Hindmarsh Island

Prior to European colonisation, the island was occupied by Ngarrindjeri peoples, many who were forcibly removed to Raukkan.

Plaque of a monument dedicated to Charles Sturt and Collet Barker on the island, erected in 1930.

1830: The first European to set foot on Hindmarsh Island was Captain Charles Sturt. Sturt used the Island as a viewing point and from there he sighted the Murray Mouth.

1831: Captain Collet Barker surveyed the Murray Mouth but was killed by Indigenous Australians after swimming across the mouth.

Captain Charles Sturt, first European to set foot on Hindmarsh Island in 1830.

1837: The island was named by Captain John William Dundas Blenkinsop after South Australia's first Governor, Sir John Hindmarsh.

1849: Dr. John Rankine was granted an occupational licence to become the island's first grazier. His nephew James Rankine was an early and longtime settler.

1853: Charles Price purchased section 20 (32 hectares (80 acres)) on the island.

1856: A flour mill was constructed.

1857: A signal mast was erected at Barker Knoll to convey safe passage condition messages to vessels wishing to pass through the mouth.

1858: A public ferry began operations between Goolwa and the island. In the same year the first inter colonial telegraph line passed through the island to link Adelaide with Melbourne.

1861: The cemetery was surveyed.

1880s: Alberto and Selberto Forest were planted.

1868: Hereford cattle and Shropshire sheep arrived in South Australia, when Charles Price introduced them onto the island.

1900: A cheese factory was established by Percy Heggaton.

1914: An experimental barrage was constructed to link Hindmarsh Island with Mundoo Island.

1935: Construction of the permanent barrages took place with the aim of maintaining a consistent water level around the river Port of Goolwa and keeping salt water from the northern shore improving agricultural opportunities.

1965: Mains electricity arrived on the island

1970: Little penguins were present on Hindmarsh Island. Today, the colony is extinct. [1]

1985: Approximately an area of 1,405 square kilometres (542 square miles) including the island was listed as a "wetland of international importance" under the Ramsar convention under the name of Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland.[2]

2001: Approximately a third of the island, the 10.81 square kilometres (4.17 square miles) Wyndgate property, was added to the Coorong National Park.

2005: Coorong Quays Hindmarsh Island boasts the title of the largest freshwater marina in the Southern Hemisphere (formerly The Marina Hindmarsh Island). [3]

Present: Hindmarsh Island today has fresh water on its northern shore and salt water on the southern shores, the waters being separated by a series of barrages.

Length: 319 metres (1,047 feet)

Height: 19 metres (62 feet)

Width: 11 metres (36 feet)

Clearance Height: 14 metres (46 feet)

Building Company: Built Environs

Construction Commenced: October 1999

Construction Finished: March 2001

View of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge from the Goolwa wharf.

March 4, 2001 saw the official opening of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge linking the island to Goolwa. The bridge became a focus of national controversy when a group of local Indigenous people (the Ngarrindjeri) and some landowners objected to its construction. It was alleged that the Ngarrindjeri objectors fabricated the cultural significance of the island (the Secret Women's Business) in order to help fight the development.

A later Royal Commission decided that the Secret Women's Business was made up. Construction was blocked by the Keating Government but given the go-ahead by the Howard Government in 1996.

In 2001 a Federal Court Judge, Mr Justice John von Doussa, found in Chapman v Luminis Pty Ltd (No 5) that "the evidence received by the Court on this topic is significantly different to that which was before the Royal Commission. Upon the evidence before this Court I am not satisfied that the restricted women's knowledge was fabricated or that it was not part of genuine Aboriginal tradition."[4]^{: para 12} Justice von Doussa found that the nine Ngarrindjeri women who testified about their beliefs were "credible witnesses who genuinely hold the beliefs and recollections expressed by them".[4]^{: para 317}

Typical grassland scene at Hindmarsh Island

Grassland & Forest scene, located on the northern part of the Island.

Area: 45.5 square kilometres (17.6 square miles)

Coastline: 43.7 kilometres (27.2 miles) (not including marina)

Highest Elevation: 25 metres (82 feet) (35°30'30.28"S 138°49'21.83"E)

Salt Lakes Total: 49

Terrain: grassland, wooded forest, salt lakes and mangroves

Mundoo Island (35°33'4.35"S 138°55'0.86"E) is a medium-sized island off the east coast of the island. Mundoo Island is a privately owned cattle station. The road acts also as a barrage to prevent the river water flowing through Murray Mouth into the ocean.

Area: 13.4 square kilometres (5.2 square miles)

Perimeter: 27.3 kilometres (17.0 miles)

Distance from Hindmarsh Island: 103 metres (338 feet)

Rat Island/Grindstone Island (35°31'12.59"S 138°57'34.83"E) is a small private owned island 320 metres (1,050 feet) off the easternmost point of the island. It covers 13 hectares (32 acres) of land.

Area: 12 hectares (29 acres)

Perimeter: 1.8 kilometres (1.1 miles)

Distance from Hindmarsh Island: 344 metres (1,129 feet)

Varcoe Island (35°32'30.29"S 138°54'8.55"E) is an extremely small island, with a population of 0.

Area: 913 square metres (9,830 square feet)

Perimeter: 117 metres (384 feet)

Distance from Hindmarsh Island: 380 metres (1,250 feet)

Bird Island/Gull Island (35°33'13.44"S 138°53'42.28"E) is small-sized island which has a population of 0, it is 100 metres (330 feet) off the southernmost point of the island.

Area: 46 hectares (113 acres)

Perimeter: 2.7 kilometres (1.7 miles)

Distance from Hindmarsh Island: 97 metres (318 feet)

Goose Island (35°30'3.98"S 138°56'9.47"E) is a small private island 420 metres (1,380 feet) off the north western area of the island. It has a population of 2, and very close to the coastline of Clayton Bay. Right next to Goose Island is Goat Island, which are 240 240 metres (790 feet) apart. Goose island has sparse vegetation.

Area: 29 hectares (71 acres)

Perimeter: 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles)

Distance from Hindmarsh Island: 413 metres (1,355 feet)

Goat Island (35°30'17.14"S 138°56'35.78"E) is a small private island 340 metres (1,120 feet) off the north eastern area of the island. Goat island has a population of 1, making it the smallest island by population. Goat island has more vegetation on it than Goose Island, because the ground is damper.

Area: 40 hectares (100 acres)

Perimeter: 3.3 kilometres (2.1 miles)

Distance from Hindmarsh Island: 296 metres (971 feet)

Limestone Island/Goose Island (35°29'30.29"S 138°49'56.99"E) is a small island, which is located in the Game Reserve. It is located 970 metres (3,180 feet) off the northern coast line of the island. It has a population of 0, and it was named Limestone Island because there is limestone rock formations on the island. The island is rarely set foot on by humans, and it has been known to flood in the middle of winter, making the island fully submerged in water. Limestone Island can be viewed very easily from Goolwa north because it is only 700 metres (2,300 feet) away.

Area: 15 hectares (37 acres)

Perimeter: 1,755 metres (5,758 feet)

Distance from Hindmarsh Island: 961 metres (3,153 feet)

Akin to Adelaide, Hindmarsh Island experiences a typical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers, and mild cool winters.

The forests located on the island covers up to 11%. Forests are spread out over different parts of the Island. On the west side of the Island there is a West Forest (Alberto Forest) and on the east side of the Island there East Forest (Selberto Forest). The forests that are present on the Island were originally planted after 1949, and are not present on the Ariel map available on Alexandrina Council website which was taken in 1949.

Alberto Forest

Typical scene in Alberto Forest

Alberto Forest (35°30'28.32"S, 138°48'59.26"E) is located on the west side of the Island, the northern part of Alberto Forest is the Hindmarsh Island Caravan Park (-35.503767"S, 138.814702"E). Also next to the Caravan Park is Karinga Park Homestead (35°30'14.35"S, 138°49'10.57"E) which also is a part of Alberto Forest. Other parts of the Alberto Forest collide with peoples properties. Same parts of the forest are used for timber and some of it is private land. The Alberto consists of Aleppo pines, they range from 15–25 metres (49–82 ft) tall. Its main purpose was to prevent erosion of the sand dune areas.

Perimeter: 6.89 kilometres (4.28 miles)

Area: 1.48 square kilometres (0.57 square miles)

Digger in Alberto Forest, 2014

A wide range of biodiversity inhabits Hindmarsh Island, below is a list of animals that live on Hindmarsh Island.

Introduced species

Cattle

Wagyu bulls in Alberto Forest, 2013

Wagyu bulls seen on the southern part of the Island, close to the Coorong National Park

The bull was introduced to Hindmarsh Island in the 1960s. Some of the bulls were brought in to forests and into farm areas. Bulls in the forest are normally seen sitting in the shade or eating grass amongst the trees. People are warned not to interfere with the bulls in the forest, because they could become aggressive. Bulls are widespread across the island.

European rabbits

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is a European rabbit that was introduced to the island in the 1950s. They can vary in colour, sometimes gray, white or even black. They can blend into their surroundings very well; they are mostly found in the forest. They are very shy animals and tend to sprint away when approached by a human.

Red Fox

The Red Fox has been present on the island since the 1850s, when they were introduced from Europe. They are extremely invasive creatures, and widely considered as pests. They mostly present on the southern coast of the island, where they enjoy the isolation. The Red Fox is an extremely shy animal, and will avoid humans when confronted.

Hindmarsh Island either contains or is within the boundaries of the following areas designated for protection and similar purposes. The Lawari Conservation Park which is located on land at the eastern end of the island overlooking the Goolwa Channel to the south and the Mundoo Channel to the east, was proclaimed on 21 March 2017.[7][8] The Ramsar site known as the Coorong and Lakes Alexandrina and Albert Wetland includes the full extent of the island and its adjoining waters.[8]

• List of crossings of the Murray River
• List of islands within the Murray River in South Australia

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