Spectacle Island is a island located in Australia's Hawkesbury River near its junction with Mooney Mooney Creek, to the north of Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

. It is within the bounded locality of

Mooney Mooney Mooney Mooney is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, at the end of a peninsula extending southwards into the Hawkesbury River estuary situated north of Sydney. It is where the Pacific Motorway and Pacific ...

. The island was originally known as 'Goat Island', named after a herd of goats that were once kept on the island. Apparently other domesticated animals were also marooned here, as there is one report of an omnivorous cow consuming two flatheads that it had pulled down from a tree where the fisherman had left them to dry, probably in order to supplement the meagre amount of pasture that was available. The name of the island was subsequently changed to Spectacle, although the reason is unclear. It may have been due to the spectacular view from its summit, or maybe due to its resemblance to a monocle. The island was designated a nature reserve in 1972 and was listed on the Register of the National Estate in 1978 for its scientific importance as a remnant of the natural environment of Sydney, for the abundance of aboriginal sites it contains, and particularly diverse vegetation. It is managed by the

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is a directorate of the New South Wales Department of Planning and Environment responsible for managing most of the protected areas in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Despite its name the ...

. Spectacle Island was included on the

Australian National Heritage List The Australian National Heritage List or National Heritage List (NHL) is a heritage register, a list of national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia, established in 2003. The list includes natural and ...

in December 2006.

References

Islands of New South Wales Central Coast (New South Wales) Australian National Heritage List Hawkesbury River River islands of Australia {{Sydney-geo-stub