Reevesby Island is a small, uninhabited island in the

Sir Joseph Banks group The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an archipelago in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf about off the eastern coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Co ...

of islands in southern

Spencer Gulf The Spencer Gulf is the westernmost and larger of two large inlets (the other being Gulf St Vincent) on the southern coast of Australia, in the state of South Australia, facing the Great Australian Bight. It spans from the Cape Catastrophe and ...

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 ...

. Since 2018, a group of volunteers now known as the Friends of Reevesby Island have been restoring the old homestead on the island, which was inhabited until it became a conservation park in 1974. Author and local historian

Eric Kotz Eric Kotz is a South Australian fisherman, scuba diver, mariner and social historian. He is the self-published author of three books: ''The Jawesome Coast'' (2016) and ''The Butcher's Son from Tumby Bay'' (2015) and ''Sir Joseph Banks Group'' (2 ...

is a member. The homestead is encircled by a low fence which was built to keep the island's resident Tiger snakes and Death adders away from the island's human inhabitants. The island is one of the largest in the Sir Joseph Banks Conservation Park and is home to many unique species including

greater stick-nest rat The greater stick-nest rat, also known as the house-building rat and wopilkara (''Leporillus conditor'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. They are about the size of a small rabbit and construct large nests of interwoven sticks. Onc ...

hooded plover The hooded dotterel or hooded plover (''Thinornis cucullatus'') is a species of bird in the family Charadriidae. It is endemic to southern Australia, where it inhabits ocean beaches and subcoastal lagoons. There are two recognised subspecies whic ...

little penguin The little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') is a species of penguin from New Zealand. They are commonly known as little blue penguins or blue penguins owing to their slate-blue plumage and are also known by their Māori name . The Australian lit ...

s and

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 ...

References

{{coord, 34, 31, 34, S, 136, 16, 49, E, display=title, region:AU-SA_type:isle Islands of South Australia Spencer Gulf