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| Photo from ABC |
England needed to win the remainder of the ties is the multi-format series after Australia had won all three ODIs.
Australia won the toss and decided to bat, getting to 265-3 at the close of play.
Ellyse Perry shared an unbroken 105 partnership with Rachael Haynes, scoring 84* and 54* respectively.
A full day's play on Friday looks unlikely due to weather conditions, so England will have even less time to rescue victory from the jaws of defeat.
England captain Heather Knight picked three spinners for the test squad, and she would have wanted to bat to force the game.
But it was Australia who first made use of the wicket, forcing England to find something special to turn things in their favour.
More than 60% of Australia's runs came from boundaries thanks to loose deliveries, that came after Katherine Brunt bowled out Nicole Bolton in the opening spell, but England's fielding was sloppy and not backing up.
Scotland-born Kirstie Gordon made her Test debut and bowled out Alyssa Healy for 58, a great moment for her and her family - her parents Fiona and John had driven 10 hours down from Scotland to see the match.
Knight dropped Meg Lanning on 26 before lunch, the Aussie captain went on to make 57 before her dismissal.
Many close lbw shouts went against England, all building into the feeling that it just wasn't their day.
Left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone fell on her shoulder and spent a period off the field recovering, while it hangs in the balance whether Tammy Beaumont will be able to open the batting for England - she is awaiting the result of an X-ray after taking a blow to the thumb.
Only needing a draw to retain the Ashes, Australia look near certain of doing so after choosing to bat on a used pitch that the visitors were particularly unhappy with.
But they will avoid batting in the fourth innings, giving them a huge advantage.
Healy had said before the Test that her side were looking for a series whitewash, and not just for the draw that would see them over the line.
She showed the positive intent in a lively 58, hitting 12 fours.
Lanning recording her maiden Test half-century before Perry and then Haynes took up the mantle.
The latter two's fourth-wicket stand remains unbroken overnight, but play slowed down after tea, with just 58 runs coming from the final 33 overs of the day.
At one point, Haynes had managed just one run from 44 balls.
After starring with the ball in the third ODI in Canterbury, Perry showed her class with the bat on this occasion.
The 28-year-old hit 213 not out in the Test in Australia in November 2017 and she looks to be in the same immovable form once again.
Since she was last dismissed in a Test, she has racked up 297 runs from 579 deliveries, showing her patience and experience to get her team in a great position.
Women's Ashes Fixtures and Results
Teams earn four points for a win and two for a draw in the Test, with two points for a win in all limited-overs games.
2 July
First ODI, Leicester
Australia won by two wickets (England 0-2 Australia)
4 July
Second ODI, Leicester
Australia won by four wickets (England 0-4 Australia)
7 July
Third ODI, Canterbury
Australia won by 194 runs (England 0-6 Australia)
18-21 July
Only Test, Taunton
26 July
First Twenty20 international, Chelmsford
28 July
Second Twenty20 international, Hove
31 July
Third Twenty20 international, Bristol
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