Flinders Island

Flinders Island

Infobox Islands
name = Flinders Island



image caption = Furneaux Group from space, April 1993
locator

native name =
native name link =
location = Tasmania
coordinates= coord|40|00|S|148|07|E|type:isle_region:AU-TAS
area = 1,333 km² (515 sq mi)
highest mount = Mount Strzelecki
elevation = 756 m (2,480 ft)
country = Australia
country admin divisions title = State
country admin divisions = flag|Tasmania
country admin divisions title 1 = LGA
country admin divisions 1 = Municipality of Flinders Island
country largest city = Whitemark
country largest city population = population 170
population = 897
population as of = 2005
density = (1.742/sq mi) 0.673
ethnic groups =

Flinders Island is an island in the Bass Strait, located 20 km from Cape Portland being the north-eastern tip of Tasmania, Australia. It is the largest island in the Furneaux Group.

History

The Furneaux Group was first discovered by Europeans in 1773 when it was sighted by Tobias Furneaux, a support ship commander of Captain Cook's party. In 1798-'99 British explorers Matthew Flinders and George Bass completed the first ever circumnavigation of Tasmania, proving it to be an island separate from the Australian mainland. Bass Strait was named in honour of George Bass, whereas the main island in the Furneaux Group was named after Flinders. In the late 1700s, the island was settled by sealers and their mostly Aboriginal wives, but seal stocks soon collapsed, causing the last sealing permit to be issued in 1828. Many sealers' families chose to stay in the Furneaux Group, subsisting on cattle grazing and muttonbirding.
In 1833, the remnants of the Tasmanian Aboriginal population were exiled to Settlement Point (or "Wybalenna", meaning Black Man's House) on Flinders Island. These 160 survivors were deemed to be safe from white settlers here, but the relocation scheme was short-lived and doomed to fail. In 1847 the remaining 45 Aboriginals were again relocated, this time to Oyster Cove on Tasmania's east coast.
From the late 19th Century freehold land was given out, but it was not until the 1950s that a proper settlement scheme was initiated, mainly drawing settlers from mainland Tasmania and central New South Wales to Flinders Island's eastern shore. The Municipality of Flinders Island was instituted in 1903 [http://www.focusonflinders.com.au/about.htm Focus on Flinders website] ] .

Geography and Nature

The island forms part of the state of Tasmania, and part of the Municipality of Flinders Island local government area. Note that Flinders Island is only one of the many islands included in the Municipal area, although Flinders Island itself is the only island with more than one permanent settlement and by far the largest in the Furneaux Group.

The island is approximately 62 km from north to south, and 37 km from east to west [Google Earth measurements] . The island's total land area is 1333 km². With a height of 756 m, Mount Strzelecki in the south west is the island's highest peak. About a third of the island is mountainous and rugged with ridges of granite running the length of the island. The coastal areas are dominated by sandy deposits often taking the shape of dunes. Many coastal lagoons punctuate the eastern shore, formed by dunes blocking further drainage. This drainage is mainly provided by many small streams, few of them permanently flowing, directly leading to the waters of Bass Strait or such a lagoon.
The coastal areas are mainly covered in scrub or shrubs, whereas the vegetation at a higher elevation consists of woodland, mainly eucalyptus species. The total number of plant species in the Furneaux Group well exceeds 800, showing the great biodiversity of its ecosystem [http://www.focusonflinders.com.au/about.htm Focus on Flinders website] ] . Animal species include Bennett's Wallaby ("Macropus rufogriseus"), Brushtail Possum ("Trichosurus vulpecula"), Cape Barren Goose ("Cereopsis novaehollandiae"), Short-tailed Shearwater ("Puffinus tenuirostris"), Eastern Pygmy Possum ("Cercartetus nanus"), Potoroo ("Potorous apicalis"), Common Ringtail Possum ("Pseudocheirus peregrinus"), Tasmanian Pademelon ("Thylogale billardierii"), and Cape Fur Seal ("Arctocephalus pusillus") [ [http://focusonflinders.com.au/florafauna.htm Focus on Flinders fauna page] ] . The area surrounding Mount Strzelecki in the south west of the island constitutes Strzelecki National Park.

Demographics

The population in 2005 was 897 people; the median age being 45. [ [http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Latestproducts/3218.0Main%20Features72004-05?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=3218.0&issue=2004-05&num=&view= Australian Bureau of Statistics] ]

Settlements include Whitemark (which has the island's main airstrip and about 170 inhabitants (2005) and Lady Barron (approx. 130 inhabitants), Blue Rocks, Emita, Killiecrankie, Lackrana, Leeka, Loccota, Lughrata, Memana, Palana, Ranga, Wingaroo, and Wybalenna [Hema Road Map of Tasmania, Hema Maps, 1990, ISBN 0 670 90403 1] [ [http://www.arta.com.au/tasmaps/flinders_island.html Wilkins Tourist Maps' online map of the Furneaux Group] ] (all below Lady Barron's population figure).

Communications

Airlines of Tasmania runs a daily service from Launceston, Tasmania (40 minutes) and a three-weekly flight from Melbourne-Essendon (90 minutes) [ [http://focusonflinders.com.au/Airtas.htm Focus on Flinders Airlines of Tasmania page] ] . Both services terminate at Flinders Island Airport about 3 km north of Whitemark.

Climate

Infobox Weather
metric_first=yes
single_line=yes
location =Flinders Island Airport
Jan_Hi_°C =22.0
Feb_Hi_°C =22.6
Mar_Hi_°C =21.2
Apr_Hi_°C =18.7
May_Hi_°C =16.2
Jun_Hi_°C =14.0
Jul_Hi_°C =13.3
Aug_Hi_°C =13.7
Sep_Hi_°C =15.0
Oct_Hi_°C =16.7
Nov_Hi_°C =18.4
Dec_Hi_°C =20.1
Year_Hi_°C =17.7
Jan_Lo_°C =13.3
Feb_Lo_°C =13.6
Mar_Lo_°C =12.5
Apr_Lo_°C =10.7
May_Lo_°C =9.0
Jun_Lo_°C =7.0
Jul_Lo_°C =6.3
Aug_Lo_°C =6.6
Sep_Lo_°C =7.5
Oct_Lo_°C =8.5
Nov_Lo_°C =10.1
Dec_Lo_°C =11.8
Year_Lo_°C =9.7
Jan_Precip_mm =46.2
Feb_Precip_mm =38.8
Mar_Precip_mm =49.8
Apr_Precip_mm =59.2
May_Precip_mm =80.4
Jun_Precip_mm =71.8
Jul_Precip_mm =84.8
Aug_Precip_mm =74.5
Sep_Precip_mm =63.7
Oct_Precip_mm =61.5
Nov_Precip_mm =54.4
Dec_Precip_mm =56.8
Year_Precip_mm =742.4
source =Bureau of Meteorologycite web
url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_099005.shtml|title=Climate Data|accessmonthday=August 2|accessyear=2008
publisher=BoM|language=
]
accessdate =1962-2008

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Flinders Island — Flinders Island, April 1993 Gewässer Bass Straße Inselgruppe …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Flinders Island — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Flinders (homonymie). 40° 00′ 00″ S 148° 07′ 00″ E / …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Flinders Island — /flɪndəz ˈaɪlənd/ (say flinduhz uyluhnd) noun an island in Bass Strait, the largest of the Furneaux Group. 2072 km2. {named after Matthew Flinders1} The Furneaux group of islands was reached by Tobias Furneaux, captain of James Cook s support… …  

  • Flinders Island (South Australia) — Flinders Island (coord|33|43|S|134|29|E [Gazetteer of Australia | name = Flinders Island | id = 176320] ) is an island in the Investigator Group off the coast of South Australia.The island is named after Samuel Flinders, brother of Matthew… …   Wikipedia

  • Flinders Island (disambiguation) — Flinders Island may refer to:In Australia:* Flinders Island (Tasmania), in the Furneaux Group, is the largest and best known * Flinders Island (Queensland) * Flinders Island (South Australia), in the Investigator Group * Flinders Island (Western… …   Wikipedia

  • Flinders Island (Queensland) — Flinders Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park at the tip of Cape Melville, Queensland in Bathurst Bay.It is north of Denham Island in the Flinders Group National Park. It is separated from Stanley Island by Owen Channel and… …   Wikipedia

  • Flinders Island — ▪ island, Tasmania, Australia       northernmost and largest island of the Furneaux Group, northern Tasmania, southeastern Australia. It lies in eastern Bass Strait, between Tasmania and the Australian mainland, and is named for Matthew Flinders …   Universalium

  • Flinders Island Airport — Infobox Airport name = Flinders Island Airport nativename = nativename a = nativename r = image width = caption = IATA = FLS ICAO = YFLI type = Public owner = operator = Flinders Council city served = location = Whitemark, Tasmania elevation f =… …   Wikipedia

  • Flinders Island (Investigator) — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Flinders (homonymie). Île Flinders (Investigator) Flinders island (Investigator) (en) Géographie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Flinders Island Chronicle — The Flinders Island Chronicle was a weekly Australian newspaper founded in September 1836 and running until December 1837. It is notable as being the first newspaper produced by Indigenous Australians. The Flinders Island Chronicle was founded… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”