Bass Strait

Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Map of Australia with Bass Strait marked in light blue
Location	Indian Ocean–Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	40°S 146°E / 40°S 146°E / -40; 146
Type	Strait
Basin countries	Australia
Max. length	500 kilometres (310 mi)
Max. width	350 kilometres (220 mi)
Average depth	60 metres (200 ft)
Max. depth	155 m (509 ft)

Bass Strait (/bæs/) is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The strait provides the most direct waterway between the Great Australian Bight and the Tasman Sea, and is also the only maritime route into the economically prominent Port Phillip Bay.

Formed 8,000 years ago by rising sea levels at the end of the last glacial period, the strait was named after English explorer and physician George Bass (1771–1803) by European colonists.