Salisbury Island Coordinates: 34°21′39″S123°33′01″E / 34.36083°S 123.55028°E is located in the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia. [1] [2]
The island occupies an area of 320 hectares (791 acres), the third largest island in the Recherche Archipelago. [3] It is situated approximately 140 kilometres (87 mi) east of Esperance [4] and 60 kilometres (37 mi) off the coast near the edge of the continental shelf, making it one of the southernmost islands in the archipelago. [5]
The island is formed from a massive limestone scarp that sits atop a granite dome. Many caves are found throughout the island both above and below water. [4]
Indigenous Australians are thought to have inhabited the island up to 18,000 years ago. Archeologists have found ancient artefacts on the island such as stone blades, lizard traps, axe heads, grinding stones and granite watering holes. The objects are believed to be 5,000 to 18,000 years old from a time when many of the islands were joined to the mainland. [6]
Rodondo was thought to be wrecked on Polloch Reef off Salisbury Island in 1895. [7]
The island is a breeding ground for the Australian fur seal and the New Zealand fur seal and also supports a population of the black-flanked rock-wallaby [8] and the bush rat. [9]
In the waters surrounding the island great white sharks are known to congregate in large numbers, preying on the seals and the many schools of fish that live among the limestone reefs and granite outcrops. [4]
Cape Le Grand National Park is a national park in Western Australia, 631 km (392 mi) south-east of Perth and 56 km (35 mi) east of Esperance. The park covers an area of 31,801 hectares The area is an ancient landscape which has been above sea level for well over 200 million years and remained unglaciated. As a result, the area is home to many primitive relict species. Established in 1966, the park is managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife. The name Le Grand is from one of the officers on L'Espérance, one of the ships in the 1792 expedition of Bruni d'Entrecasteaux.
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni, chevalier d'Entrecasteaux was a French naval officer, explorer and colonial governor. He is perhaps best known for his exploration of the Australian coast in 1792, while searching for the La Pérouse expedition. Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux is commonly referred to simply as Bruni d'Entrecasteaux or Bruny d'Entrecasteaux, which is a compound surname.
Esperance is a town in the Goldfields–Esperance region of Western Australia, on the Southern Ocean coastline approximately 720 kilometres (450 mi) east-southeast of the state capital, Perth. The urban population of Esperance was 12,145 at June 2018. Its major industries are tourism, agriculture, and fishing.
Threatened fauna of Australia are those species and subspecies of birds, fish, frogs, insects, mammals, molluscs, crustaceans and reptiles to be found in Australia that are in danger of becoming extinct. This list is the list proclaimed under the Australian federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The classifications are based on those used by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), however IUCN and Australian rankings do differ. Each state and territory has its own legislation relating to environmental protection.
The black-flanked rock-wallaby, also known as the black-footed rock-wallaby or warru, is a species of wallaby, one of several rock-wallabies in the genus Petrogale. A shy, nocturnal herbivore, its two main subspecies are found in mostly isolated populations across western and southern Western Australia (WA), the Northern Territory and parts of South Australia (SA). With some subspecies showing a decline in populations in recent years, the whole species is classed as an endangered species under the Commonwealth EPBC Act.
Rothschild's rock-wallaby – sometimes known as the Roebourne rock-wallaby, is a species of macropod found in Western Australia, in the Pilbara district and the Dampier Archipelago. It is not currently considered to be threatened, but is at risk from the red fox.
Woody Island is an island off the south coast in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Israelite Bay is a bay and locality on the south coast of Western Australia, frequently mentioned in Bureau of Meteorology weather reports as a geographical marker. Climate data was recorded from 1885 to 1927.
The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles, is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the south coast of Western Australia. The islands stretch 230 km (140 mi) from east to west and to 50 km (31 mi) off-shore encompassing an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometres (1,544 sq mi). The western group is near Esperance and the eastern group at Israelite Bay. They are located in coastal waters, part of which is designated the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve.
North Island is the northernmost island in the Houtman Abrolhos, a coral reef archipelago in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Mid West Western Australia. Located about 14 km (9 mi) from the nearest island group, it is one of the largest islands in the Houtman Abrolhos, and one of the few to support dune systems. It has relatively diverse flora dominated by chenopod shrubs and fauna that includes the introduced tammar wallaby, around seven species of reptile, and about 15 resident bird species.
Morelia imbricata is a large snake found in southern regions of Western Australia and western South Australia. A member of the python family, it is commonly known as the southwestern carpet python.
Lake Hillier is a saline lake on the edge of Middle Island, the largest of the islands and islets that make up the Recherche Archipelago in the Goldfields-Esperance region, off the south coast of Western Australia. It is particularly notable for its pink colour. A long and thin shore divides the Southern Ocean from the lake.
Sanko Harvest was a 32,502 DWT dry bulk carrier that sank off Esperance, Western Australia after striking a charted reef on 14 February 1991. The Korean-crewed Japanese-owned ship was 174 metres (571 ft) long and was carrying a cargo of 32,790 tonnes of phosphate fertilizer valued at A$8.9 million. Also on board were 677 tonnes of heavy bunker fuel and 40 tonnes of light diesel oil.
Gulch Island is located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia.
Middle Island is an island off the south coast of Western Australia in the Recherche Archipelago, around 120 km (75 mi) south-east of Esperance. It is known for its pink lake, Lake Hillier. Goose Island lies just adjacent to the north.
Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve is a protected area located in the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia. It consists of at least 104 islands and at least 1,200 obstacles to shipping and covers an area of sea extending 230 kilometres from east to west and up to a distance of 50 kilometres from the coast of the Australian continent. As of 2012, visitor access is limited to Middle Island within the nature reserve and is only available via a licensed tour operator. The nature reserve is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area.
Pearson Island is an island located in the Australian state of South Australia within the Pearson Isles an island group located in the larger group known as the Investigator Group about 63 kilometres southwest by west of Cape Finniss on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula. The group was discovered and named by Matthew Flinders on 13 February 1802. The island group has enjoyed protected area status since the 1960s and since 2011, it has been part of the Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area. Pearson Island is notable both for its colony of Pearson Island Rock wallaby and for being a destination for scientific research.
John 'Black Jack' Anderson was an African-American sealer and pirate active in the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia.
Eastern Recherche Marine Park is a marine park adjacent to the Recherche Archipelago, close to the Western Australian Cape Arid National Park, and 135 km east of Esperance, on the south coast of Western Australia. It has consists of two sections: one of 5,010 km2 (1,930 sq mi) which is managed as an IUCN protected area category VI, and a further section of 15,565 km2 (6,010 sq mi) which is managed as an IUCN protected area category II. The maximum depth of the park is 6,000 metres (20,000 ft).
Cooper Reef, also called the Esperance Nearshore Artificial Reef, is a purpose-built artificial reef in Esperance, Western Australia. Completed in 2019, the reef was designed in collaboration with Recfishwest and artificial reef specialists at Subcon, and built with the help of local volunteers. It was constructed to attract fish and enhance fish stocks, thereby creating new fishing and recreation opportunities for tourists, anglers and local families. Graham Cooper, who is the South East Coast Recreational Fishing Council president, Esperance Deep Sea Angling Club member, and local fishing safety educator, was the driving force behind the reef and the reason it got its name.