Tide differences

[theoldlegend]

Was looking through the Courier Mail yesterday and noticed that the tide differences for around Brisbane was about 2 metres between high and low. Then I noticed that the tide differences for Port Alma was about 5 metres between high and low.

Got onto a website and found that the tide differences for Cairns were roughly about the same as around Brisbane.

Why is it that certain locations have huge differences compared to other places? I know it's a full moon at the moment, but I'm disregarding that.

Nothing too technical if you respond please; I used to be a public servant in the Forestry Department before I retired, therefore I'm not required to know anything.

TOL

[rando]

Good question??
Iwas watching Malcolm Douglas on TV last week and he mentioned Derby in WA as having the second largest tidal range in the world .. 11 metres.
And just to confuse things a bit more, the differnce in range between Brisbane and the Gold Coast is substantial. sometimes approximately a metre( thats just from memory as i dont have the tables in front of me)
as Sumner- Miller said "WHY IS THIS SO"?

[theoldlegend]

Hi Rando,

It's no big deal, but I just wanted to know. The wife's cousin is in the marine industry, doing work for various Port Authorities in Qld and he once told me that the tides between Thursday Island and New Guinea are so strong flowing east to west and vice versa that ships have to time their journey to co-incide with the tides up there.

Somebody will reply with the answer.

TOL