Middle Island is an island 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 within Pondalowie Bay on the south-western coast of

Yorke Peninsula The Yorke Peninsula is a peninsula located northwest and west of Adelaide in South Australia, between Spencer Gulf on the west and Gulf St Vincent on the east. The peninsula is separated from Kangaroo Island to the south by Investigator Str ...

. It is the largest of three islands within the bay with an approximate area of . It first obtained protected area status as a fauna conservation reserve declared under the ''Crown Lands Act 1929-1966'' on 16 March 1967 and is currently located within the boundaries of the Innes National Park. It is also located within a habitat protection zone of the

Southern Spencer Gulf Marine Park Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

. DEWNR lists the islands as 'no access' areas for the general public.Innes National Park brochure
''DEWNR'', Government of South Australia (2013-03). Accessed 2014-01-18.

Fauna

A biodiversity survey was conducted on Middle Island in November 1982. Species recorded included (but are not limited to): black-faced cormorant,

Caspian tern The Caspian tern (''Hydroprogne caspia'') is a species of tern, with a subcosmopolitan but scattered distribution. Despite its extensive range, it is monotypic of its genus, and has no accepted subspecies. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ' ...

sooty oystercatcher The sooty oystercatcher (''Haematopus fuliginosus'') is a species of oystercatcher. It is a wading bird endemic to Australia and commonly found on its coastline. It prefers rocky coastlines, but will occasionally live in estuaries. All of its fea ...

and the little penguin.Explore Your Area > Middle Island
''Atlas of Living Australia. Accessed 2014-01-18.'' Little penguin breeding sites were noted in a 1996 survey of South Australia's offshore islands.

References

{{Islands of South Australia , state=collapsed Islands of South Australia Spencer Gulf Seabird colonies Penguin colonies

Fauna

See also

References