Sir Joseph Banks Group

The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about 20 kilometres (12 mi) off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park while the surrounding waters are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park. It is considered to be an important seabird breeding site.

Sir Joseph Banks Group
Stickney Island
Sir Joseph Banks Group
Geography
LocationSpencer Gulf
Coordinates34°35′38″S 136°17′57″E
Administration
Australia

Description

The islands are low-lying, with the highest point on Spilsby of about 50 metres (160 feet) They consist mainly of a granite base beneath limestone and are usually capped with calcrete or sandy soil. Reevesby and Spilsby are the largest islands in the group. Spilsby Island is privately owned and continues to be grazed by sheep, as well as holding a few holiday cottages.[1]

Islands

The group consists of the following islands:[2][3]

Access

Visits to the islands are only possible by boat, with the closest mainland access point being the coastal town of Tumby Bay, 22 kilometres (14 miles) to the north-west. Some islands are not open to the general public because of their environmental sensitivity.

History

The islands were named by Matthew Flinders on 23 February 1802 on his voyage of exploration in HMS Investigator. The group is named after Sir Joseph Banks, who was a sponsor of the Investigator voyage.[4] Many islands in the group are named after places in Flinders and Banks' home county of Lincolnshire, England. The name of Reevesby Island allegedly honors Banks' country residence, Revesby Abbey,[5] though the spelling is inconsistent. Kirkby Island is named after the then president of the Royal Society.[6] The nearest major population centre to the islands is Port Lincoln, the name of which also refers to Flinders and Banks' Lincolnshire connection.

Some of the islands were grazed in the 1800s, including Spilsby Island, where a man called Sawyer, his wife and children lived with about 800 sheep.[7]

In the 19th century, the Governor Gawler was shipwrecked at the group[8] and lies south-southwest of Hareby Island.[9] In 1891, the iron-hulled ship Theophane ran aground on one of the islands with no lives lost.[10] The ketch Eleanor ran aground on reef near Kirkby Island in 1930 and was abandoned there. It was carrying a cargo of wheat from Port Neill enroute for Port Lincoln at the time.[11]

In 1949, Reevesby Island and several other islands in the Sir Joseph Banks Group were listed for private sale. The lot represented 2,000 acres of property in total, spread over the group.[12]

Blyth Island, Boucaut Island, Duffield Island, English Island and Sibsey Island obtained protected area status as fauna conservation reserves declared under the Crown Lands Act 1929-1966 on 16 March 1967.[13]

Flora and fauna
The group is an important breeding site for white-faced storm petrels…
…and Cape Barren geese.

Most islands are vegetated with low shrubland dominated by nitre bush or African boxthorn. Some support tall shrubland dominated by coastal boobialla or coastal daisybush. Areas of sandy loam may support marsh saltbush. The larger islands retain patches of woodland. Islands previously used for grazing sheep have introduced grasses and burr medick.[1]

As well as the native death adders, tiger snakes, and several species of lizard including goannas, many of the islands have introduced mammals such as feral cats, house mice or chinchilla rabbits. The archipelago has Australian sea lion breeding colonies. Greater stick-nest rats were reintroduced to Reevesby Island in 1990/91,[1] and black tiger snakes were abundant there in 1937.[14] Chinchilla rabbits were introduced to Spilsby Island as a business venture which failed and was then abandoned.[15]

In 1926, English Island was described as "teeming" with seals and thousands of breeding cormorants. Each nest contained one, two or three pale greenish eggs.[16] Australian sealions were present at Kirby Island as observed by Matthew Flinders in 1802[6] and English Island in 1935[17] and 1937.[14]

In 1937 a large colony of crested terns was discovered on Kirkby Island and a "huge colony" of fairy terns on Langton Island.[14]

Little penguin colonies

Penguins were noted by Robert Cock on a visit to the islands in 1839. He noted "plenty" of little penguin, Cape Barren geese and other birds.[18]

A holiday-maker visiting the Sir Joseph Banks group in 1923 noted the presence of little penguins, commenting that "On every island there are hundreds of nests,or rather roosts, of the fairy penguins, with their meek faces poking up under the barest shelter."[19] As of 2011, several penguin colonies in the group are believed to be in decline.[20]

Spilsby Island

As of June 2011, the colony of little penguins on Spilsby Island is believed to be in decline.[20] Little penguins were present on the island in 1926.[21] In 1935, the population was described by a visitor: "All around the shores of Spilsby the quaint, pretty little fairy penguins have their burrows. Sitting bolt upright, their short, hair-like plumage dark blue, with white fronts, they look at human beings with eyes which hold no fear, only a mild wonder at the appearance of the intruder. You can walk among them: they do not move, except to follow you with their eyes."[22] In 2006, the Spilsby Island population was estimated at 2000-3000 birds. In 2010 the population was estimated to be less than 100 birds. In 2011, the population was described as "few". Landholders and conservation groups report that numbers in Spencer Gulf have crashed since the early 2000s.[20]

Reevesby Island

Little penguins have been recorded on Reevesby Island. In 1907, the colony was mentioned by Douglas Mawson from the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science: "The cavities in the limestone, which have been hollowed out by the sea, were found to contain a very large number of penguins."[23] In 2009 the population was estimated to be 1,857 breeding birds. The colony is believed to be in decline, based on unpublished data and declining results of pitfall trap surveys.[20]

Sibsey Island

In 1916, three men became marooned on Sibsey Island. They survived for twelve days on a diet of penguins and penguin eggs.[24] In 2004, there were 'few' penguins recorded on Sibsey Island.[20]

Protected area status

Statutory reserves

Eighteen of the islands within the group are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park with the waters surrounding the islands are protected by the Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park.

Non-statutory arrangements

Important Bird Area

The archipelago has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) known as the Sir Joseph Banks Group Important Bird Area because it supports over 1% of the world populations of white-faced storm petrels (with up to about 180,000 breeding pairs), Cape Barren geese (up to about 1200 individuals), black-faced cormorants (from 3000 to 5000 breeding pairs), and, probably, of Pacific gulls.[25] Other seabirds which breed in the archipelago include little penguins, silver gulls and greater crested terns. Fairy terns, eastern reef egrets,[1] rock parrots and muttonbirds have also been recorded.[16]


See also

References
  1. "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Sir Joseph Banks Islands (sic)". BirdLife International. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
  2. Robinson, A. C.; Canty, P.; Mooney, T.; Rudduck, P. (1996). "South Australia's offshore islands" (PDF). Australian Heritage Commission. pp. 253–272. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  3. South Australia. Department of Marine and Harbors (1985), The Waters of South Australia a series of charts, sailing notes and coastal photographs, Dept. of Marine and Harbors, South Australia, pp. Chart 31, ISBN 978-0-7243-7603-2
  4. Flinders, Matthew (1966) [1814]. A Voyage to Terra Australis : undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803 in His Majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland Schooner; with an account of the shipwreck of the Porpoise, arrival of the Cumberland at Mauritius, and imprisonment of the commander during six years and a half in that island (Facsimile ed.). Adelaide; Facsimile reprint of: London : G. and W. Nicol, 1814 ed. In two volumes, with an Atlas (3 volumes): Libraries Board of South Australia. p. 234. Retrieved 24 December 2013.CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. "THE SCIENCE CONGRESS". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1889 - 1931). 11 January 1907. p. 7. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  6. "THE DISCOVERERS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA". South Australian Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1858 - 1889). 18 August 1885. p. 5. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  7. "MISCELLANEOUS". South Australian Register (Adelaide, SA : 1839 - 1900). 24 March 1877. p. 5. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  8. "SOUTH-EASTERN NOTES.—No. I." Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904). 8 April 1871. p. 10. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  9. "SOUTH-EASTERN NOTES.—No. I." Adelaide Observer (SA : 1843 - 1904). 8 April 1871. p. 10. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  10. "WRECK OF THE THEOPHANE". Evening Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1869 - 1912). 3 August 1891. p. 3. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  11. "Ketch Eleanor Stranded on Reef". Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 - 1954). 21 February 1930. p. 1. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  12. "Advertising". Port Lincoln Times (SA : 1927 - 1954). 20 October 1949. p. 4. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  13. "CROWN LANDS ACT, 1929-1966: FAUNA CONSERVATION RESERVES DEDICATED" (PDF). THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT GAZETTE. Government of South Australia. 16 March 1967. pp. 961–962. Retrieved 5 February 2018.
  14. "SIR JOSEPH BANKS ISLANDS". Sydney Mail (NSW : 1912 - 1938). 10 March 1937. p. 41. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  15. "A CRUISE AMONG THE ISLANDS OF LOWER SPENCER GULF". Chronicle (Adelaide, SA : 1895 - 1954). 30 January 1936. p. 51. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  16. "ANOTHER HOLIDAY CRUISE". Saturday Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1929). 27 February 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  17. "Seeing The Islands Of the S.A. Coast". Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954). 13 April 1935. p. 9. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  18. "ROBERT COCK'S". Eyre's Peninsula Tribune (Cowell, SA : 1910 - 1950). 20 May 1937. p. 3. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  19. "Victorian's Discovery. Attractions in South Australia. Spencer's Gulf for a Holiday." The Register, South Australia (1923-02-27).
  20. Wiebken, Annelise "Conservation management priorities for little penguin populations in Gulf St Vincent" Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine SARDI (2011-06). Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  21. "ANOTHER HOLIDAY CRUISE". Saturday Journal (Adelaide, SA : 1923 - 1929). 27 February 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  22. Lindsay, H. A. "Seeing the islands of the SA coast" The Advertiser, South Australia (1935-04-13)
  23. "A Scientific Cruise. Return of the Governor Musgrave. A week among the islands." The Advertiser, South Australia (1907-01-19). Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  24. "Marooned for 12 days. Three men on an island." The Advertiser, South Australia (1916-07-25). Retrieved 2014-03-14.
  25. "IBA: Sir Joseph Banks Islands". Birdata. Birds Australia. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
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