The Althorpe Islands are a group of islands in the
Investigator Strait
Investigator Strait is a body of water in South Australia lying between the Yorke Peninsula, on the Australian mainland, and Kangaroo Island. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his ship, HMS ''Investigator'', on his voyage of 1801–1802 ...
, off the south-western tip of Yorke Peninsula,
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
. The group includes Althorpe Island and two rocky islets immediately to its west known as The Boobs. These are located 7.7 km south-southwest of Cape Spencer on the mainland. Closer inshore are
Seal Island and
Haystack Island
Haystack Island is an island located in Investigator Strait off the south coast of Yorke Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia about south-west of Stenhouse Bay. Since 1972, it has been part of the Althorpe Islands Conservati ...
, which together with Althorpe Island and The Boobs constitute the
Althorpe Islands Conservation Park
Althorpe Islands Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia occupying the Althorpe Island, Haystack Island and Seal Island (Investigator Strait), Seal Island in Investigator Strait near the town of Stenhouse ...
. A management plan for the Althorpe Islands Conservation Park was adopted in 2009.
["Department of Environment & Heritage Management Plan - Althorpe Islands, Goose Island and Troubridge Island Conservation Parks 2009"](_blank)
''Department of Environment and Heritage'', Government of South Australia (2009). Retrieved 2014-02-15. The islands are uninhabited and can only be accessed by sea or by helicopter.
History
The islands was first sighted by Europeans on Saturday 20 March 1802 from whilst under the command of
Matthew Flinders. They are reportedly named after the family home of
George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer, also known as Viscount Althorp, in Northamptonshire which is actually spelled as ‘Althorp'.
Sealers Sealer may refer either to a person or ship engaged in seal hunting, or to a sealant; associated terms include:
Seal hunting
* Sealer Hill, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
* Sealers' Oven, bread oven of mud and stone built by sealers around 18 ...
on the
cutter ''Jane and Emma'' (Captain John Shaw) landed there in October 1851 and took a number of
fur seals
Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds belonging to the subfamily Arctocephalinae in the family '' Otariidae''. They are much more closely related to sea lions than true seals, and share with them external ears (pinnae), relatively lon ...
,
Cape Barren Geese
The Cape Barren goose (''Cereopsis novaehollandiae'') is a large goose resident in southern Australia.
Etymology
The species' common name is derived from Cape Barren Island, where specimens were first sighted by European explorers. It is known ...
and
mutton birds.
![Althorpe Island lighthouse, South Australia, 1900](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Althorpe_Island_lighthouse%2C_South_Australia%2C_1900.jpg)
![A steamship at the Althorpe Island jetty 1905](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/A_steamship_at_the_Althorpe_Island_jetty_1905.jpg)
The lighthouse keepers’ cottages which stand today are of State Heritage significance and remain as evidence of the islands’ past contribution to maritime trade and safety. Construction of the
Althorpe Island Lighthouse began in 1877. An accident claimed the life of the foreman of works in 1878, slowing the project's progress. Once complete, the lighthouse was operated and maintained by resident keepers from its first light in 1879 until it was demanned in 1991. C. A. Unbehaun supervised the laying of a submarine telephone cable in 1886 from the Althorpes to
Cape Spencer.
The light is now automated and is maintained by the
Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is an Australian statutory authority responsible for the regulation and safety oversight of Australia's shipping fleet and management of Australia's international maritime obligations. The authority ...
.
Heritage listings
Althorpe Island has a number of heritage-listed structures:
*
Althorpe Island Jetty and Railway for Trolley
*
Althorpe Island Lighthouse
*
Althorpe Island Lighthouse Keepers' Cottages
Environment
Althorpe Island was described in 1879 as "no means an abode of bliss, for it is bare and bleak. The vegetation is nothing but scrubby bushes a few inches high, which seem afraid to grow any bigger lest they be blown off; and the flat summit of the now inhabited island rock is swept by the wild winds that chase the rollers into foam on the rocks beneath."
["Annual inspection of lighthouses. Lighting the Althorpes."](_blank)
''South Australian Register'', South Australia (1879-02-18). Retrieved 2014-02-27.
Wildlife
In 1845, the islands were described as being "frequented by penguins and Cape Barren geese".
They support significant seabird colonies, including the state endangered
white-bellied sea eagle
The white-bellied sea eagle (''Haliaeetus leucogaster''), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related t ...
(''Haliaeetus leucogaster''). The smaller islets of Althorpe Islands provide haul-out areas for nationally and state vulnerable
Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea'').
In 1888, the islands were referred to as "the retreat of the penguins, gulls and seals".
An early written account of the native wildlife of Althorpe Island was printed in the ''South Australian Register'' in 1879:
"Mutton birds make their 'holey' habitations on all sides of the Althorpes; seals sport in secluded spots; swift seagulls and solemn shags make the welkin (whatever instrument that is) ring consumedly; penguins, like little lads in white pinafores, inhabit the nooks and crannies of the rocks... Sharks, sometimes of enormous size, may often be seen meandering softly round the ocean streets."
In 1951, a lighthouse keeper described the native wildlife at Althorpe Island:
"Penguins nest there in the mating season, and their young are to be seen in nooks and crannies around the shore. During the summer months, from September to March, mutton birds migrating from Siberia nest on the island in millions, digging their nests in the soil, under bushes and literally covering the ground... Years ago, seals were plentiful on the island, but owing to large scale slaughter during the early days of the State, few, if any, remain."
Little penguin colony
Accounts of little penguins on Althorpe Island were printed in various newspapers from 1845,
1846
1879,
1883,
1884,
1886, 1887,
1888,
1894,
1897
and 1902.
In 1845, penguins and Cape Barren geese were known to frequent Althorpe Island.
["Local News."](_blank)
''South Australian'', South Australia (1845-08-22). Retrieved 2014-02-27. In 1883, W. Reddan described Althorpe Island's little penguin colony, stating: "It is extraordinary the number of penguins on this island, they are everywhere."
[Reddan, W]
"A Trip to Althorpe Island"
''Kapunda Herald'', South Australia (1883-10-30). Retrieved 2014-02-16. A visit of the Marine Board the following year noted that "Down on the rocks the penguins waddle about in large numbers."
["The annual inspection of lighthouses"](_blank)
''The South Australian Advertiser'', South Australia (1884-01-08). Retrieved 2014-02-27.
In 1886, the penguins of Althorpe Island were briefly mentioned in ''The Advertiser'': "pairs of whom were found peering with pensive eyes out of holes in the sandy rocks." In 1887, ''The South Australian Register'' also described them: "In crevices of the rocks innumerable birds find refuge, and in these and in holes in the sand the queer-shaped penguin also has its habitation."
["South Australia's Jubilee - Fifty years of progress - The province as it is - The centre of settlement"](_blank)
''South Australian Register'', South Australia (1887-06-21). Retrieved 2014-02-26.
In 1894, penguins were regarded as abundant along the rocks of the island
and in 1897, visitors described "the eerie cry of the penguins" of Althorpe Island.
["" ''South Australian Register'', South Australia (1897-01-11). Retrieved 2014-02-26.]
The steep track from the jetty to the island's summit passes by a cave known as the "Penguin Hotel". In 1902, a visitor described the cave, writing "the whole of the interior was honey-combed by penguins."
["THE LIGHTHOUSES. AN INTERESTING TRIP. No. 1."](_blank)
''The Advertiser'', South Australia (1902-11-12). Retrieved 2014-02-16.
Little penguin breeding sites were noted in a 1996 survey of South Australia's offshore islands.
Little penguin decline
The
little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') colony on Althorpe Island appears to be in decline. This was initially inferred by contrasting historical accounts of their abundance with their relative scarcity, determined by a 2004 survey. In 2004, the population was 132 birds. In 2011, the colony was described as 'declining from “numerous” and “common” in 1982'. A survey conducted in 2013 estimated a population of 84 adult birds by counting burrow activity over half the island's breeding area.
[Colombelli-Négrel, D. & Kleindorfer, S]
Penguin monitoring and conservation activities in the Gulf St Vincent, July 2013 - July 2014, Report to the Adelaide and Mt Lofty Natural Resources Management Board
, Flinders University, South Australia (2014-04). Retrieved 2014-07-28. This survey's results support the previously inferred decline.
Protected area status
The Althorpe Islands with exception to those areas under the control of the Australian government first obtained protected area status as a fauna conservation reserve declared under the ''Crown Lands Act 1929-1966'' on 16 March 1967.
See also
*
List of little penguin colonies
This is a list of little penguin colonies notable for their size, location or public profile. It is not exhaustive. Some little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') colonies are particularly large, well-known, or are tourist attractions; even small col ...
References
{{Islands of South Australia , state=collapsed
Islands of South Australia
Investigator Strait
Uninhabited islands of Australia
Penguin colonies