The Northumberland Islands are a scattered island chain off the eastern coast of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, Australia.

Geography and history

The Northumberland Islands are to the south-east of the city of

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airpor ...

roughly between the latitudes 21°S and 22°S. All islands are of the continental type. The island group was named by

James Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

during his historic voyage along Australia's eastern seaboard in 1770, after the First

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke ...

, Hugh Percy. Both Cook and

Matthew Flinders Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British navigator and cartographer who led the first inshore circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then called New Holland. He is also credited as being the first person to u ...

make note of the island group in their journals, Cook describing them as such: In 1855, a

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

expedition led by naturalist

Frederick Strange Frederick Strange (? – 1854) was a collector of plant and animal specimens during the early colonisation of Australia. Strange was apparently born in Aylsham, in Norfolk, England, tentatively given as 1826 by his earliest biographer although ...

visited the islands on his ship ''Vision''. Four of the expedition were killed by

Aboriginal people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

at Middle Percy Island. Those killed were Frederick Strange and his assistant Richard Spinks, William Spurling (ship's mate) and Andrew Gittings (ship's cook and steward). Captain Chimmo of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

vessel , sailed to the island and conducted an investigation. He decided to take ten of the islanders prisoner. These prisoners, including three women and three children, were sent to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

for trial. One child died in custody and the rest were eventually shipped back to

Gladstone William Ewart Gladstone ( ; 29 December 1809 – 19 May 1898) was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four non-conse ...

. The island group is remote, and apart from

charter flight Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flights r ...

s to Marble Island they are accessible only by private yacht. The Northumberland Islands are further subdivided into smaller groups: the Bedwell Group, Beverley Group, Broad Sound Islands, Duke Islands, Flat Isles, Guardfish Cluster and Percy Isles (within the locality The Percy Group). The islands are listed below, with the

geographical coordinates The geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or ellipsoidal coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on the Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest and most widely used of the vario ...

of the largest islands given. Only the major islands of each group are listed.

Bedwell Group

Name origin: Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell, surveyor *Calliope Island *Connor Islet *Innes Island *George Island *Poynter Island

Beverley Group

Name origin: Unknown *Beverlac Island *Digby Island *Double Island *Henderson Island *Hull Island *Keelan Island *Knight Island *Minster Island *Noel Island *Prudhoe Island

Broad Sound Islands

Name origin: Situated at the mouth of Broad Sound, a vast inlet named by Cook in 1770 *Long Island *Quail Island *Tern Island *Wild Duck Island

Duke Islands

Hunter Island looking toward Tynemouth Island

Name origin: Unknown *Alnwick Island *Bamborough Island *Cheviot Island *Hexham Island *High Peak Island *Hunter Island *Marble Island *Otterbourne Island *Shields Island *Steep Island *Tweed Island *Tynemouth Island

Flat Isles

Name origin: Named by Flinders in 1802 due to their height - Avoid Island is the highest at 33 metres above sea level *Aquila Island *

Avoid Island Avoid Island is one of the Flat Isles, within the island chain called the Northumberland Islands, around off the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, approximately south of Mackay. Owned and managed by the Queensland Trust for Nature (QTF ...

*Flock Pigeon Island *Red Clay Island

Guardfish Cluster

Name origin: Unknown *Bluff Island *Curlew Island *Tinonee Peak Island

Percy Isles

A frame yacht club on Middle Percy Island, Australia

Name origin: Named by Flinders in 1802 after the

's family name *Hotspur Island *

Shrewsbury Rock Shrewsbury Rock, or sometimes "Shrewsbury Reef", is a rocky feature off the Queensland coast. It is located between Hotspur Island and Pine Peak Island, within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The nearest major coastal town is Mackay Mackay ...

Middle Percy Island Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

*North East Island *Pine Islet *Pine Peak Island *South Percy Island *Sphinx Island *Walter Island

References

External links

Map of Mackay region, showing Northumberland Islands at bottom right
{{1stVoyageCookAus Islands of Queensland