Pelsaert Island

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Pelsaert Island is one of the islands of the Pelsaert Group, which is the southernmost of the three groups of islands that make up the Houtman Abrolhos island chain in Western Australia.

Nominally located at 28°54′S113°54′E / 28.900°S 113.900°E / -28.900; 113.900 Coordinates: 28°54′S113°54′E / 28.900°S 113.900°E / -28.900; 113.900 , [1] it consists of a number of islands, the largest of which are Gun Island, Middle Island, and Pelsaert Island itself.

The group and island is named by the captain of HMS Beagle, which was charting the area, after the commodore Francisco Pelsaert of the Dutch East India Company trading fleet whose ship, the "Batavia" got wreched at sank at the Wallabi island group to the north. The captain saw a wreck on the island, mistakenly assumed it was the Batavia and named it after Pelsaert. [2] [3]

The island is a significant bird site. [4] [5] [6]

The island and group contains the most southerly true coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. [7]

See also

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The Pelsaert Group is the southernmost of the three groups of islands that make up the Houtman Abrolhos island chain. it consists of a number of islands, the largest of which are Gun Island, Middle Island, and Pelsaert Island. The group is named after a Dutch "opperkoopman" who stranded nearby with the VOC-ship "Batavia" in 1629. The group contains the most southerly true coral reefs in the Indian Ocean. The group is part of the Houtman Abrolhos Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for supporting large numbers of breeding seabirds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Island (Houtman Abrolhos)</span> Island in the Houtman Abrolhos, off the coast of Mid West Western Australia

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"On the south west point of the island the beams of a large vessel were discovered, and as the crew of the Zeewyk, lost in 1728 [sic], reported having seen the wreck of a ship on this part, there is little doubt that the remains were those of the Batavia, Commodore Pelsart, lost in 1627. We in consequence named our temporary anchorage Batavia Road, and the whole group Pelsart Group."

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Wallabi Island</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Cramer</span> Australian diver

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Wouter Loos was a soldier on board the Dutch East India Company ship Batavia, which sank on Morning Reef in the Wallabi Group of the Houtman Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Western Australia in 1629. Loos had a critical role in the subsequent Batavia Mutiny, becoming the leader of the mutiny after the original leader, Jeronimus Cornelisz (Corneliszoon), was captured.

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Beacon Island, also known as Batavia's graveyard, is an island on the eastern side of the Wallabi Group at the northern end of the Houtman Abrolhos, in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Western Australia.

References

  1. "Pelsaert Group". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  2. Drake-Brockman, H. (Henrietta); Pelsaert, Francisco, d. 1630; Drok, E. D. (Evert D.) (1995), Voyage to disaster : the life of Francisco Pelsaert (New ed.), University of Western Australia Press, ISBN   978-1-875560-32-5 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. FitzSimons, Peter (2012), Batavia, William Heinemann / Random House Australia, ISBN   978-1-86471-134-9
  4. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Radio National (5 June 2008), Abrolhos birds, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, retrieved 17 January 2016
  5. Surman, CA; Wooller, RD (1995), "The Breeding Biology of the Lesser Noddy on Pelsaert Island, Western Australia", Emu, CSIRO PUBLISHING, 95 (1): 47–53, doi:10.1071/mu9950047, ISSN   1448-5540
  6. Fuller, P. J. (Phillip J.); Burbidge, A. A. (Andrew A.); Wells, A. G. (Albert George), 1917-; Western Australia. Department of Fisheries and Wildlife; Burbidge, Andrew A; Western Australia; Fuller, Phillip J (1981), The birds of Pelsart Island, Western Australia, Dept. of Fisheries and Wildlife, ISBN   978-0-7244-8590-1 {{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. "Houtman Abrolhos". oceandots.com. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2007.