King George Island is an island in south-eastern Australia. It is part of the Sloping Island Group, lying close to the south-eastern coast of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

around the Tasman and

Forestier Peninsula The Forestier Peninsula is a peninsula located in south-east Tasmania, Australia, approximately by the Arthur Highway, south-east of Hobart. The peninsula is connected to mainland Tasmania at East Bay Neck, near the town of at its norther ...

s. The island was once inhabited and farmed and contains the ruins of two buildings on its eastern side. A conservation covenant is in place on this island.

Flora and fauna

Much of the island's original vegetation has been destroyed by clearing and burning, though there are remnant stands of

allocasuarina ''Allocasuarina'' is a genus of trees in the flowering plant family Casuarinaceae. They are endemic to Australia, occurring primarily in the south. Like the closely related genus '' Casuarina'', they are commonly called sheoaks or she-oaks. ...

s and

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

s. Rabbits are present as well as the

metallic skink :''"Metallic skink" may also refer to the garden skink ( Lampropholis delicata)''. ''Carinascincus metallicus'', the metallic cool-skink or metallic skink is a species of skink in the family Scincidae. It is endemic to Australia, found in sout ...

and

White's skink White's skink (''Liopholis whitii)'', also known commonly as White's rock skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Australia. Etymology The specific name, ''whitii'', is in honour of Irish surgeon and ...

. Details of the fauna and flora of the island can be found in this article by Bush Heritage Australia from 2010.

Nomenclature

King George Island has also been referred to as "Gull Island" on maps of Bass and Flinders' voyage in 1798-1799 around the Tasman peninsula. It was still referred to Gull Island in 1836.

History

Captain James Kelly applied to the government in 1841 for a lease for three acres of land on the island to operate a bay whaling station. On 15 June 1863 King George Island was put to public auction through a large sale of crown land, with offers over £54 considered. On the 15 November 1884 the island was sold by the owner John Clark. In 1914 a gentleman named Mr G. Long, from Dunalley, owned the island. He grew potatoes on the island.

References

Sloping Island Group Islands of Australia with a Conservation Covenant {{TasmanTAS-geo-stub