Moreton Island

Moreton Island
Satellite image of the island
Waters	Coral sea
Geographical location	27 ° 10 ′  S , 153 ° 24 ′  E Coordinates: 27 ° 10 ′  S , 153 ° 24 ′  E
length	44 km
width	13 km
surface	186 km²
Highest elevation	Mount Tempest 280  m
Residents	298 (2011) 1.6 inhabitants / km²
main place	Kooringal

The Moreton Island is a sand island on the southeast coast of the Australian state of Queensland . It is located about 40 km northeast of Brisbane and has a size of 186 square kilometers, a north-south extension of 37 km and a width of up to 10 km. About 98% of the island is protected as Moreton Island National Park , which was established in 1966.

location

Moreton is surrounded by a few other large sand islands. These are South Stradbroke Island and North Stradbroke Island in the south, and Bribie Island and Fraser Island in the north , the world's largest sand island.

history

The Aborigines of Ngugi called the island Moorgumpin . They took possession of it about 2000 years ago. More than 330 known clam heaps prove their existence on the island. Most of the Aboriginal traces can be found on Spitfire Creek . The Ngugi also gathered plants, caught fish, and hunted animals.

The island was discovered in May 1770 by James Cook , who named the northern tip of the island Cape Moreton . However, Cook thought that the cape was part of the mainland.

During World War II , the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army built a number of defenses on Moreton. The aim was to protect the port of Brisbane from aircraft attacks by the Japanese armed forces .

Between 1952 and 1962, Tangalooma, on the west side of the island, was Australia's only whaling station . Today the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort is located in the old buildings of the station .

Landscape image

Moreton Island has crystal clear streams and lagoons, coastal heaths, rocky headlands, large dunes and miles of sandy beaches, but there is also a historic lighthouse and ruins of coastal forts.

and display information about the image

Moreton Island Panorama

fauna

The protected sea bays provide a livelihood for various marine mammals. Dugongs graze in the seagrass stocks during their migrations. Humpback whales can be seen from Cape Moreton during their migrations from June to November. Over 180 species of birds were found on the island (including sea birds).

tourism

Some shipwrecks offer diving opportunities at Tangalooma

Today the Moreton Island is well developed for tourism and offers up to 170,000 (day) holidaymakers many entertainment options every year. You can dive , feed dolphins or ride a quad . Those who do not come as a day guest with the fast ferry from Brisbane can stay overnight on a campsite.

The tourist activities on the island should be better controlled from July 1st 2007. Then the Moreton Island Management Plan should come into effect. With it, the government of Queensland wants to better protect nature and steer tourism in an orderly manner.

2009 oil spill

In 2009, an oil spill occurred off the island. A ship lost both chemicals and oil in a storm that polluted Moreton Island for dozens of kilometers. An estimated 230 tons of oil got into the sea and clogged the beaches.

Trivia

Sand dunes on Moreton

• A salt water lagoon on the island was temporarily used as a home for a manatee. The young cow, christened Pig , was supposed to train her natural instincts in it before she could be released into the wild.
• On the island is the highest sand dune in the world with 285 m near the coast, called Mount Tempest .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Aboriginal Culture , on visitmoreisland.com. Retrieved September 17, 2016
2. ↑ Explanations of the fauna ( memento of the original from March 14, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from August 9, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7944724.stm
5. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/not_in_website/syndication/monitoring/media_reports/2516161.stm

Web links

Commons : Moreton Island  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Official website of the national park
• Image of the northern tip of the island