Spectacle Island (Hawkesbury River)

Last updated November 07, 2019

Spectacle Island is a 36.4-hectare (89.9-acre) island located in Australia's Hawkesbury River near its junction with Mooney Mooney Creek, to the north of Sydney, New South Wales. It is within the bounded locality of Mooney Mooney.

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east. The population of 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Australia's capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

The Mooney Mooney Creek, a perennial river that is part of the Hawkesbury-Nepean catchment, is located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Port Jackson and extends about 70 km (43.5 mi) on its periphery towards the Blue Mountains to the west, Hawkesbury to the north, the Royal National Park to the south and Macarthur to the south-west. Sydney is made up of 658 suburbs, 40 local government areas and 15 contiguous regions. Residents of the city are known as "Sydneysiders". As of June 2017, Sydney's estimated metropolitan population was 5,230,330 and is home to approximately 65% of the state's population.

The island was originally known as 'Goat Island', named after a herd of goats that were once kept on the island.^[1]^[2] Apparently other domesticated animals were also marooned here, as there is one report of an omnivorous cow consuming two flatheads that it had pulled down from a tree where the fisherman had left them to dry, probably in order to supplement the meagre amount of pasture that was available.^[3]

The name of the island was subsequently changed to Spectacle, although the reason is unclear. It may have been due to the spectacular view from its summit,^[4] or maybe due to its resemblance to a monocle.^[5]

The island was designated a nature reserve in 1972 and was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1978 for its scientific importance as a remnant of the natural environment of Sydney, for the abundance of aboriginal sites it contains, and particularly diverse vegetation. It is managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.^[6]

The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. It has been replaced by the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heritage List and various state and territory heritage registers.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was a part of the Office of Environment and Heritage - formerly the main government conservation agency in New South Wales, Australia. It is currently part of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.

Spectacle Island was included on the Australian National Heritage List in December 2006.^[7]

Australian National Heritage List national heritage register of Australia

The Australian National Heritage List is a heritage register, a list of national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The list includes natural, historic and indigenous places. Once on the National Heritage List the provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 apply.

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References

↑ "Spectacle Island". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 7 January 2009.
↑ "Hawkesbury Central Residence and farm". Sydney Herald. 30 October 1841.
↑ "Fish Eating Cow". Cairns Post. 13 March 1920. p. 8.
↑ Joffe, Mick (1992). Yarns& Photos - Beautiful Old Berowra & Hornsby to the Hawkesbury. Sandstone Press. p. 214. ISBN 0731614623.
↑ "A Trip up the Hawkesbury". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 September 1874. p. 7.
↑ "Spectacle Island Nature Reserve (Place ID 2611)". Australian Heritage Database . Department of the Environment . Retrieved 7 January 2009.
↑ "Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Lion Island, Long Island and Spectacle Island Nature Reserves". National Heritage List. Australian Government – Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2009.

Coordinates: 33°31′52″S151°12′41″E / 33.531019°S 151.21139°E / -33.531019; 151.21139

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[1] "Spectacle Island". Geographical Names Register (GNR) of NSW. Geographical Names Board of New South Wales . Retrieved 7 January 2009.

[2] "Hawkesbury Central Residence and farm". Sydney Herald. 30 October 1841.

[3] "Fish Eating Cow". Cairns Post. 13 March 1920. p. 8.

[4] Joffe, Mick (1992). Yarns& Photos - Beautiful Old Berowra & Hornsby to the Hawkesbury. Sandstone Press. p. 214. ISBN 0731614623.

[5] "A Trip up the Hawkesbury". Sydney Morning Herald. 22 September 1874. p. 7.

[6] "Spectacle Island Nature Reserve (Place ID 2611)". Australian Heritage Database . Department of the Environment . Retrieved 7 January 2009.

[7] "Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Lion Island, Long Island and Spectacle Island Nature Reserves". National Heritage List. Australian Government – Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2009.