Cockburn Sound

inlet, Western Australia, Australia

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Cockburn Sound, inlet of the Indian Ocean, southwestern Western Australia. The inlet extends 14 miles (23 km) south from the mouth of the Swan River to Point Peron. An important part of Fremantle’s outer harbour, it is 3–6 miles (5–9 km) wide and is bounded on the east by the mainland and on the west by Garden, Penguin, and Green islands and numerous well-developed coral reefs. It varies in depth from 30 to 72 feet (9 to 22 m) and is entered through a channel south of Garden Island. Within the sound, dredged artificial channels lead to the ports of Rockingham and Fremantle and to the coastal industrial strip around Kwinana. Named after Admiral Sir George Cockburn, it was in use as a whaling base as early as 1837. Since 1978 it has been the site of a naval base. The proximity of heavy industry has had a detrimental effect on Cockburn Sound’s marine environment. Environmentalists, local residents, and the state government have disputed further industrial development.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski.