The Crocodile Islands are a group of islands belonging to the

Yan-nhaŋu The Yan-nhaŋu, also known as the Nango, are an indigenous Australian people of the Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an s ...

people of the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. They are located off the coast of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

in the

Arafura Sea The Arafura Sea (or Arafuru Sea) lies west of the Pacific Ocean, overlying the continental shelf between Australia and Western New Guinea (also called Papua), which is the Indonesian part of the Island of New Guinea. Geography The Arafura Sea is ...

. As of 2023 the Crocodile Islands are protected as part of the

National Reserve System Australia's National Reserve System (NRS) is a network of more than 10,000 Commonwealth of Australia, Commonwealth plus States and territories of Australia, state and territory protected areas which, in combination, on a national scale, protect ...

as a protected area called the Crocodile Islands Maringa Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).

List of islands

Larger islands

* Milingimbi Island, in the local language ''Yurruwi,'' is the largest of the inner islands in the group * ''Murrungga'' (Mooroongga), the largest of the outer Crocodile islands, and the birthplace of Laurie Baymarrwangga, the last fluent speaker of Yan-nhangu. * ''Rapuma'' (Yabooma) * ''Gananggananggarr'' (Gananggaringur) * ''Nilpaywa'' (Crocodile Island).

Smaller islands

* ''Darbada.'' * Boojiragi (''Budjirriki'') * ''Mardanaingura.'' * Northwest Crocodile (''Gurriba'') * North-east Crocodile Islands (''Brul-brul'') * North-west Crocodile Reef (''Gununba No 1'').

History

The islands were formed by stabilising sea levels 5000 years before present. They were discovered by the Dutch in the seventeenth century and named the ''Crocodils Eÿlandt''. Several of the Crocodile Islands, with their associated

mudflat Mudflats or mud flats, also known as tidal flats or, in Ireland, slob or slobs, are coastal wetlands that form in intertidal areas where sediments have been deposited by tides or rivers. A global analysis published in 2019 suggested that tidal ...

s, have been identified by

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

as forming the Milingimbi Islands Important Bird Area (IBA) because they support large numbers of

wader 245px, A flock of Red_knot.html" ;"title="Dunlins and Red knot">Dunlins and Red knots Waders or shorebirds are birds of the order Charadriiformes commonly found wikt:wade#Etymology 1, wading along shorelines and mudflats in order to foraging, ...

s, or shorebirds. Murrungga Island has one of the most significant migratory bird nesting and breeding sites in the North of Australia. The enormous fresh water lakes of Garratha, Riyanhuna and Ganbuwa are home to hundreds of species of birds, as well as a large population of

Saltwater Crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats, brackish wetlands and freshwater rivers from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaland to northern Australia and Micronesia. It ha ...

s, after which the islands are named.

Access

Access to the islands is restricted; before visiting, permission must be sought from the appropriate land council.

Notes

Citations

Sources

* * * * * {{DutchplacenamesAus Arnhem Land Important Bird Areas of the Northern Territory Islands of the Northern Territory