Gabo Island

Gabo Island
Gabo Island
Geography
Location Bass Strait
Coordinates 37°33′47″S 149°54′39″E / 37.5629167°S 149.9109722°E / -37.5629167; 149.9109722Coordinates: 37°33′47″S 149°54′39″E / 37.5629167°S 149.9109722°E / -37.5629167; 149.9109722
Length 2.4 km (1.49 mi)[1]
Width 0.8 km (0.5 mi)[1]
Highest elevation 52 m (171 ft)[1]
Administration
Australia
State Victoria

Gabo Island is a 154-hectare (380-acre) island located off the coast of eastern Victoria, Australia, between Mallacoota and Cape Howe on the border with New South Wales.[1] It is separated from the mainland by a 500-metre (1,600 ft) wide channel; access is available by arranged flights and boats.[2] Gabo Island is a shipping reference commonly referred to in Victorian weather warnings issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.

Gabo Island Lighthouse

Gabo Island is well known for its historic lighthouse. This lighthouse, Australia's second tallest, was completed in 1862 and made from pink granite quarried from the island itself. The focal plane of the light is situated at 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level, the characteristic is a group of three flashes that occurs every twenty seconds. A keeper's house is occupied by a caretaker; another building may be rented for overnight stays.[3]

Climate

Climate data for Gabo Island Lighthouse
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 40.8
(105.4)		 39.1
(102.4)		 38.6
(101.5)		 35.0
(95)		 26.6
(79.9)		 22.5
(72.5)		 23.3
(73.9)		 26.7
(80.1)		 31.0
(87.8)		 35.6
(96.1)		 37.2
(99)		 38.4
(101.1)		 40.8
(105.4)
Average high °C (°F) 21.3
(70.3)		 21.6
(70.9)		 21.0
(69.8)		 19.2
(66.6)		 16.9
(62.4)		 14.8
(58.6)		 14.1
(57.4)		 14.7
(58.5)		 15.9
(60.6)		 17.2
(63)		 18.4
(65.1)		 19.9
(67.8)		 17.9
(64.2)
Average low °C (°F) 15.8
(60.4)		 16.2
(61.2)		 15.4
(59.7)		 13.5
(56.3)		 11.2
(52.2)		 9.3
(48.7)		 8.2
(46.8)		 8.5
(47.3)		 9.7
(49.5)		 11.2
(52.2)		 12.8
(55)		 14.4
(57.9)		 12.2
(54)
Record low °C (°F) 6.3
(43.3)		 7.8
(46)		 7.8
(46)		 6.4
(43.5)		 2.2
(36)		 3.3
(37.9)		 2.0
(35.6)		 2.8
(37)		 2.8
(37)		 2.8
(37)		 1.7
(35.1)		 7.2
(45)		 1.7
(35.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.2
(2.764)		 67.7
(2.665)		 72.5
(2.854)		 84.4
(3.323)		 98.3
(3.87)		 103.4
(4.071)		 85.4
(3.362)		 71.5
(2.815)		 72.5
(2.854)		 74.4
(2.929)		 73.1
(2.878)		 66.7
(2.626)		 941.9
(37.083)
Average precipitation days 9.4 9.1 10.6 11.8 13.4 14.4 13.7 13.3 13.3 13.3 11.6 10.8 144.7
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[4]

Birds

The island is home to the world's largest colony of little penguins.[2] Gabo, with the tiny associated islet of Tullaberga at its southern end, has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because of the numbers of breeding penguins (up to 21,000 pairs) and white-faced storm petrels (up to 20,000 pairs).[5] Concern of predation of native birds and animals led to a successful feral cat eradication program on the island between 1987 and 1991.[6][7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Reilly, P. N. (September 1977). "Seabird islands No 45, Gabo Island, Victoria" (PDF). Corella. 1 (3): 51–53.
  2. 1 2 Parks Victoria. "Gabo Island". Archived from the original on 2008-07-27.
  3. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Victoria". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. ↑ "Climate Statistics for Gabo Island Lighthouse". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  5. ↑ "IBA: Gabo and Tullaberga Islands". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-06-23.
  6. ↑ Twyford, B. K.; Humphrey, P. G.; Nunn, R. P.; Willoughby, L, (2000). "Eradication of Feral Cats (Felis catus) from Gabo Island, south-east Victoria". Ecological Management and Restoration. 1 (1): 42–49. doi:10.1046/j.1442-8903.2000.00007.x.
  7. ↑ Nogales, Manuel; Martín, Aurleio; Tershy, Bernie. R.; Donlan, C. Josh; Witch, Dick; Puerta, Néstor; Wood, Bill; Alonso, Jesús (2004). "A review of feral cat eradication on islands". Conservation Biology. 18: 310–319. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00442.x.
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