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Blowholes in Australia
  In short
Here are listed all the blowholes of Australia known to Wondermondo. Please, if you know some more – let me know!
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About the blowholes in Australia
What is a blowhole?
There are diverse natural landmarks which are called blowholes.
There are holes – entrances in the caves – where a strong wind blows frequently. Such caves are quite common in Australia, especially in Nullarbor Plain (South Australia) where hundreds of such blowholes can be found in the desert.
There are methane blowholes – exotic eruptions of methane gas in the northern tundra. As the climate becomes warmer, methane gas more and more frequently leaves the ground, creating impressive craters.
And then there are blowholes – sea geysers or intermittent natural water fountains that are powered by wave energy. These are the blowholes that are described by Wondermondo in this article.
The best-known blowholes – sea geysers – are located in popular tourist areas or places where live many people. One or another of these popular blowholes is announced to be the largest and tallest in the world without any proper knowledge of whether this is true or not. Most likely, the world’s largest blowholes are not known to us and are located on remote islands. The maximum height of these natural fountains is seen only during severe storms. Ships try their best to be away from the cliffs in such weather.
Are there any more blowholes in Australia?
Here are listed more than 20 locations with blowholes in Australia and remote Australian islands. Wondermondo though is aware that this list should be longer. There are reported more blowholes in Western Australia, in Tasmania, in some islands (King Island, Norfolk Island), and elsewhere.
Please, give me a message if you happen to find anything additional to this list!
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Other articles about blowholes
- Blowholes – more than 50 world’s most impressive (known) blowholes and the mechanism of their formation.
- Blowholes in Hawaii – list of 15 locations with blowholes in Hawaii Islands.
List of the blowholes in Australia
01
Bicheno Blowhole
40.3%
Eastern coast of Tasmania
Height: Up to 20 m
Rock: Granite
Impressive slanted blowhole which during the storms can get dangerous.
02
Blackman’s Bay Blowhole
39.8%
Tasmania
Height: Does not form a fountain
Rock: Sandstone?
Collapsed sea cave – former blowhole with a natural bridge.
03
Blowhole at Clear Place Point
27.3%
New South Wales, Lord Howe Island
Height: ?
Rock: Basalt
This blowhole creates a fountain through the fissure in the ceiling of a larger sea cave.
04
Blowholes at Mutton Bird Point
25.3%
New South Wales, Lord Howe Island
Height: ?
Rock: Basalt
Group of at least five small blowholes.
05
Blowhole of De Witt Island
40.3%
Tasmania, De Witt Island
Height: Very tall
Rock: ?
One of the world’s most impressive blowholes. Can be seen from the sea on the remote De Witt Island.
06
Breathing Rock in South Bruny Island
40.3%
Tasmania, South Bruny Island
Height: Considerably more than 10 m
Rock: ?
This impressive blowhole can be seen only from the sea.
07
Cape Bridgewater Blowholes
34.0%
Victoria, Cape Bridgewater
Height: Low
Rock: Basalt
Several comparatively small blowholes.
08
Christmas Island blowholes
39.8%
Christmas Island
Height: Significant
Rock: Limestone
Numerous noisy blowholes along the limestone coast of Christmas Island. This is a very unusual sight during the mass migration of red crabs.
09
Dirk Hartog Island Blowhole
41.8%
Western Australia, western coast of Dirk Hartog Island
Height: Up to 60 m
Rock: Limestone
These blowholes are at the base of sea cliffs. Usually, around 10 m tall but at high swells here with a deafening noise shoot up fountains that are up to 60 m high.
10
Dudley Beach blowholes
25.8%
New South Wales, Newcastle-Maitland
Height: Up to 10 m
Rock: Granite
Several blowholes in granite fissures and sea caves.
11
False Entrance Blowholes
39.3%
Western Australia, south from False Entrance bay
Height: Fountains travel through 30-40 m thick rocks and above them
Rock: Limestone
These blowholes have pierced up to 40 m thick layers of rock. Usually, just air is howling through these holes but sometimes there rise also fountains of water.
12
Frazer Blowhole (Snapper Point Blowhole)
35.8%
New South Wales, Central Coast Region
Height: ?
Rock: ?
A large blowhole which only on a few occasions forms a fountain.
13
Kiama Blowhole
46.1%
New South Wales, Kiama town
Height: Up to 25 m and, reportedly – even 60 m
Rock: Latite (a volcanic rock)
The best-known blowhole in Australia. This is a powerful fountain that has proven to be also quite dangerous.
14
Kiama Little blowhole
37.3%
New South Wales, Kiama Town
Height: Significant
Rock: Latite (a volcanic rock)
This blowhole forms a narrow, tall fountain and erupts more frequently than the better-known Kiama blowhole.
15
Maingon Blowhole
35.8%
South of Tasmania
Height: Does not form a fountain
Rock: ?
Approximately 40 m deep sinkhole with raging waves at its bottom.
16
Nobbies Blowhole
34.8%
Victoria, Bass Coast Shire
Height: ?
Rock: Basalt
A nearly horizontal plume of mist and water shoots from some 12 m long sea cave.
17
Quobba Blowholes
40.3%
Western Australia, Gascoyne Region
Height: More than 30 m
Rock: Sandstone
Beautiful group of some 30 blowholes. At certain winds and storms the fountains are more than 30 m tall.
18
Pirates Bay Blowhole (Tasman Blowhole)
38.3%
Tasmania, near the Eaglehawk Neck
Height: Up to 10 m
Rock: Siltstone?
Sea cave with a collapsed roof – blowhole. In rough weather, the splashes are up to 10 m high.
19
Port Campbell Blowhole
40.8%
Victoria, Shire of Corangamite
Height: Does not form a fountain
Rock: Sandstone
A sinkhole with raging, loud waves at its bottom.
20
Torndirrup Blowholes
36.0%
Western Australia, Torndirrup National Park
Height: ?
Rock: Granite
These fountains are created by the waves in the rock crevasses.
21
Thunder Bay Blowholes (Thunderbay Blowholes)
40.8%
Western Australia, Torndirrup National Park
Height: After passing through 100 m thick rock – up to 20 m tall fountains
Rock: Sandstone
Some of the world’s most powerful blowholes. The water here is pushed through some 100 m tall Zuytdorp Cliffs and then rises in fountains that are up to 20 m high.
22
Whale Rock blowhole
37.8%
Queensland, North Stradbroke Island
Height: ?
Rock: ?
A comparatively smaller blowhole emits a fountain of mist and water with whistles and whooshes.
Recommended books
The National Parks and Other Wild Places of Australia
This guide profiles many key national parks in Australia including some marine parks. Information panels provide full details of scenery, animal and plant life, visitor accommodation, routes and trails, and other outdoor activities.
Beautiful World Australia
Beautiful World Australia is the perfect way to lose yourself in the country. Striking photos fill each page, while special gatefolds open to reveal magnificent panoramas. If you’ve been, retrace your steps and relive the time you spent there. If you haven’t, this book is the perfect way to start planning an adventure.
