Bowling Green Bay
Located between Cape Cleveland and Cape Bowling Green, Bowling Green Bay receives the outflow from the Haughton River and the Barattas.
The bay takes its name from the cape at its eastern extremity, named by James Cook when he passed the area on 6 June 1770. While Cook did not give a reason for the name, the low, sandy cape was probably seen as resembling a bowling green's low, flat surface.
The diverse wetlands fringing the bay include intertidal seagrass beds, saltpans, and a variety of brackish and freshwater swamps. The bay provides an extensive breeding ground for baitfish and larger fish species and a feeding ground for black marlin, sailfish and Spanish mackerel, as well as green and loggerhead turtles, dugongs and a variety of bird life.
The eponymous national park, around thirty kilometres south of Townsville, includes a diverse range of habitats, from the rugged Mount Elliot massif to coastal estuaries such as Alligator Creek, which flows into Cleveland Bay, the Haughton River, and the Barattas.
