Mistaken Island
Mistaken Island is an island located approximately 5 kilometres (3 mi) south-east of Albany, Western Australia.
Located in King George Sound [1] the island is located approximately 120 metres (394 ft) from Vancouver peninsula.
In 1971, the island was declared as a class 1A Nature Reserve with a total area of 12 hectares (30 acres).[2] The area adjacent to the island is used to cultivate mussels on long lines on licenses issued by the Department of fisheries and leases issued by the Albany Port Authority.[3]
Little penguin colony
The island received its name for the fact little penguin burrows were mistaken for rabbit holes[4][5] and the island has also been historically referred to as Rabbit Island. In 1936 and 1938, the penguins of Mistaken Island became victims of a deliberately lit fires. Following the latter event, some were discovered with their feet "burned off".[6][7] As of 2011, the penguin colony on Mistaken Island is the subject of scientific study.[8]
See also
There is a second Western Australian Mistaken Island in the Dampier Archipelago at 20°39′19″S 116°39′42″E / 20.65528°S 116.66167°E in the Pilbara region, a couple of kilometers from Dampier, Western Australia.
References
- ^ "Albany Waterways Resource Book". 2002. Retrieved 12 January 2010.
- ^ "Terrestrial Protected Areas of WA". 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
- ^ "Albany Port Expansion Proposal - Social and cultural Environment" (PDF). 2002. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
- ^ "There's Drama ' Tragedy In Place Names". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 August 1947. p. 8. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ Beatty, Bill (2 August 1947). "There's drama & tragedy in place names". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 8. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
- ^ "Albany Suspects Incendiarism ALBANY, Saturday". The Daily News. 1 January 1938. p. 7. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "HATS OFF! TO PRINCESS ROYAL SAILING CLUB". Albany Advertiser. 24 December 1936. p. 3. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
- ^ "Penguins to help monitor health of King George Sound". www.abc.net.au. Retrieved 7 November 2015.