Sir Joseph Banks Group
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The Sir Joseph Banks Group is an
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...
in the Australian state of
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 ...
located in
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 ...
about off the eastern coast of the
Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Originally called Eyre’s Peninsula, it was named aft ...
. It consists of 21 islands of which eighteen are in the
Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park is a protected area in the Australian state of South Australia located on the Sir Joseph Banks Group in Spencer Gulf about east-northeast of Port Lincoln. The conservation park of which specific islands ...
while the surrounding waters are in the
Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...
. It is considered to be an important
seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...
breeding site.


Description

The islands are low-lying, with the highest point on Spilsby of about They consist mainly of a
granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...
base beneath
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and are usually capped with
calcrete Caliche () is a sedimentary rock, a hardened natural cement of calcium carbonate that binds other materials—such as gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It occurs worldwide, in aridisol and mollisol soil orders—generally in arid or semiarid regions, ...
or sandy soil. Reevesby and Spilsby are the largest islands in the group. Spilsby Island is privately owned and continues to be grazed by sheep, as well as holding a few
holiday cottage A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottag ...
s.


Islands

The group consists of the following islands: * Blyth Island *
Boucaut Island Boucaut Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Sir Joseph Banks Group in South Australia's Spencer Gulf. It lies 1.2 km northeast of Spilsby Island. Seal Rock lies 250 metres southeast of Boucaut Island. History In 1902, the island w ...
* Buffalo Reef * Dalby Island *
Dangerous Reef Dangerous Reef is an island and reef system located in the Spencer Gulf in the Australian state of South Australia about east-southeast of the city, Port Lincoln. It is the southernmost member of the Sir Joseph Banks Group. It has been the s ...
* Duffield Island * English Island * Hareby Island * Kirkby Island *
Langton Island Langton Island is a small, uninhabited island of the Sir Joseph Banks Group in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. The Island was named by Captain Matthew Flinders during his exploration of South Australia's coastline in 1802. Langton Island was named ...
* Lusby Island * Marum Island * Partney Island *
Reevesby Island Reevesby Island is a small, uninhabited island in the Sir Joseph Banks group of islands in southern Spencer Gulf, South Australia. Since 2018, a group of volunteers now known as the Friends of Reevesby Island have been restoring the old homestead ...
* Roxby Island * Seal Rock * Sibsey Island *
Spilsby Island Spilsby Island is one of the largest islands in the Sir Joseph Banks Group in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. It is privately owned, has no permanent human residents and is grazed by sheep. The island was used for the breeding of sheep by James Hun ...
*
Stickney Island Stickney Island is an uninhabited island of the Sir Joseph Banks Group located in Spencer Gulf, South Australia. History The island was named after Stickney, Lincolnshire (UK). It was named by Captain Matthew Flinders Captain John Franklin du ...
* Smith Rock * Winceby Island One of the islands was known by the alternative name, Milne Island, in the 19th century.


Access

Visits to the islands are only possible by boat, with the closest mainland access point being the coastal town of
Tumby Bay Tumby Bay is a coastal town situated on the Spencer Gulf, on the eastern coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, north of Port Lincoln. The town of Tumby Bay is the major population centre of the District Council of Tumby Bay, and the cen ...
, to the north-west. Some islands are not open to the general public because of their environmental sensitivity.


History

There is no evidence to indicate usage by
Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...
in prehistoric times. It is unknown if anyone ever set foot on the islands prior to the first confirmed European discovery in 1802. The islands were named by
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 ...
on 23 February 1802 on his voyage of exploration in HMS ''Investigator''. The group is named after
Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...
, who was a sponsor of the ''Investigator'' voyage. Many islands in the group are named after places in Flinders and Banks' home county of
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. The name of Reevesby Island allegedly honors Banks' country residence,
Revesby Abbey Revesby Abbey was a Cistercian monastery near the village of Revesby in Lincolnshire, England. The abbey was founded in 1143 by William de Roumare, Earl of Lincoln, and the first monks came from Rievaulx Abbey. After the Dissolution of the Mon ...
, though the spelling is inconsistent. Kirkby Island is named after the then president of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
. The nearest major population centre to the islands is
Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...
, the name of which also refers to Flinders and Banks' Lincolnshire connection. Some of the group's islands were grazed in the 1800s, including Spilsby Island, where a man called J. Sawyer, his wife and children lived with about 800 sheep. In 1869, leases on islands in the group were offered for a seven year term. Sawyer held leases on multiple islands from 1871 until 1884. The lease was later held by the Scruby family, who also leased Stickney Island. In 1885, leases were offered on Langton, Spilsby, Sibsey and Stickney islands. Sawyer secured the leases on Langton and Stickney islands, while Spilsby Island was let to two men: Bishop and Wetherstone, and Sibsey Island was let to C. A. Oldham. In the early 20th century,
guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...
was quarried at Marum Island by the Spencer Gulf Fertilizer Company. The company also quarried guano from the Bicker Isles in Boston Bay. Two-way radio communications with Reevesby Island were made possible in 1941. At this time, Reevesby Island was owned by Mr C. Darling and its administration was left to Mrs. R. Adams. In 1949, Reevesby Island and several other islands in the Sir Joseph Banks Group were listed for private sale. The lot represented 2,000 acres of property in total, spread over the group. Blyth Island, Boucaut Island, Duffield Island, English Island and Sibsey Island obtained
protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
status as fauna conservation reserves declared under the ''Crown Lands Act 1929-1966'' on 16 March 1967.


Shipwrecks and groundings

In 1847, the ''Governor Gawler'' was shipwrecked at the group after striking a submerged rock. The crew made it to Reevesby Island, and items of value were salvaged from the vessel before it sank. She lies south-southwest of Hareby Island. In 1891, the iron-hulled ship ''Theophane'' ran aground on one of the islands. All twenty-six people aboard were saved. The ship had departed from
Port Pirie Port Pirie is a small city on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf in South Australia, north of the state capital, Adelaide. The city has an expansive history which dates back to 1845. Port Pirie was the first proclaimed regional city in South ...
and was bound for Newcastle. ''Theophane'' was towed to Port Lincoln several days later with a piece of rock stuck in her hull. The fishing cutter ''Edith'' was wrecked near Spilsby Island in 1897. There were no deaths. She lies off Spilsby Island's south-western shore. In 1899, a vessel ran aground or was wrecked on Buffalo Reef. In September 1903, the fishing cutter ''Jessica'' was wrecked and its crew found a week later on Stickney Island. They had survived on fish and no other provisions. In 1920 the ketch ''Ina'' was stranded at Sibsey Island. The ketch ''Eleanor'' ran aground on reef near Kirkby Island in 1930 and was abandoned there. It was carrying a cargo of wheat from Port Neill enroute for Port Lincoln at the time.


Flora and fauna

Most islands are vegetated with low
shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...
dominated by nitre bush or
African boxthorn ''Lycium ferocissimum'', the African boxthorn or boxthorn, is a shrub in the nightshade family ( Solanaceae). The species is native to the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Free State provinces in South Africa and has become naturalised in Aus ...
. Some support tall shrubland dominated by coastal boobialla or coastal daisybush. Areas of sandy loam may support
marsh saltbush ''Atriplex paludosa'', commonly known as marsh saltbush, is a species of saltbush endemic to Australia. Description It grows as an erect shrub up to a metre high. Leaves are oval in shape, one to four centimetres long, and 2 to 15 millimetres wi ...
. The larger islands retain patches of
woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...
. Islands previously used for grazing sheep have introduced
grass Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns an ...
es and burr medick. As well as the native death adders, tiger snakes, and several species of
lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...
including
goanna A goanna is any one of several species of lizards of the genus '' Varanus'' found in Australia and Southeast Asia. Around 70 species of ''Varanus'' are known, 25 of which are found in Australia. This varied group of carnivorous reptiles ranges ...
s, many of the islands have introduced mammals such as
feral cat A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
s,
house mice The house mouse (''Mus musculus'') is a small mammal of the order Rodentia, characteristically having a pointed snout, large rounded ears, and a long and almost hairless tail. It is one of the most abundant species of the genus '' Mus''. Althoug ...
or
chinchilla rabbit Chinchilla rabbits are a group of three rabbit breeds that have been bred for a coat that resembles that of chinchillas. Despite their name, they are not related to and cannot interbreed with chinchillas, which are a species of rodent. Rabbits are l ...
s. The archipelago has
Australian sea lion The Australian sea lion (''Neophoca cinerea''), also known as the Australian sea-lion or Australian sealion, is a species of sea lion that is the only endemic pinniped in Australia. It is currently monotypic in the genus ''Neophoca'', with the e ...
breeding colonies.
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 ...
s were reintroduced to Reevesby Island in 1990/91, and black tiger snakes were abundant there in 1937. Chinchilla rabbits were introduced to Spilsby Island as a business venture which failed and was then abandoned. A 1940 account of wildlife of the island group states:
"There are... many penguins, quail, fairy-terns and other sea-birds on the islands. Cape Barren geese breed there in great numbers and the majority of Cape Barren geese in the Adelaide Zoo came from these islands. Along the beaches I found many beautiful shells, some no bigger than a threepenny bit, and others as large as a small dinner plate, and many varieties of seaweed spread over the seafloor."
During a 1941 demonstration of the two-way radio system which allowed conversations between Reevesby Island and the mainland for the first time, resident Mrs R. Adams described hundreds of
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 ...
nesting on the island, swimming with a seal and said that there was a large penguin burrow under a windmill. She also recounted an occasion when saw a group of five whales at once from the island. In 1926, Spilsby Island supported thousands of terns and "numbers of" little penguins. The observers noted the southern end of Reevesby Island was a roost for mutton-birds and rock parrots. In 1926, English Island was described as "teeming" with seals and thousands of breeding cormorants. Each nest contained one, two or three pale greenish eggs. Australian sealions were present at Kirby Island as observed by Matthew Flinders in 1802 and by others at English Island in 1935, 1937. and 1940. In 1937, the McCoy Society made an expedition to the Sir Joseph Banks group, collecting specimens, taking photographs and making film recordings. A large colony of terns was discovered on Kirkby Island and a "huge colony" of fairy terns on Langton Island. The Kirby Island observation was of a "very numerous colony" of the Caspian tern. Motion-picture film recordings of the tern colony were made.


Little penguin colonies

Penguins were noted by
Robert Cock Robert Cock (25 May 1801 – 23 March 1871) was one of the first European explorers of the Adelaide region of South Australia following the establishment of the colony in December 1836. History Robert was born in Dysart, Fife, Scotland in 1801, ...
on a visit to the islands in 1839. He noted "plenty" of
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 ...
,
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 ...
and other birds. A holiday-maker visiting the Sir Joseph Banks group in 1923 noted the presence of little penguins, commenting that "On every island there are hundreds of nests,or rather roosts, of the fairy penguins, with their meek faces poking up under the barest shelter." Little penguins were also observed by field naturalists of the McCoy Society who visited the islands in 1936. In 1939 an observer noted that the penguins were not as numerous in the Banks Group as they were on some islands outside of Spencer Gulf. Coarse mapping of breeding sites of Little penguins occurred during a 1996 survey of South Australia's offshore islands. It suggested that sites were widely distributed around the Group, potentially occurring on all islands. As of 2011, several penguin colonies in the group are believed to be in decline.


Spilsby Island

As of June 2011, the colony of little penguins on Spilsby Island is believed to be in decline.Wiebken, Annelis
"Conservation management priorities for little penguin populations in Gulf St Vincent"
''SARDI ''(2011-06). Retrieved 2014-02-12.
"Numbers of" little penguins were present on the island in 1926. In 1935, the population was described by a visitor: "All around the shores of Spilsby the quaint, pretty little fairy penguins have their burrows. Sitting bolt upright, their short, hair-like plumage dark blue, with white fronts, they look at human beings with eyes which hold no fear, only a mild wonder at the appearance of the intruder. You can walk among them: they do not move, except to follow you with their eyes." In 2006, the Spilsby Island population was estimated at 2000-3000 birds. In 2010 the population was estimated to be less than 100 birds. In 2011, the population was described as "few". Landholders and conservation groups report that numbers in Spencer Gulf have crashed since the early 2000s.


Reevesby Island

Little penguins have been recorded on Reevesby Island. In 1907, the colony was mentioned by
Douglas Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson OBE FRS FAA (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was an Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...
from the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science: "The cavities in the limestone, which have been hollowed out by the sea, were found to contain a very large number of penguins." A little penguin burrow had been dug under a windmill on Reevesby Island in 1941. In 2009 the population was estimated to be 1,857 breeding birds. The colony is believed to be in decline, based on unpublished data and declining results of pitfall trap surveys.


Sibsey Island

In 1916, three men became marooned on Sibsey Island. They survived for twelve days on a diet of penguins and penguin eggs. In 2004, there were "few" penguins recorded on Sibsey Island.


Protected area status


Statutory reserves

Eighteen of the islands within the group are in the Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation Park with the waters surrounding the islands are protected by the
Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English language, English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist i ...
.


Non-statutory arrangements


Important Bird Area

The archipelago has been identified by
BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...
as an
Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) known as the Sir Joseph Banks Group Important Bird Area because it supports over 1% of the world populations of
white-faced storm petrel The white-faced storm petrel (''Pelagodroma marina''), also known as white-faced petrel is a small seabird of the austral storm petrel family Oceanitidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Pelagodroma''. Description The white-faced ...
s (with up to about 180,000 breeding pairs),
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 ...
(up to about 1200 individuals),
black-faced cormorant The black-faced cormorant (''Phalacrocorax fuscescens''), also known as the black-faced shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is endemic to coas ...
s (from 3000 to 5000 breeding pairs), and, probably, of
Pacific gull The Pacific gull (''Larus pacificus'') is a very large gull, native to the coasts of Australia. It is moderately common between Carnarvon in the west, and Sydney in the east, although it has become scarce in some parts of the south-east, as a re ...
s. Other seabirds which breed in the archipelago include
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,
silver gull The silver gull (''Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae'') is the most common gull of Australia. It has been found throughout the continent, but particularly at or near coastal areas. It is smaller than the Pacific gull (''Larus pacificus''), which ...
s and
greater crested tern The greater crested tern Retrieved 28 February 2012 (''Thalasseus bergii''), also called crested tern or swift tern, is a tern in the family Laridae that nests in dense colonies on coastlines and islands in the tropical and subtropical Old World ...
s.
Fairy tern The fairy tern (''Sternula nereis'') is a small tern which is native to the southwestern Pacific. It is listed as " Vulnerable" by the IUCN and the New Zealand subspecies is " Critically Endangered". There are three subspecies: * Australian f ...
s,
eastern reef egret The Pacific reef heron (''Egretta sacra''), also known as the eastern reef heron or eastern reef egret, is a species of heron found throughout southern Asia and Oceania. It occurs in two colour morphs with either slaty grey or pure white plumag ...
s,
rock parrot The rock parrot (''Neophema petrophila'') is a species of grass parrot native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1841, it is a small parrot long and weighing with predominantly olive-brown upperparts and more yellowish underparts. Its h ...
s and muttonbirds have also been recorded.


See also

*
List of archipelagos This is a list of archipelagos, organised by oceans then seas and finally arranged alphabetically. Arctic Ocean Archipelagos of the Arctic Ocean: * Achton Friis Islands *Anzhu Islands * Arkticheskiy Institut Islands * Barren Islands * Berkeley I ...
*
List of little penguin colonies This is a list of little penguin colonies notable for their size, location or public profile. It is not exhaustive. Some little penguin (''Eudyptula minor'') colonies are particularly large, well-known, or are tourist attractions; even small col ...


References


External links


Sir Joseph Banks Group Conservation park

Sir Joseph Banks Group Marine Park
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sir Joseph Banks Group Islands of South Australia Spencer Gulf Seabird colonies Penguin colonies