Smooth Island, is a privately owned

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

with an area of lying close to the south-eastern coast of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia. The island is part of the Sloping Island Group situated in Norfolk Bay and surrounded by the Tasman and Forestier Peninsulas. The towns Dunalley and Murdunna are nearby. Smooth Island differs from other Tasmanian islands as it has an unencumbered

freehold Freehold may refer to: In real estate *Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple * Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England * Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice ...

title down to the high-water mark.

Administration

For administrative purposes, the island is within the Tasman Council, the land district of Pembroke, the legislative council of Rumney and the electorate of Lyons at

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and federal levels. It lies within the Fire Management Area Committee Boundary (FMAC) of 'East Coast'. Smooth Island is privately owned; it has a

title with no covenants. In 2014 Smooth Island was gazetted as a Private Forest Timber Reserve. The coast line from the Smooth Island waterline has been classified Zone 23 (Environmental management) under the Tasman Interim Planning Scheme 2015.

Access

Smooth island is private property to the coastal high-water mark; unauthorised public access, including mooring of vessels, is prohibited. Subject to authorisation, Smooth Island is easily accessible by boat and helicopter. The island's terrain is suited to the construction of a small airstrip.

Services

The island receives radio coverage from

ABC Local Radio ABC Local Radio is a network of publicly owned radio stations in Australia, operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. ABC Local Radio stations broadcast across the continent using terrestrial transmitters and satellites. Its program ...

(936 AM), 3G mobile phone coverage from

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 2 ...

and wireless coverage from the

National Broadband Network The National Broadband Network (NBN) is an Australian national wholesale open-access data network. It includes wired and radio communication components rolled out and operated by NBN Co, a Government-owned corporation. Internet service provide ...

. The table below outlines the nearest services and facilities to Smooth Island. }" group="note">, , 6 km, , –, , –, , , - , Wireless internet transmission tower, , National Broadband Network , , , , , , 6 km, , –, , –, , , - , Fuel, , Shell Dunalley, , 119 Arthur Hwy, Dunalley, Tas 7177, , , , 6.5 km, , 6.5 km, , 9 km, , , - , General store, , Dunalley Supermarket, , 168 Arthur Hwy, Dunalley, Tas 7177, , , , 6.7 km, , 6.7 km, , 9 km, , , - , Large shopping centre, , Sorell plaza shopping centre, , Cole Street, Sorell, Tas 7172, , , , 25 km, , 29 km, , 40 km, ,

Recreational fishing

"All waters 200 metres seaward from the low water mark of Smooth Island: Shark Refuge Area. No taking of shark, skates or rays, except elephantfish. Where permitted, graball nets must not be set for more than 2 hours and can only be set from sunrise until one hour before sunset. No mullet nets. No set lines (ong lines and drop lines)."

Geography

Smooth Island lies from both Dunbabin Point and Chronicle Point on the mainland, and from King George Island, measured from the nearest coastlines. The island has two hilly peaks separated by a saddle.North Peak: . South Peak:. Saddle: The height above sea level of the North peak, South peak and saddle are , and respectively.Measured on 30 December 2015 using barometric function of Garmin Monterra. Sea level calibrated to 0 metres when tide was at . After the first set of measurements the device was recalibrated to sea level () and the altitude of the three features was reassessed, increasing the altitude of all points by . It is the second set of measurements which have been recorded. Conditions: pressure , humidity 53%, NE wind, no rain, dew point .Other data suggests the north peak is 39.95m above sea level, and south peak 36.81m above sea level. Se
this link
for evidence.

Climate

See here for live data fro
Smooth Island's Weather Station

Geology

Smooth Island consists of

diabase Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grain ...

dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grained ...

rock, a subvolcanic intrusion that probably occurred from during the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "da ...

epoch In chronology and periodization, an epoch or reference epoch is an instant in time chosen as the origin of a particular calendar era. The "epoch" serves as a reference point from which time is measured. The moment of epoch is usually decided by ...

of the

Cenozoic The Cenozoic ( ; ) is Earth's current geological era, representing the last 66million years of Earth's history. It is characterised by the dominance of mammals, birds and flowering plants, a cooling and drying climate, and the current configurat ...

era. A geological survey identified consolidated, brownish, fine-grained quartz sandstone occurring on the island's north-east coastline at approximately above sea level, covered by sand. It was said to be similar to the sandstone samples retrieved from South Arm that contained numerous fossils but no fossils were found in the samples taken from Smooth Island. The western aspect of the island contains dolerite (tholeiitic) with locally developed

granophyre Granophyre ( ; from '' granite'' and ''porphyry'') is a subvolcanic rock that contains quartz and alkali feldspar in characteristic angular intergrowths such as those in the accompanying image. The texture is called granophyric. The texture ca ...

from the Jurassic period. The water table is classified as a surficial sediment aquifer (porous media – unconsolidated). Because the island predominantly has a sloping hard rock shore, there is little vulnerability to flooding or erosion due to a rise in sea level. A coastal acid sulfate soil analysis produced a result of "extremely low" along the north and north-east side of the island.

Ecosystem

See here for an overview o
Smooth Island's fauna and flora
Smooth Island seabirds

Marine ecology

Smooth Island is surrounded by a low-profile reef. A region of gravel or ''hard sand'' extends from the reef on the eastern coast towards King George Island and

King George Sound King George Sound ( nys , Menang Koort) is a sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came into use ...

. The reef on the western coast is surrounded by sand and a body of silt approaches the south-west coast of the island. Between Smooth Island and King George Island lies a dense bed of

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four families ( Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and Cymodoceaceae), all in the ...

(''Halophila australis'') and

eelgrass Eelgrass is a common name for several plants and may refer to: * ''Zostera ''Zostera'' is a small genus of widely distributed seagrasses, commonly called marine eelgrass, or simply seagrass or eelgrass, and also known as seaweed by some fisher ...

('' Zostera tasmanica'') covering about . Studies have found dense populations of South Australian cobbler (''Gymnapistes marmoratus'') within this region because this fish prefers patchy beds of eelgrass. The island's east coast has the densest concentration of Little weed whiting ( Neoodax balteatus) in Norfolk Bay; an assessment in 1995–1996 revealed that 88% of the fish caught were of the species Little Rock Whiting (''Neoodax balteatus'') and Bridled Leatherjacket (''Acanthaluteres spilomelanurus''). A species of

red algae Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), are one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta also comprises one of the largest phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 currently recognized species with taxonomic revisions ongoing. The majority ...

(''Rhabdonia verticillata'') has been found close to the island. The fish species flathead,

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perci ...

cod Cod is the common name for the demersal fish genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family Gadidae. Cod is also used as part of the common name for a number of other fish species, and one species that belongs to genus ''Gadus'' is commonly not calle ...

and Australian salmon can be found in the waters immediately surrounding the island.

Dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae ( ...

s are frequently sighted and

killer whale The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white p ...

s (''Orcinus orca'') are infrequently sighted near the island. The

Spotted handfish The spotted handfish (''Brachionichthys hirsutus'') is a rare Australian fish in the handfish family, Brachionichthyidae, classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List 2020. It has a highly restricted range, being found only in th ...

and the Live-bearing Seastar (''Parvulastra vivipara'') are threatened marine species that may be present in the waters surrounding Smooth Island. A killer whale was identified north-east of the current lighthouse position. Several humpback whales were spotted near Smooth Island in June 2017.

Ecological rehabilitation

The terrestrial ecosystem of Smooth Island has been damaged by overgrazing and slashing-and-burning, and through the commercial hunting of wildlife. The island's natural vegetation has been largely displaced by exotic grass,

thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...

bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eg ...

, scattered

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', '' Allosy ...

s and African boxthorn bushes. Between and of

shearwater Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae. They have a global marine distribution, but are most common in temperate and cold waters, and are pelagic outside the breeding season. Description These tu ...

rookeries are present on Smooth Island and the impact of repeated fires on these habitats has been studied. The island' current owners intend to systematically restore its native ecosystem. Since March 2014, a diverse range of native Tasmanian flora have been planted throughout the island. Remnant eucalypts are also expected to seed on the island's south-east coast since grazing has ceased.

History

Toponymy

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 ...

discovered the island on 15 December 1798 and named it "Smooth Island" on his contemporaneous maps but the island does not appear on his 1814 map. In 1824

Thomas Scott Thomas Scott may refer to: Australia * Thomas Hobbes Scott (1783–1860), Anglican clergyman and first Archdeacon of New South Wales * Thomas Scott (Australian politician) (1865–1946), member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Thomas ...

referred to the island as "Garden Island" on his maps. The origins of this are not entirely clear, and other sources are inconclusive about the above assertions. and state that the island was first named on a map by "Cross (1830)" and "Frankland" (1837)", before stating several pages later that the island was first named "Smooth Island". According to a 1911 newspaper article, the island "is not named in the map of D'Entrecasteaux, even though it was marked". During the early 21st century, Smooth Island was occasionally listed as "Lot 1 Norfolk Bay, Dunalley TAS 7177" on some real-estate classifieds. Much confusion exists about the names of many of the islands in South East Tasmania. ''Garden Island'' has become an alternative name for both Green Island and Smooth Island. A newspaper article from 1836 refers to a Garden Island in the Pembroke Land District.

Structures

A survey of Smooth Island was completed on 14 July 1863; it reveals the presence of the original jetty, a spring and a

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. ...

excavation site on the island. A lighthouse (''K 3621.2'') was installed on the north peak in 1991. It was relocated by request of the landowners in 2014.To the following location: The specifications of the light remain unchanged since this relocation. Its height is . The light's range was in clear weather. It is a stainless steel pole in the water. The technical specifications of the lighthouse are: FL(3)W, period 6.1 seconds (i.e.: a cluster of 3 flashes of a white light is produced, which repeats every 6.1 seconds)

Potential uses

Smooth Island's south and west coasts have alkaline soil while the east slope has acidic soil. The crops with the greatest yield potential are as follows: * Table wine grapes'Highly suitable' area: Most of the west side of the island – in addition to the south east side (near the shack, north of Crap Rock). 'Suitable' area: The remainder of the island. * Sparkling wine grapes'Highly suitable' area: Along a channel from the saddle to the south peak. 'Suitable' area: The remainder of the island. * Industrial hemp'Highly suitable': A small patch at the very top of the north peak. *

Pyrethrum ''Pyrethrum'' was a genus of several Old World plants now classified as ''Chrysanthemum'' or '' Tanacetum'' which are cultivated as ornamentals for their showy flower heads. Pyrethrum continues to be used as a common name for plants formerly incl ...

* Blueberries'Highly suitable': isolated patches, and most of the rest of the island is classified as 'suitable'. * Phosphate mining: on 13 October 1941, the viability of mining phosphate on Smooth Island was assessed but was determined to not be viable.

Artwork

Smooth Island has been the subject of two notable paintings: Michael Weitnauer's ''Norfolk Bay'' and Dale Frank's "Dunalley, Smooth Island". It has been mentioned in poems such as " Two Kinds of Silence" by Kathryn Lomer: I could lose or find myself in this private Bermuda triangle- Connelly's Bay, Lime Bay, Smooth Island; In the dusk Smooth Island's navigation light begins to blink its code name to sailors bound for Dunalley

Gallery

File:Smooth_Island_1.jpg File:Island 11 may 2014 -sunset.JPG File:Tterwtewrtewrt.jpg File:Sunset_on_Smooth_Island.jpg File:Ewqrterwtertewr.jpg File:Yrtytryrty.jpg File:Smooth2.JPG File:2015-03-31 red sunset.jpg File:Top of Smooth island looking at Murdunna.JPG File:Island 15june2014.jpg File:Pebble Beach on Smooth Island Tasmania.JPG File:South East cove Smooth Island.JPG File:Eastern cove Smooth Island.JPG File:Soth west on Smooth Island.JPG File:Walking track southern end Smooth island.jpg File:Walking track eastern end Smooth Island.jpg File:Sunset to the west.jpg File:Historic chimney.JPG File:North west.JPG File:Island 15th june2014.JPG File:West coast.JPG

Footnotes

References

External links

* * {{South East Tasmania , state=autocollapse Sloping Island Group Island restoration South East coast of Tasmania Private islands of Tasmania Articles containing video clips