Flinders Island (South Australia)

This article is about the island in South Australia. For other uses, see Flinders Island.
Flinders Island
Geography
Location Great Australian Bight
Coordinates 33°42′49″S 134°29′49″E / 33.71367°S 134.49686°E / -33.71367; 134.49686Coordinates: 33°42′49″S 134°29′49″E / 33.71367°S 134.49686°E / -33.71367; 134.49686
Area 3,642 ha (9,000 acres)[1]
Highest elevation 66 m (217 ft)[2]
Country
Australia

Flinders Island is an island in the Investigator Group off the coast of South Australia. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his younger brother Samuel Flinders, the second lieutenant on HMS Investigator in 1802. It is part of the Investigator Group Important Bird Area. The island has been subject to diamond exploration following the discovery of a wide range of kimberlite indicator minerals there.[3] These minerals include chromite, pyrope, diopside, picroilmenite, forsterite, orthopyroxene, as well as small diamonds.

Little penguin colony

Flinders Island supports a colony of little penguins which in 2006 was believed to be "probably declining", with a population of less than twenty birds.[4] An account of Flinders Island's wildlife published in 1934 stated that penguins could "be seen waddling soldier-like among the rocks and cave entrances that constitute their homes."[5]

History

European discovery and use

Flinders named the island after Samuel Flinders, the sloop’s second lieutenant and his younger brother on Saturday, 13 February 1802.[6]

The Flinders Island Whaling and Sealing Site is listed on the South Australian Heritage Register.[7]

Protected area status

Reserves declared by the South Australian government

A strip of land along the north coast of the island extending west from the island’s most northerly headland, Point Malcolm, has the subject of the subject of a heritage agreement since 29 August 1995. The parcel of land which is identified as No. HA1003 is sized at 279 hectares (690 acres).[8][9][10]

Non-statutory arrangements

Flinders Island is one of the islands included in the Investigator Islands Important Bird Area (sic) identified by BirdLife International.[9]

Citations and references

Citations

  1. Robinson et al, 1996, page 189
  2. DMH, 1985, chart 38
  3. Cooper, S.A., 2004. New diamond field discovered in SA. MESA Journal 24, 6-9. Primary Industries & Resources South Australia publication.
  4. Wiebkin, A. S. (2011) Conservation management priorities for little penguin populations in Gulf St Vincent. Report to Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2011/000188-1. SARDI Research Report Series No.588. 97pp.
  5. "KNOW FLINDERS' ISLAND? WE'LL TELL YOU ABOUT IT". The Wooroora Producer. 1934-07-12. p. 3. Retrieved 2015-11-27.
  6. Flinders, 1814 (1966), pages 223
  7. "Flinders Island Whaling & Sealing Site". South Australian Heritage Register. Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  8. DEH, 2006, page 12
  9. 1 2 BirdLife International, 2015
  10. "CAPAD 2012 South Australia Summary (see 'DETAIL' tab)". CAPAD 2012. Australian Government - Department of the Environment. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.

References


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 13, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.