Wedge Island (South Australia)
Encyclopedia
Wedge Island is a partly privately owned island, with an area of about 10 km2, in south-eastern Australia
. It is the largest of the small Gambier Islands Group
lying between the southern tips of the Eyre
and Yorke Peninsula
s in South Australia
at the entrance to Spencer Gulf
.
at the south-eastern end, and highest point, of the island. There is an airstrip on the island as well as a jetty. The island is not permanently inhabited, but has buildings used for holiday accommodation and as a base for local and offshore recreational fishing
. It is also a dive site
.
has been introduced to the island. The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area
(IBA) by BirdLife International
because it supports over 1% of the world population, with up to about 16,000 breeding pairs, of White-faced Storm-Petrel
s.
. It was originally settled in the mid-19th century as a farm for breeding horses for the British Indian Army
, with various agricultural activities such sheep and cattle grazing and wheat cropping continuing for the nexrt 130 years. The lighthouse was first lit on 29 March 1911 and rebuilt in 1970. During the Second World War a radar station, with a staff of about 30, was operated at the lighthouse site.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the largest of the small Gambier Islands Group
Gambier Islands (South Australia)
The Gambier Islands are a small group of islands lying between the southern tips of the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas at the entrance to Spencer Gulf in South Australia. The islands lie within the 120 km2 Gambier Islands Group Marine Park.-Description:...
lying between the southern tips of the Eyre
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...
and Yorke Peninsula
Yorke Peninsula
The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located north-west and west of Adelaide in South Australia, Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. It has geographic coordinates of...
s 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...
at the entrance to 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...
.
Description
There is a lighthouseLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
at the south-eastern end, and highest point, of the island. There is an airstrip on the island as well as a jetty. The island is not permanently inhabited, but has buildings used for holiday accommodation and as a base for local and offshore recreational fishing
Recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing, is fishing for pleasure or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is fishing for profit, or subsistence fishing, which is fishing for survival....
. It is also a dive site
Recreational diving
Recreational diving or sport diving is a type of diving that uses SCUBA equipment for the purpose of leisure and enjoyment. In some diving circles, the term "recreational diving" is used in contradistinction to "technical diving", a more demanding aspect of the sport which requires greater levels...
.
Wildlife
The endangered Brush-tailed BettongWoylie
The Woylie , also known as the Brush-tailed Bettong, is a small marsupial that belongs to the genus Bettongia. It is endemic to Australia...
has been introduced to the island. The island has been identified 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) 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...
because it supports over 1% of the world population, with up to about 16,000 breeding pairs, of White-faced Storm-Petrel
White-faced Storm-petrel
The White-faced Storm Petrel , also known as White-faced Petrel is a small seabird of the storm-petrel family. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Pelagodroma....
s.
History
Wedge Island was named in 1802 by Matthew FlindersMatthew 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...
. It was originally settled in the mid-19th century as a farm for breeding horses for the British Indian Army
British Indian Army
The British Indian Army, officially simply the Indian Army, was the principal army of the British Raj in India before the partition of India in 1947...
, with various agricultural activities such sheep and cattle grazing and wheat cropping continuing for the nexrt 130 years. The lighthouse was first lit on 29 March 1911 and rebuilt in 1970. During the Second World War a radar station, with a staff of about 30, was operated at the lighthouse site.