Possession Iceland National Park

Possession Iceland National Park
Captain Cook flies the flag of the United Kingdom on Possession Island on August 22, 1770
Coordinates: 10 ° 43 ′ 36 ″  S , 142 ° 23 ′ 49 ″  E
Location:	Queensland , Australia
Specialty:	Memorial to James Cook's first voyage
Next city:	Weipa
Surface:	5.08 km²
Founding:	1977

The Possession Island National Park (English: Possession Island National Park ) is a national park in the far north of the Australian state of Queensland . The small island is 17 kilometers southwest of Cape York , the northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula and belongs to the group of Torres Strait Islands .

The national park includes the two islands Possession Island with an area of ​​503 hectares and Eborac Island with an area of ​​5 hectares. Eborac Island is about a kilometer north of Cape York.

history

The islands were referred to as Bedanug or Bedhan Lag by the Kaurareg Aboriginal tribe, who originally lived there sovereignly . During his first voyage of discovery, James Cook sailed north along the east coast of Australia, including docking at Botany Bay . When he reached the northern tip of Queensland, he also landed on Possession Island and gave the island its name. This happened shortly before sunset on August 22, 1770. Cook declared on behalf of his King George III. the coast to British territory.

He reported in his diary:

"Notwithstand [ing] I had in the Name of His Majesty taken possession of several places upon this coast, I now once more hoisted English Coulers and in the Name of His Majesty King George the Third took possession of the whole Eastern Coast (.. .) by the name New South Wales, together with all the Bays, Harbors Rivers and Islands situate upon the said coast, after which we fired three Volleys of small Arms which were Answered by the like number from the Ship. "

“Although I had already taken possession of various places on this coast in the name of His Majesty, I now hoisted the English colors again and in the name of His Majesty, King George III, took the entire east coast (...) under the name“ New South Wales "Owned together with all bays, ports, rivers and islands on the said coast, whereupon we fired three volleys of rifles, which were answered with the same number of volleys from the ship."

- James Cook : Diary

In 1977 Possession Island and Eborac Island were declared a national park. In 1988, a monument was erected on Possession Island to commemorate Captain Cook's land grab.

In 2001 the Kaurareg successfully asserted their claim to the island and other nearby islands.

flora

The islands are covered with light eucalyptus forest ( Corymbia ) as well as low acacias and myrtle heaths . In between there is heather and tussock grassland . Evergreen rainforests are found in most valleys and on damp slopes.

Facilities and access

A lighthouse was built on Eborac Island , which is important for shipping traffic in the Torres Strait . Camping is not permitted in the national park.

The islands can be reached by private or charter boats from the nearest settlement Seisa . Seisa is almost at the north end of Telegraph Road .

Web links

• Official website of the national park

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 2010 ( MS Excel ; 170 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on January 7, 2013 (English)
2. ↑ Australian Government - CAPAD 1997 ( MS Excel ; 93 kB), DSEWPaC , accessed on January 7, 2013 (English)
3. ^ ^{A b} Steve Parish: Australian Touring Atlas . Steve Parish Publishing. Archerfield QLD 2007. ISBN 978-1-74193-232-4 . P. 9
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Possession Island National Park . Department of Environment and Resource Management. Retrieved on December 3, 2012.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
5. ^ History . Shire of Torres, Queensland ( Memento of the original from June 20, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
6. ↑ At that time the entire area of ​​what is now Queensland belonged to the colony of New South Wales .
7. ^ Kaurareg People versus State of Queensland (2001) . Federal Court of Australia report. AustLII