Macquarie Island

Categories: Sub-antarctic islands | World Heritage Sites in Australia | December 2004 news

Image:Orthographic projection over Macquarie Island.png
Orthographic projection over Macquarie Island

Macquarie Island is located in the Southern Ocean, about halfway between Australia and Antarctica. It is part of the state of Tasmania.

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Geography

Macquarie Island is located at 54°37′ S 158°51′ E. It is the Southernmost Point of Australia (including islands).

The island is about 34 km long and 5 km wide, with an area of 128 sq km.

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History

The island was discoverd accidentally in July 1810 by the Australian/Briton Frederick Hasselborough who was looking for new sealing grounds. He claimed Macquarie Island for Britain and annexed it to the colony of New South Wales in 1810. It was named after Colonel Lachlan Macquarie (1762-1824), a colonial governor regarded by many as the real founder of Australia. Macquarie Island was first mapped by Thaddeus von Bellingshausen, who explored the area for Alexander I of Russia. Bellingshausen landed on the island on November 28, 1820, defined its geographical position and traded his rum and food for Macquarie Island's fauna with the sealers. The island was transferred to Tasmania in 1890 and leased to Joseph Hatch (1837-1928) between 1902 and 1920. Between 1911 und 1914, the island was used as a base for the Australasian Antarctic Expedition under Sir Douglas Mawson. A meteorological station was operated between 1911 and 1913 by George Ainsworth, then from 1913 until 1914 by Harold Power and from 1914 until its shutdown in 1915 by Tullock. In 1933, the island was declared a wildlife sanctuary and was eventually transferred to Australia under the administration of the Australian Antarctic Territory on December 26, 1947. The Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) established its expedition headquarter on May 25, 1948 on Macquarie Island. Macquarie Island is now part of the state of Tasmania.

The island became a nature reserve in 1978 and in 1997 it became a world heritage site. It is also a Tasmanian State Reserve.

On December 23 2004 the island was rocked by an earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale, one of the largest ever recorded. There was, however, little damage. It was considered part of the prelude of earthquakes prior to the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake, but this theory has been largely discounted.

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Demographics

The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) maintains a permanent base on the island. The base's residents are the island's only inhabitants, ranging from 20 to 40 people throughout the year.

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Fauna

Fauna found on the island includes: Subantarctic Fur Seals, Antarctic Fur Seals, New Zealand Fur Seals and Southern Elephant Seals - over 80,000 individuals of this species. It is the breeding place of Royal Penguins - which breed only on this island, King Penguins, Rockhopper Penguins and Gentoo Penguins. Introduced Rabbits are also found on the island. Introduced Feral Cats were declared totally eradicated in 2002.

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See also

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External links

World Heritage Sites in Australia Image:Australia flag large.png
Australian fossil mammal sites at Naracoorte and Riversleigh | Blue Mountains | Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves | Fraser Island | Great Barrier Reef | Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Kakadu | Lord Howe Island | Macquarie Island | Purnululu | Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens | Shark Bay | Tasmanian Wilderness | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | Wet Tropics of Queensland | Willandra Lakes Region

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