West Wallabi Island
| West Wallabi Island | ||
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| Waters | Indian Ocean | |
| Archipelago | Wallabi Islands ( Houtman Abrolhos Archipelago ) | |
| Geographical location | 28 ° 27 '48 " S , 113 ° 41' 46" O | |
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| length | 4.9 km | |
| width | 2 km | |
| surface | 6.21 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 9 m | |
| Residents | uninhabited | |
 West Wallabi in the center of the picture, below. |
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West Wallabi Island is located in the Indian Ocean around 90 km northwest of the western Australian coastal town of Geraldton . The approximately 6.21 km² island is both the largest of the Wallabi Islands and the entire Houtman-Abrolhos Archipelago .
The name wallabi goes back to a genus of smaller kangaroos , the wallabies , which can be found here occasionally.
geography
The island is located in the southwest of the Wallabi Islands, 18 km southeast of North Island and just under 2 km southwest of East Wallabi Island , the second largest island in the archipelago . It is surrounded in the south and south-east by a dense coral reef , which is just below sea level . The neighboring island of East Wallabi to the east and a few islets to the south and south-east (such as Barge Rock , Turnstone Island , Seagull Island and Oystercatcher Island ) can therefore be reached on foot when the water level is normal.
history
West Wallabi Island gained historical importance in connection with the Dutch merchant ship Batavia, which was stranded in the Morning Reef of the Wallabi Islands in 1629 . While some of the survivors started a bloody mutiny on Beacon Island, 8 km to the east, about 40 officers loyal to the captain were able to holed up on West Wallabi. There and on the neighboring islands there was sufficient fresh water (from rainwater cisterns ) and abundant food sources.
use
The island is only seasonally inhabited by four lobster fishermen and their families. Their accommodations and a boat dock are located at Pelican Point , the northwestern headland of the island. The season runs from March 15th to June 30th. West Wallabi Island may otherwise only be entered with special permission to protect fauna and flora.
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Management of the Houtman Abrolhos System, Appendix B (PDF; 3.7 MB)
- ↑ Aquaculture Plan for the Houtman Abrolhos Islands (PDF; 1.6 MB)