The Peron Islands are two low-lying islands off the west coast 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 ...
of
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 about 5 km off
Channel Point. Channel Point forms the northern end of
Anson Bay which includes the mouth of the
Daly River.
The smaller South Peron Island lies about 3 km to the southeast of the more dominant North Peron Island. The two are separated by a very shallow channel that is well exposed during a
spring low tide. The northern narrow tip of the north island has the distinguishing feature of a relatively tall round hill that can be seen from as far north as
Point Blaze at the southern end of Fog Bay, or approximately 20 kilometres away on a clear day. The islands are uninhabited and the nearest population is the small community of Bulgul on the mainland adjacent to the North Island. There is also a private residential area
Channel Point Community adjacent to the south island.
The Peron Islands along with the adjacent land and waters (to the low tide water mark) surrounding the Peron Islands and the community of Bulgul are part of the Delissaville Wagait Larrakia Aboriginal land trust. Under the ''Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1976'' access to the islands is prohibited without a permit, applications are lodged through the Northern Land Council. Camping is not permitted on the islands.
Since 2007, the Peron Islands have been located within the boundaries of the locality of
Rakula.
[
]
History
The islands are named after François Péron
François Auguste Péron (22 August 1775 – 14 December 1810) was a French naturalist and explorer.
Life
Péron was born in Cérilly, Allier, in 1775, the son of a tailor (not a harness maker as is frequently asserted). Although intended fo ...
, a naturalist on the Baudin expedition to Australia
The Baudin expedition of 1800 to 1803 was a French expedition to map the coast of New Holland (now Australia). Nicolas Baudin was selected as leader in October 1800. The expedition started with two ships, '' Géographe'', captained by Baudin, a ...
. During World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the RAAF
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...
established a radar station on North Peron Island, to enable detection and interception of incoming Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
aircraft.[ http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks/e00027.html#chapter07]
Environment
North Peron Island contains a breeding colony of Australian pelican
The Australian pelican (''Pelecanus conspicillatus'') is a large waterbird in the family Pelecanidae, widespread on the inland and coastal waters of Australia and New Guinea, also in Fiji, parts of Indonesia and as a vagrant in New Zealand. It ...
s that is possibly of national significance. The islands are part of the Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains
The Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains comprise some of seasonally inundated floodplains around Anson Bay, and the lower reaches of the Daly, Reynolds and Docherty Rivers entering the bay, on the west coast of the Top End of the Nort ...
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA), identified as such 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 ...
because of its importance for large numbers of waterbird
A water bird, alternatively waterbird or aquatic bird, is a bird that lives on or around water. In some definitions, the term ''water bird'' is especially applied to birds in freshwater ecosystems, although others make no distinction from seabi ...
s.[BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Anson Bay, Daly and Reynolds River Floodplains. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 2011-12-07.]
References
Islands of the Northern Territory
{{NorthernTerritory-geo-stub