Trefoil Island

The island is a major breeding site for short-tailed shearwaters, or Tasmanian muttonbirds

Trefoil Island is an island with an area of 115.79 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of Tasmania’s Trefoil Island Group, lying close to Cape Grim, Tasmania’s most north-westerly point, in Bass Strait. It is owned by the Trefoil Island Aboriginal Cooperative and is home to an estimated 1.5 million breeding pairs of short-tailed shearwaters, which are subject to annual muttonbirding activities.[1] Approval is required to visit.

There is an airstrip, otherwise small boats can be used on calm days at Kelp Beach. The shoreline is covered with pebbly rocks.

Fauna and flora

The island forms part of the Hunter Island Group Important Bird Area.[2] Apart from the short-tailed shearwaters, breeding seabird and shorebird species include little penguin, Pacific gull, silver gull, sooty oystercatcher and pied oystercatcher. The Cape Barren goose also breeds on the island. Reptiles include metallic skink and the introduced tiger snake.[1]

The main vegetation is silver tussock Poa poiformis with a few small patches of bracken fern Pteridium esculentum. The only trees on Trefoil are six specimens of Cupressus macrocarpa.

References

  1. 1 2 Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. ISBN 0-7246-4816-X
  2. ↑ BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Hunter Island Group. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2011-07-09.

Coordinates: 40°38′S 144°41′E / 40.633°S 144.683°E / -40.633; 144.683

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