Michaelmas Island

Michaelmas Island is an island located in King George Sound near Albany, Western Australia.

Michaelmas Island
Michaelmas Island from Mount Clarence Albany, Western Australia
Geography
Coordinates35°02′37.74″S 118°02′21.26″E
Administration

The island is a nature reserve (declared in 1983) and managed by the Department of Parks and Wildlife; its reserve number is 30049. The island is also registered as a national estate. The island is 91.9 hectares (227 acres) in area.[1]

Michaelmas Island has steep rocky shores with submerged reefs all along its northern southern and eastern sides in depths up to 30 metres (100 ft) with large granite boulders. The faces are covered in a diverse range in corals and sponges and home to a wide variety of marine life. A whale chaser “Cheynes III” that was scuttled in 1982 is located off the western side of the island and is regarded highly as a diving site.[2][3] Michaelmas Island is an important habitat for both resident and migratory birds. The habitat of these species is threatened by weed invasion such as Taylorina and feral animals such as rats.[4]

George Vancouver named many of the landforms around Albany when he entered King George Sound in 1791 including Michaelmas Island (discovered on Michaelmas Day), King George Sound, Breaksea Island, Oyster Harbour and Point Possession. Vancouver described the island as being covered in rich grasses and other vegetables. Before leaving he planted some vine cuttings, some water cresses, and sowed various seeds. Matthew Flinders landed on the island in 1801 and reported the island to be covered in wiry grasses and stunted shrubs, also it was covered in rat holes.[5][6]

In 2016 the island was chosen as a new habitat site for the critically endangered Gilbert's Potoroo. The island's lack of predators was a key factor in its selection, which will provide the Gilbert's Potoroo with a similar level of long-term protection enjoyed by the quokkas of Rottnest Island, also in Western Australia.[7]

References
  1. "South Coast Region Management Plan 1992-2002" (PDF). 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  2. "Aussie heritage - King George Sound / Princess Royal Harbour Marine Area". 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  3. "Albany - The wild South West". 2007. Archived from the original on 8 January 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  4. "Western Australian coasts and clean seas projects 1999-2000". 2000. Archived from the original on 9 December 2000. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  5. "Camp Quaranup Website- History". 2007. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  6. "Flinders - From the diaries". 2007. Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 28 June 2007.
  7. "Gilberts Potoroo island home survival hopes". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2019.
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