal history The Ngarrindjeri peoples are the Aboriginal Australian Owners of the lower Murray River, eastern Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of the southern-central area of the state of South Australia. The Ngarrindjeri consist of several distinct if closely related groups, including the Jarildekald, Tanganekald, Meintangk and Ramindjeri, who began to form a unified cultural bloc after Aboriginal peoples were forcibly removed to Raukkan, South Australia (formerly Point McLeay Mission).
Archaeology, particularly in excavations conducted at Roonka Flat, (which affords an outstanding sites for investigating "pre–European contact Aboriginal burial populations in Australia,") have revealed that the traditional lands of the Ngarrindjeri have been inhabited since the Holocene period, beginning around 8,000 B.C. down to around 1840 CE.
For thousands of years, the Lower Murray, Lower Lakes and Coorong region was one of the most densely populated areas of Australia, and the land ( or ) and waterways were home to thousands of Ngarrindjeri peoples. Ngarrindjeri lived in communities in the . Everything Ngarrindjeri needed was present–clean waters, foods, medicines, shelter and warmth.
Ngarrindjeri self-determination, control and management Ngarrindjeri peoples and supporters have challenged and partnered with the South Australian Government for decades, including its natural resource management representatives, over questions of justice, agency, control, sovereignty and the decolonisation of existing and long-standing relationships.
Ngarrindjeri led the development of the Coorong, Lower Lakes and Murray Mouth (CLLMM) Ngarrindjeri Partnerships and Murrundi (Riverine) Recovery Projects. In 2002, the Alexandrina Council made an agreement with the Ngarrindjeri Nation. The agreement included a series of commitments to work together and offers an expression of sorrow and apology to the Ngarrindjeri peoples. It is known as the Kungun Ngarrindjeri Yunnan (KNY) Agreement.