Which gulf in South Australia has Adelaide on its eastern shore?

The gulf in South Australia with Adelaide on its eastern shore is Gulf St Vincent. Adelaide lies approximately midway along the gulf’s east coast, bordered there by the Adelaide Plains and the Fleurieu Peninsula.

Gulf St Vincent is the eastern of South Australia’s two large southern inlets. Yorke Peninsula separates it from the larger Spencer Gulf to the west. The gulf is about 138.9 kilometres long, 61.15 kilometres wide at its maximum, and has an average depth of 21 metres.

Matthew Flinders named it the Gulph of St Vincent on 30 March 1802, honouring Admiral John Jervis, the first Earl of St Vincent. Jervis had won a major British naval victory near Cape St Vincent in Portugal. French explorers later used different names, including Golfe de la Misanthrophie and Golphe Josephine.

The gulf remains important to Adelaide as well as to South Australia’s marine environment. The Adelaide Desalination Plant, opened in 2013 on the gulf’s eastern shore, supplies desalinated water to the metropolitan area. Its waters also support crustaceans, sea urchins, sea squirts, and many other species.