Schouten Island

Schouten Island

Schouten Island is a 34 km2 island in eastern Tasmania, Australia. It is one kilometre south of the Freycinet Peninsula, at coord|42.3180556|S|148.28|E| and is a part of the Freycinet National Park. There is a lighthouse on the island.

History

Schouten Island lay within the territory of the Oyster Bay tribe of Tasmanian Aborigines.Anon. (2000). "Freycinet National Park, Wye River State Reserve, Management Plan". Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service: Hobart. ISBN 0 7246 2130X [http://www1.parks.tas.gov.au/publications/tech/freycinet/freycinet.pdf] ] In 1642, while surveying the south-west coast of Tasmania, Abel Tasman named the island after a member of the Council of the Dutch East India Company.cite web|title= East Coast Islands - Schouten Island Group |publisher= Tasmanian Government, Discover Tasmania |url= http://www.discovertasmania.com/about_tasmania/our_islands/east_coast_islands |accessdate= 2008-07-15]

Members of the Baudin expedition landed on Schouten in 1802. In the early 1800s, sealers were active in the area and are known to have visited the island. Coal was discovered in 1809. Between 1842 and 1925 there were several phases of coal and tin mining. From 1850 Schouten was used for grazing sheep, with grazing leases only expiring in 1969. [Brothers "et al", p.414]

Topography and geology

Schouten is a rugged island with the highest point, Mt Storey, 400 m asl. It is surrounded by cliffs, broken by sheltered bays. The eastern part of the island is composed of granite while the western part, separated by a fault line, is dolerite overlying sedimentary rocks. [Brothers "et al", p.414]

Flora and fauna

The natural vegetation of the island is dominated by eucalypt forest on the dolerite soils in the west, and by scrubland, heathland and sedgeland communities on the granitic soils of the east. Areas associated with previous human disturbance, such as clearing, grazing and frequent burning, are dominated by grasses and herbs. [Brothers "et al", p.416]

Little Penguins and Short-tailed Shearwaters breed on the island, along with other bird species such as the Tasmanian Native-hen. Australian Fur Seals haul out on the eastern side. [Brothers "et al", p.414-415] Reptiles present include the Tasmanian Tree Skink, She-oak Skink, Southern Grass Skink and Three-lined Skink.

Notes

References

*cite web|title= East Coast Islands - Schouten Island Group |publisher= Tasmanian Government, Discover Tasmania |url= http://www.discovertasmania.com/about_tasmania/our_islands/east_coast_islands |accessdate= 2008-07-15
*cite web|title= Wineglass Bay, Coles Bay and the Freycinet Peninsular, Tasmania |publisher= Freycinet Association Incorporated |url= http://www.wineglassbay.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22&Itemid=48 |accessdate= 2008-07-15
* Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). "Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features". Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. ISBN 0-7246-4816-X pp.414-416

ee also

*List of islands of Australia


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