Bigge Island is an island off the coast

Coast

A coastline or seashore is the area where land meets the sea or ocean. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the dynamic nature of tides. The term "coastal zone" can be used instead, which is a spatial zone where interaction of the sea and land processes occurs...

 of the Kimberley region in Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

.

The island lies approximately 6 kilometres (4 mi) from the mainland, from which it is separated by Scott Strait. It is located between York Sound

York Sound

York Sound is a sound located in the Kimberley region of Western Australia opening into the Indian Ocean.The sound in bounded by Cape Pond to the North and Hardey Point with the Coronation Islands to the South....

 and Montague Sound and approximately 10 nautical miles (12 mi) north of Cape Pond.

Bigge Island is the second largest island of the Bonaparte Archipelago

Bonaparte Archipelago

The Bonaparte Archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of Western Australia in the Kimberley region. The closest inhabited place is Kalumburu located about to the east of the island group....

 (after Augustus Island

Augustus Island (Western Australia)

Augustus Island is an island off the Kimberley coast of Western Australia.The island is in length and has a maximum width of with a total area of and has an irregular shape...

) and has a total area of 178 square kilometres (69 sq mi). It has an irregular shape with a length of 22 kilometres (14 mi) and a width of 6 kilometres (4 mi). The island has many shallow reef

Reef

In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....

-strewn bays around its heavily indented coastline on all four sides. Boomerang Bay is the largest bay and is found on the western coast of the island.

Geologically, the island is composed of weathered sandstone

Sandstone

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...

s and dolerites forming a rugged terrain. The island is criss-crossed by many deep grooves and fissures in the rock, forming valleys and fissures which support the islands vegetation.
The highest point on the island is Savage Hill at 143 metres (469 ft), the northernmost point is Cape Chateaurenaud. Islands surrounding Bigge Island include Prudhoe Island, Purrungku Island, Capstan Island and the Maret Islands.

Indigenous Australian rock art

Rock art

Rock art is a term used in archaeology for any human-made markings made on natural stone. They can be divided into:*Petroglyphs - carvings into stone surfaces*Pictographs - rock and cave paintings...

 exists on the cliffs and cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

 walls around Wary Bay. The paintings include examples of first contact

First contact (anthropology)

First contact is a term describing the first meeting of two cultures previously unaware of one another. One notable example of first contact is that between the Spanish and the Arawak in 1492....

 art and Wandjina figures. The rock art was created by the Wunambal people.

The lack of feral predators makes the island an ideal habitat

Habitat

* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...

 for vulnerable mammal species such as the Monjon

Monjon

The Monjon , also known as the Warabi and Burbridge's Rock Weasel, is the smallest of the many species of rock-wallaby found in Australia. It is found in areas of the Kimberley region of Western Australia and also on some islands in the Bonaparte Archipelago.The Monjon was described in 1978, having...

, the Ilangnalya

Scaly-tailed Possum

The Scaly-tailed Possum or the Ilangnalya is found in northwestern Australia. It is restricted to the Kimberley region in Western Australia...

 and the Northern Quoll

Northern Quoll

The Northern Quoll , also known as the Northern Native Cat, the Satanellus, the North Australian Native Cat or the Njanmak , is a carnivorous marsupial mammal, native to Australia.- Taxonomy :The Northern Quoll is a member of the family Dasyuridae, and is often stated to be the most distinctive...