West Island (South Australia)

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West
West Island (South Australia).JPG
West Island viewed from The Bluff
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West
Geography
Location Great Australian Bight
Coordinates 35°36′30″S138°35′30″E / 35.60833°S 138.59167°E / -35.60833; 138.59167 Coordinates: 35°36′30″S138°35′30″E / 35.60833°S 138.59167°E / -35.60833; 138.59167
Highest elevation40 m (130 ft)
Administration

West Island is a 10 hectares (25 acres) granite island lying 0.8 kilometres (0.50 miles) off the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia, 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) south-west of the town of Victor Harbor. It rises to a maximum height of about 40 metres (130 feet) in the south-west. Its main conservation value lies its seabird colonies. [1]

Contents

History

West Island was named for its location 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) west of the promontory of Rosetta Head. During the 1880s it was quarried for granite to construct the foundations of Parliament House, Adelaide. From 1913 until the mid-1960s it was zoned as a Reserve for Government Purposes and, for a short period, was used by the Adelaide University Regiment as a target for gunnery practice during field exercises. In 1966 it became a fauna reserve. Until about 1970 fishers took little penguins and rabbits to use as crayfish bait, though the population of rabbits on the island was exterminated by 1971 and it was declared a Conservation Park in 1972. In 1973 and 1975 Pearson Island rock-wallabies were introduced to the island. [1]

Fauna

Breeding seabirds include little penguins, silver gulls, and crested, Caspian and fairy terns. Reptiles recorded from the island include Cunningham's spiny-tailed, White's and Peron's earless skinks. [1] In 1977, it was reported that Australian sea lions occasionally visited the island. [2]

Little penguin decline

In 1926, visitor Geoffrey Salter said of West Island that "there was a penguin's nest under every other rock." [3] Penguins were also observed on West Island in 1928 [4] and 1950. [5]

The West Island little penguin population has suffered a dramatic decline since the 1990s. A general count occurring in early December 1991 found 700 penguins present. [6] In 1992, the population was estimated to be around 4000 penguins. In June 2011, the population was estimated to be less than 20 penguins. [7] The decline echoes the decline of the colony on nearby Granite Island. In January 2013, Victor Harbor mayor Graham Philp said that the penguin colonies on West Island and Wright Island were 'extinct' while the population on Granite Island was in 'the low 20s'. [8]

A census conducted by penguin ecologist Dr. Diane Colombelli-Négrel from Flinders University in 2013 found no penguins and no active burrows on West Island. The census' report concluded that the colony had not recovered from a prior colony collapse. [9]

Protected area status

West Island has enjoyed protected area status since 10 November 1966 when it was declared a Fauna Reserve under the Fauna Conservation Act 1964-1965. It was re-declared a Fauna Conservation Reserve under the Crown Lands Act on 26 March 1970 and was again re-declared as a Conservation Park in 1972 following the enactment of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 . The waters within 100 metres (330 feet) of West Island were declared as an Aquatic Reserve under the Fisheries Act 1971-1976 in 1971 in order to protect sites used for abalone research. [1] [10] Since 2012, the waters surrounding its shores are located within the boundaries of the Encounter Marine Park. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Sir Joseph Banks Group

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Troubridge Island

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West Island Conservation Park Protected area in South Australia

West Island Conservation Park is a protected area occupying both West Island and Seal Island in coastal waters near Victor Harbor in South Australia. The park was proclaimed in 1972 following the enactment of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 with the protection initially applying to West Island only which itself previously had reserve status under the Fauna Conservation Act 1964-1965. Seal Island was added to the park in 1979. The purpose of the park is to protect the breeding populations of bird species present on both islands such as little penguins, silver gulls, crested terns, Caspian terns and fairy terns. The conservation park is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area. In 1982, it was listed on the now-defunct Register of the National Estate.

The Pages

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Pullen Island (South Australia)

Pullen Island is a 1 ha granite island lying 0.5 km offshore from the town of Port Elliot on the southern coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia. It was originally named Lipson Island but was renamed in 1839 by W.J.S. Pullen, the Colonial Marine Surveyor, after himself. The island is protected by designation as the Pullen Island Conservation Park.

Wright Island (South Australia)

Wright Island is a 1 hectare island in Encounter Bay, South Australia. It is located between the popular tourist destination Granite Island and the prominent rocky headland known as The Bluff. The island consists largely of granite boulders. It also features low vegetation and a sandy beach suitable for the landing of small boats. The island is uninhabited and can only be accessed from the water. It was named after William Wright, one of the headmen of the South Australia Company's whaling operations in the Victor Harbor area in the 1800s. The island is managed by the City of Victor Harbor, the local government authority, as part of its parks and gardens asset.

Althorpe Islands

The Althorpe Islands are a group of islands in the Investigator Strait, off the south-western tip of Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. The group includes Althorpe Island and two rocky islets immediately to its west known as The Boobs. These are located 7.7 km south-southwest of Cape Spencer on the mainland. Closer inshore are Seal Island and Haystack Island, which together with Althorpe Island and The Boobs constitute the Althorpe Islands Conservation Park. A management plan for the Althorpe Islands Conservation Park was adopted in 2009. The islands are uninhabited and can only be accessed by sea or by helicopter.

Greenly Island (South Australia)

Greenly Island is an island in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Great Australian Bight about 30 kilometres (19 mi) west-south-west of Point Whidbey on Eyre Peninsula. The island is uninhabited by humans and provides a haven for marine and terrestrial wildlife. The island and its intertidal zone constitute the Greenly Island Conservation Park. Its adjacent waters are occasionally visited by fishermen targeting yellowtail kingfish.

Lewis Island (South Australia)

Lewis Island is an island located in Spencer Gulf off the east coast of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula in South Australia approximately 29 km (18 mi) south-east of Port Lincoln. It was named by Matthew Flinders in memory of George Lewis who was one of the eight crew lost from a cutter that capsized sometime after being launched from HM Sloop Investigator to search for water on 21 February 1802. Since 2004, the island has been part of the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.

Whidbey Isles Conservation Park Protected area in South Australia

The Whidbey Isles Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia which consists of seven islands located about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) west-southwest of Coffin Bay on the lower Eyre Peninsula.

Waldegrave Islands

Waldegrave Islands is an island group in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Investigator Group about 2.5 kilometres northwest by west of Cape Finniss on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula. The group consists of Waldegrave Island, Little Waldegrave Island and according to some sources, a pair of rocks known as the Watchers. The group is notable as a breeding site for Australian sea lions and Cape Barren geese. The group has enjoyed protected area status since the 1960s and as of 1972 has been part of the Waldegrave Islands Conservation Park.

Pearson Island

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.

Royston Island

Royston Island is an island in the Australian state of South Australia at the northern end of Pondalowie Bay on the south-west extremity of Eyre Peninsula about 13 kilometres north-west of the town of Stenhouse Bay. The island has enjoyed protected area status since 1967 and since 1972, it has been part of the Innes National Park.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Anon (1983). Island conservation parks of Backstairs Passage and Encounter Bay management plans (PDF). Adelaide: National Parks and Wildlife Service. ISBN   0-7243-4588-4.
  2. ↑ "S.A 's. Aquatic Reserves". Victor Harbour Times (SA : 1932 - 1986). 14 April 1977. p. 15. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  3. ↑ Salter, Geoffrey "Snook and schnapper - Day with the fisherman - Life for good sailors" The Mail, Adelaide, South Australia (1926-01-09). Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  4. ↑ "Possum's Letter - Mate sees penguins on Victor Harbor islands" The Mail, Adelaide, South Australia (1929-11-09). Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  5. ↑ Rumbelow, Phylis "Trip to West Island" The Mail, Adelaide, South Australia (1950-10-28). Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  6. ↑ "Council News in Brief Penguin numbers". Times. 8 February 1991. p. 3. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Wiebken, A. "Conservation Priorities for Little Penguin Populations in Gulf St Vincent" SARDI, South Australia (2011-06). Retrieved
  8. ↑ Simmons, Michael; Dempster; Alice (31 January 2013). "Little Penguins face extinction". Fairfax Media. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  9. ↑ Colombelli-Négrel, D. & Kleindorfer, S. Penguin monitoring and conservation activities in the Gulf St Vincent July 2013 – June 2014. Report to the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board, Flinders University, South Australia (2014-04). Retrieved 2014-07-27.
  10. ↑ "West Island Aquatic Reserve" (PDF). Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA). Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "Encounter Marine Park Management plan summary" (PDF). Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. p. 2 of 6. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
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