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
, establishe ...
, 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 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 o ...
,
Hugh Percy. Both Cook and
Matthew Flinders 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 ...
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 for trial. One child died in custody and the rest were eventually shipped back to
Gladstone.
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 ...
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
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
Name origin: Named by Flinders in 1802 after the
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 o ...
'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
See also
*
Northumberland Islands National Park
References
External links
Map of Mackay region, showing Northumberland Islands at bottom right
{{1stVoyageCookAus
Islands of Queensland