Group of 105 islands in southern Western Australia
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Nautical Chart showing the archipelagoView of the Recherche Archipelago from Dempster HeadA drawing from the Westall collection with the title "Middle Island, view north to Cape Arid".View of the Recherche Archipelago from Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand National Park
The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles,[1] is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the south coast of Western Australia. The islands stretch 230 km (140 mi) from east to west and to 50 km (31 mi) off-shore encompassing an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometres (1,544 sq mi).[2]
The western group is near Esperance and the eastern group at Israelite Bay. They are located in coastal waters, part of which is designated the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve.
History
Pre-European
Recherche Archipelago exhibits evidence of human occupation dated to 13,000 years ago. Archeologists have found ancient artefacts on Salisbury Island, a massive limestone remnant sitting on a granite dome 60 kilometres (37 mi) offshore, that included stone blades, lizard traps, axe heads, grinding stones and granite watering holes. The objects are believed to extend up to 13,000 years before present, from a time of lower sea levels when many of the islands were joined to the mainland.[3][4]
European discovery and naming
The islands became known to Europeans when François Thijssen and Pieter Nuyts, sailing on Gulden Zeepaert, charted the coast in 1627. George Vancouver also passed through the archipelago as part of his expedition in HMS Discovery in 1791.[5]
The area was named Archipelago of the Recherche (French: l'Archipel de la Recherche, IPA:[laʁʃipɛldəlaʁəʃɛʁʃ]) by Rear-admiral Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux in 1792 during a French expedition in search of the vanished navigator Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse. The name was taken from one of the admiral's ships, Recherche ("Research"). The bay containing the current town of Esperance was named for his other ship, Espérance.
Matthew Flinders was the first to explore and chart the islands of the archipelago in 1802 as part of his voyage in the Investigator.[6]
Sealers and whalers from other British colonies on the Australian continent frequented the area since at least the early 1820s.[11] Australia's only recorded pirate, Black Jack Anderson, frequented the archipelago in the 1830s. A former whaler, he turned to piracy and wreaked havoc in the area until being murdered by his crew.[12][13]
Middle Island was regarded as the right whale hunting station of the bight in the 1830s and 1840s.[11]
The archipelago is recorded as the site of shipwrecks and other maritime incidents. The brigBelinda was wrecked off Middle Island while sealing in late 1824. The crew unsuccessfully attempted to reach Sydney in two boats, and were eventually rescued by the Nereus. The schooner Liberty salvaged the wreck the following year collecting metal stores and both the anchors.[14]The Mountaineer was sunk off Thistle Cove near Cape Le Grand in 1835 while attempting to find shelter from a gale.[15]The Rodondo was thought to be wrecked on Polloch Reef off Salisbury Island in 1895.[15] The SS Penguin was wrecked in 1920 off Middle Island while trying to shelter from a gale. The vessel was salvaged later the following year.[16] On 14 February 1991 the Sanko Harvest a bulk carrier of 33,024 tons sank in the archipelago – and it became the second largest wreck that can be dived on in the world.[17][18] The response to pollution caused by the wreck was reported upon soon after.[19]
Uses of the area now include recreational and commercial fishing, and shipping from the Port of Esperance. Commercial fishing is primarily for abalone, southern rock lobsters, pilchards, and sharks, and fishing tourism is an established industry. The area is proposed for other applications of aquaculture, including farming trials of bluefin tuna.[20]
Geography
Middle Island, Recherche Archipelago 2011
The archipelago includes 105 features classed as islands, and more than 1500 islets.[6][21] The islands of the archipelago have a combined area of 9,720 hectares (24,019 acres).[22]
The islands are generally composed of granite outcrops, often with steep slopes and usually lacking beaches. A large number of features are submerged, some becoming exposed by tides.
The coast is subject to some of the most extreme wave energy in all of Australia, with the wave energy causing abrasion as far down as 100 metres (328 ft) during storms. The inner shelf of the archipelago has an average depth of 40 metres (131 ft) with most of the islands being in 60 metres (197 ft) of water.[23]Middle Island with an area of 1,080 hectares (2,669 acres) is the largest island in the Archipelago.[24]
Groups
Cape Le Grande panoramaGoose Island and Middle Island, Recherche Archipelago 2011
The islands are usually considered as being either in the western group, near Esperance and Woody Island and Cape Le Grand National Park, or in the eastern group where Middle Island is most prominent, near Cape Arid National Park.[25] Some surveys of the archipelago go further than the eastern and western distinction and consider groupings around named islands,[26] such as the Woody Group and the Remark Group.
Part of the area is included in the bioregion described as Esperance 2 (ESP2), the 'Recherche subregion', which contains Cape Le Grand National Park at its western end, and the Cape Arid National Park at the eastern end. This area is named the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve.
Islands
Tour operator Don MacKenzie was granted permission to land passengers on Woody Island in 1973. The MacKenzie family built the jetty that is still used for visitors to disembark from tourist boats.[27]
A possible breeding site for the Australian sea lion. The island supports a small population of the bush rat[32] and is the only island in the archipelago to have a quenda colony.[34] The island is also known to be inhabited by Death Adder snakes.
The granite island is approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) in length and rises to a height of about 20 metres (66 ft). It is situated about 3 kilometres (2 mi) off-shore from the beaches west of Cape Arid.[28]
There have been historical activities on the island.[36][37] It is the largest island in the archipelago.[21] It was named by d'Entrecasteaux.[38] Matthew Flinders visited in January 1802 and climbed the 185 metres (607 ft) peak (subsequently named Flinders Peak) to survey the surrounding islands.[38] The island contains a pink lake, Lake Hillier, from which John Thistle, the Investigator's master, collected some salt samples.[38] The pirate, Black Jack Anderson, based himself on this island to launch raids on vessels making their way between Adelaide and Albany. The Belinda was wrecked off Middle Island in 1824, the SS Penguin was wrecked off the island while sheltering from a gale in 1920.[29] The island supports a population of the tammar wallaby and was thought to be home to the bush rat based on a single skull find in the 1970s however subsequent trips in 2008 and 2011 failed to find any evidence.[39][32] The island is 6.5 kilometres (4 mi) in length and approximately 9 kilometres (6 mi) off shore from Cape Arid.[11]
Captains Bruni d’Entrecasteaux and Huon de Kermandec sheltered on the lee side of this island in 1792 during a wild storm. While their ships, Le Recherche and L’Esperance, were at anchor, Captain d'Entrecasteaux decided to name the bay after the first ship to enter it – L’Esperance.[40] The island supports a colony of 20-30 pairs little penguins.[32]
The only island within the reserve with public access and usage.
Flora and fauna
The area is a biodiversity hotspot with high biodiversity and a large number of species that are native to the region.[43] The environment contains a diverse array of subtropical and temperate flora and fauna. This is partly due to the Leeuwin current that flows in an easterly direction, this warms the cold seas to over 20 °C (68 °F) in summer.[23]
Larger islands have a substrate that supports vegetation, nesting birds, and other animals. A complex marine environment is found in the surrounding waters, the benthic habitat is various densities of seagrass meadows, reefs, or bare sand.
Marine
The waters around the islands meet often steep faces of granite, the extensive reefs and other features form habitat which supports a rich diversity of marine life. This includes 263 known species of fish, 347 known species of mollusc,[43] and over 450 types of sponge, sea grasses, and soft corals. A coral-like algae species, rhodoliths, form beds which support marine species of spiders, snails, and worms, also acting as a creche for scallops.[44] Marine mammals associated with the islands include two species of seal, large groups of common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), and minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).
^Christopher, P. & Cundell, N. (editors), (2004), Let's Go For a Dive, 50 years of the Underwater Explorers Club of SA, published by Peter Christopher, Kent Town, SA, pp.45–49. This describes the search and recovery of the anchors by members of the Underwater Explorers Club of South Australia
^Christopher, P. & Cundell, N. (editors), (2004), Let's Go For a Dive, 50 years of the Underwater Explorers Club of SA, published by Peter Christopher, Kent Town, SA, pp.48
^(1994) Wreck has become a massive artificial reef. Second largest vessel in the world that can be dived Landscope, Winter 1994, pp. 23–27
^(1995) Government declares 500-metre radius around the wreck a protected area for local marine life and recreational diving Western fisheries, May/June 1995, p.7
^Western Australia. State Committee for Combating Marine Oil Pollution.(1991) Report on pollution response operations at Esperance from the wreck of the "Sanko Harvest" / by the State Committee for Combating Marine Oil Pollution; R.S. Purkiss, chairman. Fremantle, W.A : Dept of Marine & Harbours, 1991] no. DMH P4/91
^"Project description". Characterising the Fish habitats of the Recherche Archipelago. Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 July 2008.
^"Pink Lake". Tourism Australia. 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
^Smith, L.A., R.E. Johnstone and J. Dell.(2005) Vertebrate fauna of the Eastern Group, Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia Western Australian naturalist, Vol.24, no.4 (30 April 2005), p.232-246
^Everall Consulting Biologist.(1999) Benthic habitat survey of the Remark, Mart, Mondrain, Tory and York Island groups in the Recherche Archipelago Perth, W.A. : Fisheries Western Australia, also known as Draft aquaculture plan for the Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia. February 1999
^ abAndrew D. Short (1 January 2005). Beaches of the Western Australian Coast - Eucla to Roebuck Bay: A Guide to Their Nature, Characteristics, Surf and Safety. Sydney University Press. ISBN9780958650434.
^Smith, L.A.(1988) Forrest Island, Recherché Archipelago, Western Australia. Corella, vol.12 no.3 (October 1988), pp. 91–92
^Harvey, Clare.(2001) Archaeologists unravel mysteries of Middle Island. Esperance express, 14 Aug 2001, p.7.
^Bindon, Peter.(1996) Report on a visit to Middle Island Recherche Archipelago, February 1996 Perth, W.A. Anthropology Dept., Western Australian Museum. Community report (Western Australian Museum. Anthropology Dept.) no. 1996/1.
^Kendrick, G.A., Harvey, E., Hill, J., McDonald, J.I. & Grove, S. (April 2002). "Review of existing information (appendix 1)"(PDF). Characterising the fish habitats of the Recherche Archipelago. School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia. Archived from the original(PDF) on 21 July 2008. APPENDIX SG1: Seagrass species found within the Recherche Archipelago region (after Campey et al., (2000); D.A. Lord & UWA (2001); Kirkman (1997); Walker, (1991); Waycott, (1998 & 2000)).{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Browne-Cooper, R.; Bush, B.; Maryan, B.; Robinson, D. (2007). "Island species lists; Recherche Archipelago". Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern Australia. University of Western Australia Press. p. 281. ISBN978-1-920694-74-6.
Australian Geographical Society (1952–1954). Expedition to the Recherché Archipelago, Western Australia. Australian Geographical Society reports. no.1 (7 reports in 4 volumes)
pt. 1a. General history by J.M. Bechervaise—pt. 1b. Physiography by R.W. Fairbridge and V.N. Serventy—pt. 2. Birds by V.N. Serventy—pt. 3. Plants, 3a. Land flora by J.H. Willis, 3b. Marine algae by H.B.S. Womersley—pt. 4. Mammals by V. N. Serventy—pt. 5. Reptiles and frogs by L. Glauert—pt. 6. Spiders and opiliones by Barbara York Main—pt. 7. Molluscs (sea shells and snails) by J. Hope Macpherson.
Kendrick, G. (et al.) (2005) Characterising the fish habitats of the Recherche Archipelago Crawley, W.A. University of Western Australia. Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. ISBN1-74052-122-6 "Fisheries Research and Development Corporation report, project no. 2001/060."
Thomson-Dans, Carolyn, Kendrick, Gary and Bancroft, Kevin (2003) Researching the Recherche.Landscope (Como, W.A), Winter 2003, p. 6–8,
Early cartography
Beautemps-Beaupré, C. F. (1807) Carte de l'archipel de la Recherche, situé à la partie occidentale de la terre de Nuyts, reconnu par le contre amiral Bruny-Dentrecasteaux, en décembre 1792 (an 1er de l'ere Française) Paris : Dépôt général des cartes et plans de la marine et des colonies], Battye Library Map Stack B/23/17 Scale [ca. 1:436,000] (Map of Recherche Archipelago showing track of Recherche and Espérance in December 1792). (Battye copy reduced to approximately 1:812,000 and 25 x 38.4 cm)
Only places with the name still in use in either the original or anglicised version are listed above. Many names have been anglicised; for these the original French name appears in brackets.
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