Quail Island is an island in 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 in the
Beagle Gulf
Beagle Gulf is a Bay, gulf in the Northern Territory of Australia which opens on its west side to the Timor Sea. The gulf is bounded to the south by the mainland and to the north by Bathurst Island (Northern Territory), Bathurst and Melville Isl ...
about from the territory capital of
Darwin.
Quail Island belongs to the Quail Island Group. The other two islands in the archipelago are Bare Sand Island (southwest of Quail Island) and Djadjalbit Island (south).
The islands are known for being a
breeding ground for
flatback turtles.
History
On 9 October 1881 when
''SS Brisbane'', an 85.8 metres long passenger, cargo and mail ship, built by
A & J Inglis
A & J Inglis Limited, was a shipbuilding firm founded by Anthony Inglis (shipbuilder), Anthony Inglis and his brother John, engineers and shipbuilders in the Partick area of Glasgow, Scotland in 1862. The firm built over 500 ships in a period o ...
, Pointhouse, Glasgow, struck the nearby ''Fish Reef'', while heading there with cargo from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
.
Quail Island Air Weapons Range
The Quail Island Air Weapons Range was used a training ground for defense forces from 1945 to 1979.
There are large munitions scattered around the island as a result. A three-year clean-up began in 2011 to remove hazards such as unexploded ordnance.
Visitors such as tourists and recreational anglers have been banned from the islands during the clean-up process.
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 ...
References
Islands of the Northern Territory
Timor Sea
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