Beatrice Islets are pair of
islet
An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...
s in the
Australian state
The states and territories are the national subdivisions and second level of government of Australia. The states are partially sovereignty, sovereign, administrative divisions that are autonomous administrative division, self-governing polity, ...
of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
located in
Nepean Bay
Nepean Bay is a bay located on the north-east coast of Kangaroo Island in the Australian state of South Australia about south-south-west of Adelaide. It was named by the British navigator, Matthew Flinders, after Sir Evan Nepean on 21 March ...
on the north coast of
Kangaroo Island
Kangaroo Island (, ) is Australia's third-largest island, after Tasmania and Melville Island, Northern Territory, Melville Island. It lies in the state of South Australia, southwest of Adelaide. Its closest point to the mainland is Snapper Poi ...
about east of
Kingscote. The islets and adjoining
intertidal
The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various sp ...
areas are notable as habitat for bird life. The islet pair has enjoyed
protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
status since 1909 and since at least 1972, have been part of the
Beatrice Islet Conservation Park. During either the 1960s or the 1970s, the islets were extensively damaged by an exercise to remove an infestation of
South African boxthorn.
Description
Beatrice Islets are pair of islets located in Nepean Bay about east of
Kingscote on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
[DMH, 1985, Charts 11 & 12][BIA, 2005, page 185]
The Beatrice Islets along with Busby Islet are three high points on the southern edge of a
spit that is exposed at low water. The spit which is named ‘The Spit’ extends from Cape Rouge about north of Kingscote in a south easterly direction across the opening of the
Bay of Shoals for a distance of about . The islets which are separated by a distance of about , have a north-south alignment.
[
The islets historically consisted of sand dunes that were permanently above high water. However, an exercise to remove South African boxthorn, an introduced species considered to an infestation risk, which occurred either during the 1960s or the 1970s and which resulted in the islets becoming ‘susceptible to erosion, and tides and rough weather’ thereby reducing the ‘once stable vegetated islets to bare, wave-washed sand spits’. Subsequent attempts to stabilise the islets and encourage the deposition of sand were unsuccessful.][NPWS, 1987, page 25][Robinson et al, 1996, page 301] As of 1987, the islets were reported as existing "only as a mudflat and cocklebed which emerges above the sea at low tide."[
]
Formation, geology and oceanography
The conditions for the creation of The Spit and therefore Beatrice Islets and Busby Islet became possible about 7500 years ago when sea levels reached current levels. The islets are composed of sand and sand grit.[ The islets is part of a drying spit at low water which falls to a depth of within about to the west.][
]
Flora and fauna
Flora
As of 1987 and again in 1996, the Beatrice Islets were reported as having no vegetation as a result of an exercise to remove the infestation of South African boxthorn.[NPWS, 1987, page 25][
]
Fauna
While sources dated 1987 and 1996 do not explicitly list fauna for Beatrice Islets, it is likely that fauna species which are exclusively birds reported as being present on The Spit and Busby Island such as the following will be observed on the Beatrice Islets: white-bellied sea-eagle, eastern curlew, fairy tern little egret, pied cormorant, little pied cormorant, black-faced cormorant, Australian pelican, Australian white ibis, grey plover, greater sand plover, whimbrel, grey-tailed tattler, bar-tailed godwit, red knot, red-necked stint, red-capped plover, sooty oystercatcher, pied oystercatcher, curlew sandpiper, sharp-tailed sandpiper and ruddy turnstone.[
]
History
European discovery and use
Beatrice Islets are reported as probably being named after HMS ''Beatrice'', a schooner which conducted coastal survey operations in South Australia during the 1870s.[Robinson et al, 1996, page 302] Beatrice Islets are one of the island sites from which guano
Guano (Spanish from ) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. Guano is a highly effective fertiliser due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. Guano was also, to a le ...
was mined under licence from the South Australian Government
The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the highest ranking mem ...
prior to 1919.
Protected areas status
The Beatrice Islets first received protected area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...
status on 13 May 1909 under the ''Birds Protection Act 1900''. The islets were subsequently proclaimed as a fauna reserve under the ''Fauna Conservation Act 1964'', dedicated again in 1967 ‘for the conservation of wildlife habitat’ and then as a conservation park under the ''National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972
Protected areas of South Australia, consisting of protected areas located within South Australia and its immediate onshore waters and which are managed by South Australian Government agencies. As of 2018, South Australia contained 359 separat ...
'' in 1972. As of 2012, the waters adjoining the islets are within the Encounter Marine Park.
Beatrice Islets is also part of a larger area that includes the extent of The Spit within Nepean Bay including Busby Islet and which was included in a non-statutory listing of nationally important wetlands located in South Australia as part of ''A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia
A Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia (DIWA) is a list of wetlands of national importance to Australia published by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Intended to augment the list of wetlands of internatio ...
''.[Eyles et al, 2001, page 77]
See also
*List of islands of Australia
This is a list of selected Australian islands grouped by state or territory. Australia has 8,222 islands within its maritime borders.
Largest islands
The islands larger than are:
* Tasmania (Tas) ;
* Melville Island, Northern Territory (NT ...
Citations and references
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatrice Islets
Islands of South Australia
Uninhabited islands of Australia
Kangaroo Island