Rowley Shoals

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Rowley Shoals
ESC large ISS005 ISS005-E-15298.JPG
The Rowley Shoals from the International Space Station at 389 km (242 mi) altitude on 21 September 2002.
Rowley Shoals
The Rowley Shoals are off the northwest coast of Australia.
Geography
Location Indian Ocean
Coordinates 17°20′S119°20′E / 17.333°S 119.333°E / -17.333; 119.333 Coordinates: 17°20′S119°20′E / 17.333°S 119.333°E / -17.333; 119.333
Administration
State Western Australia
ShoalsRowley Shoals
Demographics
Population0
Additional information
Time zone

The Rowley Shoals is a group of three atoll-like coral reefs south of the Timor Sea, about 260 km (160 mi) west of Broome on the northwestern Australian coast, centered on 17°20′S119°20′E / 17.333°S 119.333°E / -17.333; 119.333 , on the edge of one of the widest continental shelves in the world. Each atoll covers an area of around 80 to 90 km2 (31 to 35 sq mi) within the rim of the reef, including the lagoons, while the land areas are negligible. They belong to Western Australia. They all rise steeply from the surrounding ocean floor. To the northeast lie the Scott and Seringapatam Reefs which are located on the same undersea platform.

Contents

Naming and history

The Rowley Shoals were so named by Captain Phillip Parker King in 1818 in honour of Captain Rowley who first sighted the Imperieuse Reef in 1800. [1] It is believed that the Rowley Shoals reefs have been visited by fishermen from Indonesia, from at least the mid-18th century. [2] The fishermen were also collecting or hunting for Trepang (holothurians or sea cucumbers), turtle shell, trochus shell and shark fin.

These early visitors apparently knew the Rowley Shoals as Pulau Pulo Dhaoh. In later years, fishermen from Roti Island, south of Timor, also visited the Rowley Shoals, which they knew as Pulau Bawa Angin. The individual reefs were also given names, Mermaid Reef being called Pulau Manjariti, Clerke Reef was Pulau Tengah and Imperieuse Reef was Pulau Matsohor.[ citation needed ]

Description

Conservation

Mermaid Reef is listed on Australia's Commonwealth Heritage List and all three reefs of the Rowley Shoals were registered on the former Register of the National Estate. The Shoals are the only known origin and home of several unusual species, including the Western Australian sculpin, and so are of major ecological value.

Tourism

Since about 1977 charter boats based from Broome began operating deep sea fishing and diving expeditions to the reefs and seas around. Since this time interest in the area has grown considerably and the Rowley Shoals has achieved a reputation for offering some of the best diving in Australia.

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References

  1. King, Phillip Parker (20 March 1826). Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia, performed between the years 1818 and 1822 (eBook ed.). London: Project Gutenberg (published 21 February 2004). Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  2. Stacey, Natasha (1 June 2007). "Chapter 5: Australian Maritime Expansion". Boats to Burn: Bajo Fishing Activity in the Australian Fishing Zone. Vol. 2. ANU Press. p. 83. Retrieved 30 January 2023.

Further reading