Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands
Encyclopedia
The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands is situated in the south-west corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria
, off the northern coast of Australia
.
in honour of Sir Edward Pellew
, a fellow naval officer. Although Flinders was the first British explorer to pass that way, his journals describe indications of some "foreign" people having visited beforehand. Flinders speculated that these visitors were Chinese. The islands were also sighted in 1644 by Abel Tasman
who thought they were part of the mainland and called them "Cape Vanderlin".
, North Island, West Island, Centre Island
and South West Island
. Combined, the islands have a total area of 2100 square kilometres; the largest, Vanderlin Island, is 32 km long and 13 km wide. Most islands are inhabited (some part-time) by the indigenous Yanyuwa people, and are also part of Wurralibi Aboriginal Land. Tourists may negotiate a fee to visit, camp, and fish there. North Island is home to the 5.41 km² Barranyi (North Island) National Park
and offers free camping, with drinking water and barbecue facilities located near Paradise Bay
The Pearce, Urquhart and Hervey Islands Important Bird Area
, so identified by BirdLife International
because of its importance as a breeding site for thousnads of tern
s, comprises three small islands in the group and lies to the north-east of North Island.
Gulf of Carpentaria
The Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern Australia and bounded on the north by the Arafura Sea...
, off the northern coast of Australia
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...
.
History
They were 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...
in honour of Sir Edward Pellew
Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth
Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB was a British naval officer. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary, and the Napoleonic Wars...
, a fellow naval officer. Although Flinders was the first British explorer to pass that way, his journals describe indications of some "foreign" people having visited beforehand. Flinders speculated that these visitors were Chinese. The islands were also sighted in 1644 by Abel Tasman
Abel Tasman
Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the VOC . His was the first known European expedition to reach the islands of Van Diemen's Land and New Zealand and to sight the Fiji islands...
who thought they were part of the mainland and called them "Cape Vanderlin".
Description
The group includes Vanderlin IslandVanderlin Island
Vanderlin Island is an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, Australia. It is the largest island in the Sir Edward Pellew Group. Its area is 264 km².-See also:*List of islands of Australia...
, North Island, West Island, Centre Island
Centre Island, Australia
-References:...
and South West Island
South West Island (Northern Territory)
South West Island is an island in the Sir Edward Pellew Group, Gulf of Carpentaria, Northern Territory, Australia. Its area is 89 km²....
. Combined, the islands have a total area of 2100 square kilometres; the largest, Vanderlin Island, is 32 km long and 13 km wide. Most islands are inhabited (some part-time) by the indigenous Yanyuwa people, and are also part of Wurralibi Aboriginal Land. Tourists may negotiate a fee to visit, camp, and fish there. North Island is home to the 5.41 km² Barranyi (North Island) National Park
Barranyi (North Island) National Park
Barranyi National Park is in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia, 737 km southeast of Darwin.See also: Protected areas of the Northern Territory...
and offers free camping, with drinking water and barbecue facilities located near Paradise Bay
The Pearce, Urquhart and Hervey Islands Important Bird Area
Pearce, Urquhart and Hervey Islands Important Bird Area
The Pearce, Urquhart and Hervey Islands Important Bird Area consists of three small adjacent islands, with a collective area of 9 ha, in the western Gulf of Carpentaria’s Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands, in the Northern Territory of Australia. They lie to the north-east of the group’s...
, so identified 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 of its importance as a breeding site for thousnads of tern
Tern
Terns are seabirds in the family Sternidae, previously considered a subfamily of the gull family Laridae . They form a lineage with the gulls and skimmers which in turn is related to skuas and auks...
s, comprises three small islands in the group and lies to the north-east of North Island.