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Maatsuyker Islands
The Maatsuyker Islands are a group of islands and rocks off the south coast of Tasmania, Australia. Maatsuyker Island is the southernmost island of the group and of the Australian continental shelf. There are exposed rocks further south of Maatsuyker but they do not meet the definition of "islands". Macquarie Island, far to the south, is also Australian territory but it is an upthrust piece of ocean floor in the remote Southern Ocean and is in a geological sense completely separate from the continent. The group is noted for its rich marine wildlife, predominantly wet and windy weather conditions, and Australia's most southerly lighthouse. The group are contained within the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site. Geography Main group The group consists of at least six islands and two groups of rocks. The main island after which the group is named, Maatsuyker Island, is approximately long north/south at its longest on a bearing o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Needle Rocks
The Needle Rocks, also known as the Needles, are a group of five main rock islets located close to the south-western coast of Tasmania, Australia. With a combined area of approximately , the islets are part of the Maatsuyker Islands Group, and comprise part of the Southwest National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). ''Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features''. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. The Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse is located on Maatsuyker Island and illuminates the Needle Rocks. Fauna The vegetation is dominated by the pig face, a succulent plant. The islets are part of the Maatsuyker Island Group Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance as a breeding site for seabirds.BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Maatsuyker Island Group. Downloaded from http ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Continental Shelf
A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island is known as an ''insular shelf''. The continental margin, between the continental shelf and the abyssal plain, comprises a steep continental slope, surrounded by the flatter continental rise, in which sediment from the continent above cascades down the slope and accumulates as a pile of sediment at the base of the slope. Extending as far as 500 km (310 mi) from the slope, it consists of thick sediments deposited by turbidity currents from the shelf and slope. The continental rise's gradient is intermediate between the gradients of the slope and the shelf. Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the name continental shelf was given a legal definition as the stretch of the seabed adjacent to the shores of a par ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-smallest if territories are taken into account, before Darwin, Northern Territory. Hobart is located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, making it the most southern of Australia's capital cities. Its skyline is dominated by the kunanyi/Mount Wellington, and its harbour forms the second-deepest natural port in the world, with much of the city's waterfront consisting of reclaimed land. The metropolitan area is often referred to as Greater Hobart, to differentiate it from the City of Hobart, one of the five local government areas that cover the city. It has a mild maritime climate. The city lies on country which was known by the local Mouheneener people as nipaluna, a name which includes surrounding features such as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Rocks (Tasmania)
The Western Rocks, also known as Black Rocks, are a pair of islets located close to the south-western coast of Tasmania, Australia. The steep, wave-washed islets are part of the Maatsuyker Islands Group, and comprises part of the Southwest National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). ''Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features''. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. Fauna The only recorded breeding seabird species is the fairy prion with up to 20 pairs in a small patch of succulent vegetation. See also * South East Cape * South West Cape * List of islands of Tasmania Tasmania is the smallest and southernmost state of Australia. The Tasmanian mainland itself is an island, with an area of - 94.1% of the total land area of the state. The other islands have a combined area of , for a cumulative total of 99.75% o ... References Islands of Sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walker Island (Southern Tasmania)
Walker Island is an island located close to the south-western coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is part of the Maatsuyker Islands Group, and comprise part of the Southwest National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). ''Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features''. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. Fauna Walker Island is part of the Maatsuyker Island Group Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance as a breeding site for seabirds.BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Maatsuyker Island Group. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 09/08/2011. Recorded breeding seabird and wader species are the little penguin (2-300 pairs), short-tailed shearwater (146,000 pairs), fairy prion (3,000 pairs), common diving-petrel (500 pairs), silver gull and sooty oystercatcher The s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Round Top Island (Tasmania)
Round Top Island is an island located close to the south-western coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is part of the Maatsuyker Islands Group, and comprises part of the Southwest National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). ''Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features''. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. The island's highest point is above sea level. Fauna The island is part of the Maatsuyker Island Group Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance as a breeding site for seabirds.BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Maatsuyker Island Group. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 09/08/2011. Recorded breeding seabird species are the short-tailed shearwater (8900 pairs), fairy prion (9300 pairs), common diving-petrel (8700 pairs), Pacific gull and silver gull. The meta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flat Top Island
Flat Top Island is an island located close to the south-western coast of Tasmania, Australia. The island is part of the Maatsuyker Islands Group, and comprises part of the Southwest National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). ''Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features''. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. Fauna The island is part of the Maatsuyker Island Group Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance as a breeding site for seabirds.BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Maatsuyker Island Group. Downloaded from on 09/08/2011. Recorded breeding seabird species are the short-tailed shearwater (400 pairs), fairy prion (5000 pairs), common diving-petrel (1000 pairs) and Pacific gull. The island is a haul-out site for the Australian fur seal. The Tasmanian tree skink is presen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geoscience Australia
Geoscience Australia is an agency of the Australian Government. It carries out geoscientific research. The agency is the government's technical adviser on all aspects of geoscience, and custodian of the geographic and geological data and knowledge of the nation. On a user pays basis it produces geospatial products such as topographic maps and satellite imagery. It is also a major contributor to the Australian Government's free, open data collections such as data.gov.au. Strategic priorities The agency has six strategic priority areas: # building Australia's resource wealth in order to maximise benefits from Australia's minerals and energy resources, now and into the future; # ensuring Australia's community safety so that Australian communities are more resilient to natural hazards; # securing Australia's water resources in order to optimise and sustain the use of Australia's water resources; # managing Australia's marine jurisdictions in order to maximise benefits from the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parks & Wildlife Service Tasmania
Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service is the government body responsible for protected areas of Tasmania on public land, such as national parks, historic sites and regional reserves. Historically it has also had responsibility for managing wildlife, including game. History The National Parks and Wildlife Service was set up on 1 November 1971 after controversy surrounding the proposal to flood Lake Pedder and the unsuccessful attempts to prevent the project going ahead. A Select Committee formed from the interested parties recommended the establishment of a professional park service to properly manage the natural environment in Tasmania. The service initially had a staff of 59. The ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1970'' had made provisions for the conservation of fauna and flora and the establishment and management of national parks. Mount William, Maria Island and Narawntapu National Parks were set up and Macquarie Island designated as a nature reserve. The creation of an Arc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance. The sites are judged to contain " cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity". To be selected, a World Heritage Site must be a somehow unique landmark which is geographically and historically identifiable and has special cultural or physical significance. For example, World Heritage Sites might be ancient ruins or historical structures, buildings, cities, deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments, mountains, or wilderness areas. A World Heritage Site may signify a remarkable accomplishment of humanity, and serve as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet, or it might be a place of great natural beauty. A ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tasmanian Wilderness
The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, abbreviated to TWWHA, is a World Heritage Site in Tasmania, Australia. It is one of the largest conservation areas in Australia, covering , or almost 25% of Tasmania. It is also one of the last expanses of temperate wilderness in the world, and includes the South West Wilderness. The main industry of the TWWHA is tourism, yet the region has a lack of development partially due to the juxtaposition of development with the idea of pristine nature. There is no permanent habitation in the area save for small parts on the periphery. The region is known for activities such as bushwalking, whitewater rafting, and climbing. The Tasmanian Wilderness qualifies for 7 out of the 10 classification criteria evaluated for World Heritage. Along with Mount Tai in China, it is the highest measurement attained for World Heritage Site status on Earth. The TWWHA was first placed on the World Heritage List in 1982 under joint arrangements between the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
