. __NOTOC__ Investigator Group Conservation Park was a

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 ...

in the Australian state 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 on islands within the

Investigator Group The Investigator Group is an archipelago in South Australia that consists of Flinders Island and five island groups located off the western coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It is named after by her commander, Matthew Flinders when he explored ...

of islands off the west coast of

Eyre Peninsula The Eyre Peninsula is a triangular peninsula in South Australia. It is bounded by the Spencer Gulf on the east, the Great Australian Bight on the west, and the Gawler Ranges to the north. Earlier called Eyre's Peninsula, it was named after e ...

about north-west of the state capital of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

and about south-west of the town of Elliston.

Land tenure and designation

The conservation park consisted of land on the following islands within the Investigator Group - Dorothee Island,

Pearson Island Pearson Island is an island located in the Australian state of South Australia within the Pearson Isles an island group located in the larger island group, group known as the Investigator Group about southwest by west of Cape Finniss on the ...

, the

Topgallant Islands Topgallant Islands is an island group in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Investigator Group about south west of Cape Finniss on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula. The group was discovered and named by Matthew Flinders o ...

, the Veteran Isles and the Ward Islands As of 2010, the conservation park covered an area of . The conservation park was categorized in 2010 as being an

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

Category Ia protected area.

History

The land first received protected area status as fauna conservation reserves proclaimed on 16 March 1967 under the ''Crown Lands Act 1929'' in respect to Topgallant Island, Ward Islands and Pearson Island with exception to land in sections 12 and 13 which were under the control of the Australian government. On 27 April 1972, all of the land proclaimed as a fauna conservation reserve was reconstituted as the ''Investigator Group 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 1980, the conservation park was listed on the now-defunct

Register of the National Estate The Register of the National Estate was a heritage register that listed natural and cultural heritage places in Australia that was closed in 2007. Phasing out began in 2003, when the Australian National Heritage List and the Commonwealth Heri ...

. On 19 December 1991, additional land was added to the conservation park to extend protection over land located between high tide and low tide. On 29 August 2002, additional land was added to the conservation park. On 25 August 2011, all of the land within the conservation park was constituted as part of the Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area with the result that the conservation park ceased to exist.

A description of the conservation park published in 1980

On 21 October 1980, the conservation park was placed (i.e. “registered”) on the Register of the National Estate. The following is the description and the statement of significance published at the time of placement.

Description

A group of approximately twelve oceanic islands and associated submerged rocks from 22km-74km from the coast. Includes the Waldegrave islands (sic), Topgallant islands and Ward islands (but excludes Pearson (sic) and Flinders islands). The islands are granite inselbergs up to 100m above sea level, and some are capped with calcarenite, a rock type of aeolian origin as windblown dunes. The islands feature precipitous cliffs to 75m tall, deep overhangs, sea caves, crevasses, talus slopes and summit platforms. The larger islands have some soil development and mostly support low shrubland communities dominated by nitre bush (''
Nitraria billardierei ''Nitraria billardierei'', commonly known as nitre bush or dillon bush, is a perennial shrub native to Australia. It is often found in saline areas or other areas which have been disturbed. This species produces flowers predominantly in spring, ...
''), gallweed ('' Zygophyllum apiculatum''), saltbush ('' Atriplex paludosa''), grey saltbush ('' A. cinerea'') and a daisy bush ('' Olearia ramulosa'')… The islands are largely undisturbed because of the difficulty of access from the sea; Topgallant island contains some infestations of African boxthorn and common ice plant…

Statement of Significance

The registered islands in this group, namely Waldegrave Islands (sic), Topgallant Islands, Ward Islands and Pearson Islands, are true inselbergs or island mountains, rising abruptly to a maximum of 240m above sea level from the eastern section of the Great Australian Bight. Other important landforms within the Group are of marine origin, including old coastal foredune deposits and formations indicating a higher sea level than presently exists… The islands of the Group are some of the most scenically spectacular of all South Australia's offshore islands. Many birds utilise the Investigator Group islands, which may be significant as intermediate points for birds migrating from Flinders Island to the Australian mainland, or as extended feeding territories for Flinders Island species… Several rare or threatened bird taxa, or species with disjunct populations, utilise the islands for breeding, including osprey (''
Pandion haliaetus The osprey (; ''Pandion haliaetus''), historically known as sea hawk, river hawk, and fish hawk, is a Diurnality, diurnal, piscivore, fish-eating bird of prey with a cosmopolitan range. It is a large raptor (bird), raptor, reaching more than ...
''), white-breasted sea-eagle ('' Haliaeetus leucogaster''), cape barren goose ('' Cereopsis novaehollandiae''), white faced storm-petrel ('' Pelagodroma marina'') and short-tailed shearwater ('' Puffinus tenuirostris'')… A small colony of Australian sea-lions ('' Neophoca cinerea''), one of the world's rarest marine mammals, breeds on Ward Island… Groups of the 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 ...
'') shelter on the rock platforms of several islands and may breed on them…

Notes and references

Notes

References

Attribution

* {{Protected areas of South Australia, state=collapsed Former protected areas of South Australia Protected areas established in 1967 1967 establishments in Australia Protected areas disestablished in 2011 2011 disestablishments in Australia Great Australian Bight South Australian places listed on the defunct Register of the National Estate