Recherché Archipelago
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The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles, is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the
south coast of Western Australia The south coast of Western Australia comprises the Western Australian coastline from Cape Leeuwin to Eucla. This is a distance of approximately , fronting the Great Australian Bight and the Southern Ocean. Components The Bureau of Meteorology ...
. The islands stretch from east to west and to off-shore encompassing an area of approximately . 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.
Archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
s have found ancient artefacts on Salisbury Island, a massive limestone remnant sitting on a granite dome 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.


European discovery and naming

The islands became known to Europeans when
François Thijssen François Thijssen or Frans Thijsz (died 13 October 1638?) was a Dutch-French explorer who explored the southern coast of Australia. He was the captain of the ship t Gulden Zeepaerdt'' (''The Golden Seahorse'') when sailing from Cape of Good Ho ...
and
Pieter Nuyts Pieter Nuyts or Nuijts (born 1598 – 11 December 1655) was a Dutch explorer, diplomat and politician. He was part of a landmark expedition of the Dutch East India Company in 1626–27 which mapped the southern coast of Australia. He became t ...
, 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. The area was named Archipelago of the Recherche (french: link=no, l'Archipel de la Recherche, ) 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''.


Maritime history

Flinders abandoned two anchors when leaving Middle Island in 1803. These were found and recovered in 1973 by divers. The bower anchor is on display at the
South Australian Maritime Museum The South Australian Maritime Museum is a state government museum, part of the History Trust of South Australia. The Museum opened in 1986 in a collection of historic buildings in the heart of Port Adelaide, South Australia's first heritage prec ...
while the
stream anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal , used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ''ancora'', which itself comes from the Greek ἄ ...
can be seen at the
National Museum of Australia The National Museum of Australia, in the national capital Canberra, preserves and interprets Australia's social history, exploring the key issues, people and events that have shaped the nation. It was formally established by the ''National Muse ...
. Sealers and whalers from other British colonies on the Australian continent frequented the area since at least the early 1820s. Australia's only recorded pirate,
Black Jack Anderson John 'Black Jack' Anderson (d 1842?) was an African-American sealer and pirate active in the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia. Arrival in Australia Anderson arrived in the fledgling King George Sound colony (modern ...
, 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. Middle Island was regarded as the right whale hunting station of the bight in the 1830s and 1840s. The archipelago is recorded as the site of shipwrecks and other maritime incidents. The brig ''
Belinda Belinda is a feminine given name of unknown origin, apparently coined from Italian ''bella'', meaning "beautiful". Alternatively it may be derived from the Old High German name ''Betlinde'', which possibly meant "bright serpent" or "bright linde ...
'' 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. ''The Mountaineer'' was sunk off Thistle Cove near
Cape Le Grand Cape Le Grand National Park is a national park in Western Australia, south-east of Perth and east of Esperance. The park covers an area of The area is an ancient landscape which has been above sea level for well over 200 million years and ...
in 1835 while attempting to find shelter from a gale. ''The Rodondo'' was thought to be wrecked on Polloch Reef off Salisbury Island in 1895. 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. On 14 February 1991 the ''
Sanko Harvest ''Sanko Harvest'' was a 32,502 DWT dry bulk carrier that sank off Esperance, Western Australia after striking a charted reef on 14 February 1991. The Korean-crewed Japanese-owned ship was long and was carrying a cargo of 32,790 tonnes of phosp ...
'' 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. The response to pollution caused by the wreck was reported upon soon after. 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 lobster ''Jasus edwardsii'', the southern rock lobster, red rock lobster, or spiny rock lobster, is a species of spiny lobster found throughout coastal waters of southern Australia and New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. It is commonly called '' ...
s,
pilchard "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the ...
s, and
shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachi ...
s, and fishing tourism is an established industry. The area is proposed for other applications of aquaculture, including farming trials of
bluefin tuna Bluefin tuna is a common name used to refer to several species of tuna A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, th ...
.


Geography

The
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 Arc ...
includes 105 features classed as islands, and more than 1500 islets. The islands of the archipelago have a combined area of . 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 during storms. The inner shelf of the archipelago has an average depth of with most of the islands being in of water. Middle Island with an area of is the largest island in the Archipelago.


Groups

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. Some surveys of the archipelago go further than the eastern and western distinction and consider groupings around named islands, 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 Cape Le Grand National Park is a national park in Western Australia, south-east of Perth and east of Esperance. The park covers an area of The area is an ancient landscape which has been above sea level for well over 200 million years and ...
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.


Flora and fauna

The area is a biodiversity hotspot with high
biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
and a large number of species that are native to the region. The environment contains a diverse array of subtropical and
temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...
flora and fauna. This is partly due to the
Leeuwin current The Leeuwin Current is a warm ocean current which flows southwards near the western coast of Australia. It rounds Cape Leeuwin to enter the waters south of Australia where its influence extends as far as Tasmania. Discovery The existence of the ...
that flows in an easterly direction, this warms the cold seas to over in summer. 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 meadow A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and ...
s, 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, and over 450 types of
sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...
,
sea grass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae an ...
es, and
soft coral Alcyonacea, or soft corals, are an order of corals. In addition to the fleshy soft corals, the order Alcyonacea now contains all species previously known as "gorgonian corals", that produce a more or less hard skeleton, though quite different f ...
s. A coral-like algae species,
rhodolith Rhodoliths (from Greek for ''red rocks'') are colorful, unattached calcareous nodules, composed of crustose, benthic marine red algae that resemble coral. Rhodolith beds create biogenic habitat for diverse benthic communities. The rhodolithic gr ...
s, form beds which support marine species of spiders, snails, and worms, also acting as a creche for scallops. Marine mammals associated with the islands include two species of
seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
, large groups of
common dolphin The common dolphin (''Delphinus delphis'') is the most abundant cetacean in the world, with a global population of about six million. Despite this fact and its vernacular name, the common dolphin is not thought of as the archetypal dolphin, wit ...
s (''Delphinus delphis''), and
minke whale The minke whale (), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and the Antarctic (or southern) minke whale. The minke whale was first described by the Danish na ...
s (''Balaenoptera acutorostrata''). Seagrasses found at the island include: ''
Amphibolis antarctica ''Amphibolis antarctica'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Cymodoceaceae. It is referred to by the common names wire weedRippey, Elizabeth and Rowland, Barbara (2004) ''Coastal Plants: Perth and the south-west region'' Second Editio ...
,
Amphibolis griffithii ''Amphibolis griffithii'' is a seagrass found in waters along the southwestern coasts of Western Australia, extending to Encounter Bay in South Australia . Description A common marine herb, the rhizomatous plant forms meadows which stabilise sa ...
,
Halophila decipiens ''Halophila decipiens'', commonly known as Caribbean seagrass or paddle grass, is a seagrass in the family Hydrocharitaceae. It grows underwater on sandy or muddy sea floors in shallow parts of tropical seas. Description ''Halophila'' is the onl ...
,
Halophila ovalis ''Halophila ovalis'', commonly known as paddle weed, spoon grass or dugong grass, is a seagrass in the family Hydrocharitaceae. It is a small herbaceous plant that occurs in sea beds and other saltwater environments in the Indo-Pacific. The fir ...
, Posidonia angustifolia,
Posidonia australis ''Posidonia australis'', also known as fibre-ball weed or ribbon weed, is a species of seagrass that occurs in the southern waters of Australia. It forms large meadows important to environmental conservation. Balls of decomposing detritus from ...
,
Posidonia coriacea ''Posidonia coriacea'' is a species of seagrass that occurs in the southern waters of Australia. Description A species of ''Posidonia''. A perennial rhizomatous herb that appears as stands in marine habitat. This species is found at depths fro ...
, Posidonia denhartogii, Posidonia kirkmani, Posidonia ostenfeldii,
Posidonia sinuosa ''Posidonia'' is a genus of flowering plants. It contains nine species of marine plants ("seagrass"), found in the seas of the Mediterranean and around the south coast of Australia. The APG system (1998) and APG II system (2003) accept this gen ...
, Syringodium isoetifolium, and Thalassodendron pachyrhizum''.


Terrestrial

The islands support populations of terrestrial flora and fauna, some of which are unique to the archipelago. New Zealand fur seal (''
Arctocephalus forsteri ''Arctocephalus forsteri'' (common names include the Australasian fur seal, South Australian fur seal, New Zealand fur seal, Antipodean fur seal, or long-nosed fur seal) is a species of fur seal found mainly around southern Australia and New Z ...
'') and Australian sea-lion (''
Neophoca cinerea 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 are found on some islands, with haul-out sites on many. Marsupials include tammars (''
Macropus eugenii derbianus ''Macropus'' is a marsupial genus in the family Macropodidae. It has two extant species of large terrestrial kangaroos. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek μάκρος, ''makros'' "long" and πους, ''pous'' "foot". Thirteen known exti ...
''), a species of bandicoot ('' Isoodon obesulus''), and two subspecies of rock wallabies (''
Petrogale lateralis lateralis The rock-wallabies are the wallabies of the genus ''Petrogale''. Taxonomy The genus was established in 1837 by John Edward Gray in a revision of material at the British Museum of Natural History. Gray nominated his earlier description of ''Kan ...
'' and '' Petrogale lateralis hacketti''). Snakes include the Recherche Island dugite (''
Pseudonaja affinis tanneri ''Pseudonaja'' is a genus of highly venomous elapid snakes native to Australia. Species of this genus are known commonly as brown snakes and are considered to be some of the most dangerous snakes in the world; even young snakes are capable of de ...
'') on Cull Island, and the python '' Morelia spilota imbricata''. Other reptiles include the barking gecko (''
Underwoodisaurus milii ''Underwoodisaurus milii'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Carphodactylidae. The species is commonly known as the thick-tailed or barking gecko, referring to its distinctive plump tail and sharp, barking defensive call. The genus i ...
''), ornate dragon ('' Ctenophorus ornatus''), and the southern heath monitor ('' Varanus rosenbergi''). Two species of frog are also found on the islands; the quacking frog ''
Crinia georgiana The quacking frog (''Crinia georgiana'') also known as the red-thighed froglet due to its legs tending to be bright red. It is a species of frog from the Myobatrachidae family and is in a clad with five other species. The frog is well known fo ...
'' and spotted-thighed frog ''
Litoria cyclorhyncha The spotted-thighed tree frog (''Ranoidea cyclorhynchus'') is a species of tree frog in the subfamily Pelodryadinae, found in Western Australia. Description The frog is similar in appearance to its cogener, '' Ranoidea moorei'', bearing dark g ...
''.: Many of the animals and plants are in refugia, where they are remote from factors that threaten mainland populations.


Birds

The archipelago has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it is the only breeding site for the western subspecies of Cape Barren goose known as the Recherche Cape Barren goose. It also supports over 1% of the world populations of
flesh-footed shearwater The flesh-footed shearwater (''Ardenna carneipes''; formerly ''Puffinus carneipes'') is a medium-sized shearwater. Its plumage is black. It has pale pinkish feet, and a pale bill with a distinct black tip. Together with the equally light-billed p ...
s,
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 ...
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 fai ...
s and, probably,
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. Rock parrots (''Neophema petrophila'') and red-eared firetails (''Stagonopleura oculata'') have also been recorded.


Gallery

Castletown - Beach 2.jpg, Recherche Archipelago from Castletown Beach in Esperance Heath goanna Varanus rosenbergii (8294973555).jpg, Rosenberg's monitor found on the Archipelago Australian sea lion 02.JPG, Australian sea lions are common on islands of the Archipelago Flickr - don macauley - Bird 002.jpg,
White-bellied sea eagle The white-bellied sea eagle (''Haliaeetus leucogaster''), also known as the white-breasted sea eagle, is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae. Originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1788, it is closely related t ...
in flight, Recherche Archipelago, Esperance


References


Further reading

* 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. "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 The J S Battye Library (more properly known as the J. S. Battye Library of West Australian History) is an arm of the State Library of Western Australia. It stores much of the state's historical records and original publications including books, ...
Map Stack B/23/17 Scale a. 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'')


External links


Geoscience Australia – location details



Map of the region
{{DEFAULTSORT:Recherche Archipelago Archipelagoes of Australia Nature reserves in Western Australia Important Bird Areas of Western Australia Great Australian Bight