The Peron Islands are two low-lying islands off the west coast of the
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...
of
Australia. They are about 5 km off
Channel Point. Channel Point forms the northern end of
Anson Bay which includes the mouth of the
Daly River.
The smaller South Peron Island lies about 3 km to the southeast of the more dominant North Peron Island. The two are separated by a very shallow channel that is well exposed during a
spring low tide. The northern narrow tip of the north island has the distinguishing feature of a relatively tall round hill that can be seen from as far north as
Point Blaze at the southern end of Fog Bay, or approximately 20 kilometres away on a clear day. The islands are uninhabited and the nearest population is the small community of Bulgul on the mainland adjacent to the North Island. There is also a small community at channel point adjacent to the south island.
The Peron Islands along with the adjacent land and waters (to the low tide water mark) surrounding the Peron Islands and the community of Bulgul are part of the Delissaville Wagait Larrakia Aboriginal land trust. Under the ''Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976'' access to the islands is prohibited without a permit, applications are lodged through the Northern Land Council. Camping is not permitted on the islands.
Since 2007, the Peron Islands have been located within the boundaries of the locality of
Rakula.
[
]
History
The islands are named after François Péron
François Auguste Péron (22 August 1775 – 14 December 1810) was a French naturalist and explorer.
Life
Péron was born in Cérilly, Allier, in 1775, the son of a tailor (not a harness maker as is frequently asserted). Although intended for ...
, a naturalist on the Baudin expedition to Australia. During World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the RAAF
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colours =
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established a radar station on North Peron Island, to enable detection and interception of incoming Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
aircraft.[ http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00027.html#chapter07]
Environment
North Peron Island contains a breeding colony of Australian pelican
The Australian pelican (''Pelecanus conspicillatus'') is a large waterbird in the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand ...
s that is possibly of national significance. The islands are part of the Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance for large numbers of waterbird
A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...
s.[BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2011-12-07.]
References
Islands of the Northern Territory
{{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub