The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago of about 20, mostly small, islands, with a collective land area of 1275 ha, lying in Spencer Gulf

Spencer Gulf

The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost of two large inlets on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. The Gulf is 322 km long and 129 km wide at its mouth. The western shore of the Gulf is the Eyre Peninsula, while the eastern side is the...

 about 20 km off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula

Eyre Peninsula

Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded on the east by Spencer Gulf, the west by the Great Australian Bight, and the north by the Gawler Ranges. It is named after explorer Edward John Eyre who explored some of it in 1839-1841. The coastline was first explored by...

 in South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

. It is an important seabird

Seabird

Seabirds are birds that have adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same environmental problems and feeding niches have resulted in similar adaptations...

 breeding site.

History

The islands were visited and named by Matthew Flinders

Matthew Flinders

Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...

 in February 1802 on his voyage of exploration in HMS Investigator. The group is named after Sir Joseph Banks

Joseph Banks

Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...

, who was a sponsor of the Investigator voyage. Many islands in the group are named after places in Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Flinders’ home county.

Description

The islands are low-lying, with the highest point on Spilsby of about 50 m. They consist mainly of a granite

Granite

Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...

 base beneath limestone

Limestone

Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....

 and are usually capped with calcrete or sandy soil. Reevesby and Spilsby are the largest islands in the group. Eighteen of the islands are protected in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park, while the surrounding waters are protected in a 2627 km² marine park. Spilsby Island is privately owned and continues to be grazed by sheep, as well as holding a few holiday cottage

Holiday cottage

A holiday cottage is a cottage used for accommodation, which has become common in the United Kingdom and Canada. They are typically small homes that vacationers can rent and run as if it were their own home for the duration of their stay. This gives them the freedom to eat in, eat out, stay in bed...

s.

Flora and fauna

Most islands are vegetated with low shrubland

Shrubland

Shrubland, scrubland, scrub or brush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity...

 dominated by Nitre Bush

Nitraria billardierei

Nitraria billardierei is a perennial salt tolerant shrub. It is often found in saline areas or areas that have been overgrazed. Nitre Bush flowers mainly in spring with small ovoid or oblong fruit that are purple, red or golden...

 or African Boxthorn

Lycium ferocissimum

Lycium ferocissimum is a shrub in the nightshade family . The species is native to Cape Province and Orange Free State in South Africa and has become naturalised in Australia and New Zealand. It is listed on the Noxious Weed List for Australian States and Territories and is a declared noxious weed...

. Some support tall shrubland dominated by Coastal Boobialla

Myoporum insulare

Myoporum insulare is a shrub or small tree which occurs on dunes and coastal cliffs in Australia. Common names include Common Boobialla, Boobialla, Native Juniper and, in Western Australia, Blueberry Tree....

 or Coastal Daisybush

Olearia axillaris

Olearia axillaris is a shrub of the Asteraceae family, found in coastal areas of Australia. Commonly known as the Coastal Daisybush, it was one of the first edible plants to be discovered by Europeans.-Description:...

. Areas of sandy loam may support Marsh Saltbush

Atriplex paludosa

Atriplex paludosa, commonly known as Marsh Saltbush, is a species of saltbush endemic to Australia.-Description:It grows as an erect shrub up to a metre high...

. The larger islands retain patches of woodland

Woodland

Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...

. Islands previously used for grazing sheep have introduced grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

es and Burr Medick

Medicago minima

Medicago minima is a plant species of the genus Medicago. It is native to the Mediterranean basin but is found worldwide. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, which is capable of nitrogen fixation...

.

As well as the native Death Adders

Common Death Adder

The Common Death Adder , is a species of Death Adder native to Australia. It is one of the most venomous land snakes in Australia and the world. Unlike its sister species of Death Adders, the Common Death Adder is common and is not under major threat.-Description:Common Death Adders have broad...

, Tiger Snakes, and several species of lizard

Lizard

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...

 including goanna

Goanna

Goanna is the name used to refer to any number of Australian monitor lizards of the genus Varanus, as well as to certain species from Southeast Asia.There are around 30 species of goanna, 25 of which are found in Australia...

s, many of the islands have introduced mammals such as feral cat

Feral cat

A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.In many parts of...

s, House Mice

House mouse

The house mouse is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus.As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food....

 or Chinchilla rabbit

Chinchilla rabbit

The Chinchilla rabbit is a rabbit breed. There are three breeds of Chinchilla rabbit recognized by the ARBA.- American Chinchilla :*Weight: 9-12 lb.*ARBA-accepted varieties: Standard...

s. The archipelago has Australian Sea Lion

Australian Sea Lion

The Australian Sea Lion , also known as the Australian Sea-lion or Australian Sealion, is a species of sea lion that breeds only on the south and west coasts of Australia...

 breeding colonies. Greater Stick-nest Rat

Greater Stick-Nest Rat

The Greater Stick-nest Rat, House-building Rat is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Australia on the Franklin Islands and St Peter Island in the Nuyts Archipelago, Reevesby Island, Salutation Island, Faure Island and Heirisson Prong, and a fenced off area at Roxby Downs...

s were reintroduced to Reevesby Island in 1990/91.

Important Bird Area

The archipelago has been identified by BirdLife International

BirdLife International

BirdLife International is a global Partnership of conservation organisations that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity, working with people towards sustainability in the use of natural resources...

 as an Important Bird Area

Important Bird Area

An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...

 (IBA) because it supports over 1% of the world populations of White-faced Storm Petrels (with up to about 180,000 breeding pairs), Cape Barren Geese

Cape Barren Goose

The Cape Barren Goose is a large goose resident in southern Australia. The species is named for Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers.-Taxonomy:...

 (up to about 1200 individuals), Black-faced Cormorant

Black-faced Cormorant

The Black-faced Cormorant , also known as the Black-faced Shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is endemic to coastal regions of southern Australia.-Ecology:The Black-faced-Cormorant feeds largely on...

s (from 3000 to 5000 breeding pairs), and, probably, of Pacific Gull

Pacific Gull

The Pacific Gull is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common between Carnarvon in the west, and Sydney in the east, although it has become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a result of competition from the Kelp Gull, which has "self-introduced" since...

s. Other seabirds which breed in the archipelago include Little Penguin

Little Penguin

The Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to an average of in height and in length , is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names...

s, Silver Gull

Silver Gull

The Silver Gull also known simply as "seagull" in Australia, is the most common gull seen in Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly coastal areas. The South African Hartlaub's Gull and the New Zealand Red-billed Gull The Silver Gull (Chroicocephalus...

s and Greater Crested Tern

Greater Crested Tern

The Greater Crested Tern , also called Crested Tern or Swift Tern, is a seabird in the tern family which nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World...

s. Fairy Tern

Fairy Tern

The Fairy Tern is a small tern which occurs in the southwestern Pacific.There are three subspecies:* Australian Fairy Tern, Sterna nereis nereis - breeds in Australia...

s and Eastern Reef Egret

Eastern Reef Egret

The Eastern Reef Heron , also known as the Pacific Reef Egret or Eastern Reef Egret, is a kind of heron. They are found in many areas of Asia including the oceanic region of India, Southeast Asia, Japan, Polynesia, and in Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.Pacific Reef Herons are medium-sized...

s have been recorded.

Islands

• Blyth Island
• Boucaut Island
• Buffalo Reef
• Dalby Island
• Dangerous Reef

• Duffield Island
• English Island
• Hareby Island
• Kirkby Island
• Langton Island

• Lipson Island
• Lusby Island
• Marum Island
• Partney Island
• Reevesby Island

• Seal Rock
• Sibsey Island
  Sibsey Island
  Sibsey Island is an island off the coast of South Australia. Located at in the Sir Joseph Banks Group, it was discovered in 1801 by Matthew Flinders. In modern times, the island is uninhabited, but it does have an automated lighthouse upon it. English Island is nearby.-Geography:There are two...
  
  
• Spilsby Island
• Stickney Island
• Winceby Island

Access

Visits to the islands are only possible by boat, with the closest mainland access point the coastal town of Tumby Bay

Tumby Bay, South Australia

Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, 45 km north of Port Lincoln...

, 22 km to the north-west. Some islands are not open to the general public because of their environmental sensitivity.