Passage Island (Tasmania)

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Passage Island
Forsyth Island Passage Island.jpg
Passage Island on the bottom right;
with Forsyth Island, centre.
Relief Map of Tasmania.png
Red pog.svg
Passage Island
Location of the Passage Island in Bass Strait
Geography
Location Bass Strait
Coordinates 40°29′24″S148°19′48″E / 40.49000°S 148.33000°E / -40.49000; 148.33000
ArchipelagoPassage Group, part of the Furneaux Group
Area253 ha (630 acres)
Administration
Australia
State Tasmania

The Passage Island, part of the Passage Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 253-hectare (630-acre) granite and dolerite island, located in Bass Strait south of Cape Barren Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Large numbers of fur seals were seen on the island in 1798 by Matthew Flinders and sealers were later reported visiting the island early in the 19th century. [3]

The island is a private island with leasehold tenure, [4] with a pastoral lease that has been used for grazing cattle. [5] Improvements on the island include airstrips and a small residence. [4] With the Forsyth and Gull islands, the Passage Island forms part of the Forsyth, Passage and Gull Islands Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International because it supports over 1% of the world populations of little penguins and black-faced cormorants. [6]

Besides Passage Island, other islands that comprise the Passage Group include the Forsyth, Gull, Battery, and Spike islands, and the Low Islets and the Moriarty Rocks.

Fauna

Recorded breeding seabird, wader and waterbird species include little penguin, short-tailed shearwater, Pacific gull, silver gull, sooty oystercatcher and Cape Barren goose. Apart from cattle, mammals present are the introduced European rabbit, house mouse and a species of rat. Reptiles present include White's skink and the metallic skink. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Goose Island, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 109-hectare (270-acre) unpopulated elongated granite island, located in Bass Strait, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia.

The Oyster Rocks are a close pair of small granite islands, with a combined area of about 6 ha, in south-eastern Australia. They are part of Tasmania’s Tin Kettle Island Group, lying in eastern Bass Strait between Flinders and Cape Barren Islands in the Furneaux Group. They are a conservation area. The islands are part of the Franklin Sound Islands Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because it holds over 1% of the world populations of six bird species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gull Island (Tasmania)</span> Island in Tasmania, Australia

The Gull Island, part of the Passage Group within the Furneaux Group, is an 8.5-hectare (21-acre) granite island, located in Bass Strait southeast of Cape Barren Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia. The island is a conservation reserve and with the Passage and Forsyth islands, the Gull Island forms part of the Forsyth, Passage and Gull Islands Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International because it supports over 1% of the world populations of little penguins and black-faced cormorants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forsyth Island</span> Island in Tasmania, Australia

The Forsyth Island, part of the Passage Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 167-hectare (410-acre) granite island, located in Bass Strait south of Cape Barren Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia. With the Passage and Gull islands, the Forsyth Island forms part of the Forsyth, Passage and Gull Islands Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International because it supports over 1% of the world populations of little penguins and black-faced cormorants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boxen Island</span> Island in Tasmania, Australia

Boxen Island is a flat dolerite island, with an area of 7 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of Tasmania’s Long Island Group, lying in eastern Bass Strait west of Cape Barren Island in the Furneaux Group. Together with nearby Big Black Reef it is classified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because it has been recorded as supporting 288 breeding pairs of black-faced cormorants.

Badger Island, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 1,242-hectare (3,070-acre) unpopulated low-lying granite and limestone island, located in Bass Strait, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia.

The Little Badger Island, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 2.5-hectare (6.2-acre) unpopulated low-lying granite island, located in Bass Strait, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia.

The Mount Chappell Island, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 323-hectare (800-acre) unpopulated granite island with a distinctive central hill, located in Bass Strait, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia.

The North West Mount Chappell Islet, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 7,100-square-metre (76,000 sq ft) unpopulated mainly granite islet, in Bass Strait, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia. The island is located within a conservation area and is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

The Inner Little Goose Island, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 4.5-hectare (11-acre) unpopulated small, round granite island, located in Bass Strait between Goose and Little Goose islands, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia. The island is contained within a conservation area and is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

The Little Goose Island, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 3.6-hectare (8.9-acre) unpopulated flat, round granite island, located in Bass Strait, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia. The island is contained within a nature reserve and is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

The Beagle Island, part of the Badger Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 1.2-hectare (3.0-acre) unpopulated low, flat granite island, located in Bass Strait, lying west of the Flinders and Cape Barren islands, Tasmania, south of Victoria, in south-eastern Australia. The island is contained within a nature reserve and is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tin Kettle Island</span> Island in Tasmania, Australia

Tin Kettle Island is a long, sandy island, with an area of 176 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of Tasmania’s Tin Kettle Island Group, lying in eastern Bass Strait between Flinders and Cape Barren Islands in the Furneaux Group. The island is joined at low tide to nearby Anderson and Little Andersons by extensive intertidal mudflats. The island is farmed, mainly cattle grazing. The island is part of the Franklin Sound Islands Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because it holds over 1% of the world populations of six bird species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vansittart Island</span> Island in Tasmania, Australia

Vansittart Island, also known as Gun Carriage Island, is a granite island with an area of 800 hectares. The island is part of Tasmania's Vansittart Island Group, lying in eastern Bass Strait between Flinders and Cape Barren Islands in the Furneaux Group.

The East Kangaroo Island, part of the Big Green Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 157-hectare (390-acre) unpopulated limestone island with granite outcrops and dolerite dykes, located in the Bass Strait, west of the Flinders Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia.

The Big Green Island, part of the Big Green Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 122-hectare (300-acre) granite island with limestone and dolerite outcrops, located in Bass Strait west of Flinders Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia. The island is partly contained within a nature reserve with the rest being used for farming; and is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

The Little Chalky Island, part of the Big Green Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 5-hectare (12-acre) unpopulated granite island, located in the Bass Strait, west of the Flinders Island and south of Chalky Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia. The island is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chalky Island (Tasmania)</span> Island in Tasmania, Australia

The Chalky Island, part of the Big Green Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 41-hectare (100-acre) unpopulated granite island with limestone outcrops and dolerite dykes, located in the Bass Strait, west of the Flinders Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia. The island is contained within a conservation area and is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

The Isabella Island, part of the Big Green Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 11.4-hectare (28-acre) unpopulated granite island, located in the Bass Strait, west of the Flinders Island and south of Chalky Island, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia. The island is a nature reserve and is part of the Chalky, Big Green and Badger Island Groups Important Bird Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swan Island (Tasmania)</span> Island in Bass Strait, Tasmania

Swan Island, part of the Waterhouse Island Group, is a 239-hectare (590-acre) granite island situated in Banks Strait, part of Bass Strait, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia.

References

  1. "Passage Island (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  2. "Small Bass Strait Island Reserves. Draft Management Plan". Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmanian Government. October 2000. Archived from the original on 30 March 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  3. Kostoglou, Parry (1996). Sealing in Tasmania. Hobart: Parks and Wildlife Service. pp. 99–100.
  4. 1 2 "Passage Island Flinders Island: A Rarely Offered 242ha Leasehold Island". realestate.com.au. REA Group Ltd. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  5. 1 2 Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. ISBN   0-7246-4816-X
  6. "IBA: Forsyth, Passage and Gull Islands". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 22 June 2011.