The Southwest Shelf Province includes the coastal waters and continental shelf of
south west Western Australia, extending from the vicinity of
Perth on the west coast to
Israelite Bay on the
south coast. The continental shelf is generally narrow, with some small offshore islets, including the
Recherche Archipelago. The coastline is affected by heavy, high-energy swells. Rocky headlands of granitic, doleritic, or gneissic rock are found along much of the coast, interspersed with curving bays and sandy beaches. Seagrass meadows are found in sheltered bays and inlets. The warm
Leeuwin Current runs southwards along the west coast, and turns eastwards to follow the south coast. A colder inshore counter-current runs northwards along the west coast. The
Southwest Shelf Transition, or Houtman marine bioregion, lies to the north. The
Great Australian Bight lies to the east. ==Meso-scale bioregions==