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Approximately 240 km wide at its narrowest point, it was almost dry during the last ice age. It contains many islands, with King Island and Flinders Island home to substantial human settlements.
Like the rest of the waters surrounding Tasmania, it is notoriously rough, with many ships lost there during the 19th century. In 1859 the Wilsons Promontory Lighthouse was completed, helping to protect shipping passing that point.
Strong currents between the Antarctic driven Southern Ocean and Tasman Sea provide a strait of powerful, wild storm waves. To illustrate its wild strength, Bass Strait is both twice as wide and twice as rough as the English Channel. The ship wrecks on the Tasmanian and Victorian coastlines number in the hundreds, although stronger metal ships and modern marine navigationThis article concerns navigation in the sense of determination of position and direction on the surface of the Earth. See Navigation (disambiguation) for other meanings. There are several traditions of navigation . Polynesian navigation The Polynesian nav have dropped the danger sharply.
The fastest and cheapest method of travel across Bass Strait is by airAn airline is an organization providing aviation services to passengers and/or cargo. It owns or leases airliners with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for reasons of mutual benefit. Airline service. The main carriers are QantasQantas is Australia's oldest and largest airline, and the world's third oldest airline (after KLM and Avianca). Its IATA designator is QF. History The company was founded on 16 November 1920 as " Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services Limited",, JetStar, and Virgin BlueBoeing 737 Virgin Blue is an Australian domestic low-cost airline founded by the British businessman Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Records. Virgin Blue was launched on 3 August 2000, initially offering 7 return flights a day between Brisbane and. Major airports include the Hobart International AirportHobart International Airport is the primary passenger and freight airport of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is located at Cambridge, just 20 km east of Hobart. The airport opened in 1956, replacing the nearby Cambridge Aerodrome as the state's primary ai and Launceston AirportLaunceston Airport is the airport of Launceston, Tasmania. It is located 15 km south-east of Launceston. The first air travel facility on the site was the Western Junction Aerodrome, first used in 1930. In 1962 a plan for major redevelopment of the airpor; the smaller airports are serviced by Regional Express who generally fly only to Melbourne and the Bass Strait islands.
The domestic seaSunset at sea A sea (pronounced see is a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean. The term is also used for large, usually saline, lakes that lack a natural outlet, such as the Caspian Sea and the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is a small fres route is being serviced by three Spirit of Tasmania passenger/vehicle ferries, all based in Devonport, Tasmania. Two travel the Melbourne route, and one to Sydney.
See Transportation in Tasmania for more details.