George Rocks

George Rocks
George Rocks
Location of Bird Rock off the coast of Tasmania
Geography
Location Banks Strait, Bass Strait
Coordinates 40°55′S 148°19′E / 40.917°S 148.317°E / -40.917; 148.317Coordinates: 40°55′S 148°19′E / 40.917°S 148.317°E / -40.917; 148.317
Archipelago Waterhouse Island Group
Area 7 ha (17 acres)
Administration
Australia
State Tasmania
Demographics
Population uninhabited

The George Rocks, also historically known as King George’s Rocks, is part of the Waterhouse Island Group, a group of three adjacent uninhabited granite islets and associated reefs with a combined area of 7 hectares (17 acres), situated in Banks Strait, part of Bass Strait, lying close to the north-eastern coast of Tasmania, Australia.[1]

Seal hunting took place early in the 19th century. Captain James Kelly took seals there in 1816. And Thomas Tucker is recorded sealing on the rocks in 1827. Captain Kelly applied for a lease to establish a bay whaling station at a small sandy beach on the west side of the largest of the rocks in 1841[2]

Other islands in the Waterhouse Group include Ninth, Tenth, Waterhouse, Little Waterhouse, Maclean, Baynes, Gygnet, Swan, Foster, Little Swan, St Helens and Paddys islands and Bird Rock islet.[1]

Fauna

Recorded breeding seabird species are little penguin, short-tailed shearwater, white-faced storm-petrel, silver gull, black-faced cormorant and crested tern. Introduced mammals are rabbits and rats. The metallic skink is present.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. ISBN 0-7246-4816-X
  2. ↑ Kostoglou, Parry (1996). Sealing in Tasmania historical research project (First ed.). Hobart: Parks & Wildlife Service. pp. 75–6.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.