# Sandy Shores of Moreton Bay

- By: NASA Earth Observatory image by Joshua Stevens, using Landsat data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Story by Kasha…
- Date: 2019-11-03
- Classification: Photograph
- Credit line: https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/146776/sandy-shores-of-moreton-bay
- Museum: [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sandy_Shores_of_Moreton_Bay.jpg)
- Rights: Public domain
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/commons/thumb/5/54/Sandy_Shores_of_Moreton_Bay.jpg/1920px-Sandy_Shores_of_Moreton_Bay.jpg
- Who can see it: Kids profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Along the Australian coast near Brisbane, the Moreton Bay area is known for its clear blue waters, vast sand banks, and diverse wildlife. But eight decades ago, it had a less placid existence as a major coastal defense port during World War II.

In the 1940s, Moreton Bay provided a direct Pacific passage for allies and enemies to approach Brisbane. The Queensland government thus strategically placed defense stations around Moreton Bay, and ships could not enter without undergoing an inspection by the Australian navy. Enemies and unidentified vessels were gunned or bombed.

The natural-color image above shows the northern entry into Moreton Bay as observed on November 6, 2019, by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. The bay spans about 1,500 square kilometers (600 square miles). During WWII, the North West Channel served as a main shipping passageway and was guarded by Fort Bribie and Fort Cowan Cowan.

Queensland served as a training and support base for Allied Forces in the Pacific theater of World War II. In fact, Brisbane served for a time as headquarters for American General Douglas MacArthur. The city’s population doubled as thousands of soldiers were stationed…