Seal Island (Albany, Western Australia)
Island in Western Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seal Island in the Great Southern region[a] of Western Australia (located at 35°4′31″S 117°58′29″E) is approximately 8.5 kilometres (5 mi) south-east of Albany and approximately 3 kilometres (2 mi) offshore from Frenchman Bay in King George Sound. It has a total area of 2.8 hectares (7 acres). The island is designated as a nature reserve (Reserve Number 32199).[1]
The island is composed entirely of granite and is only accessible at the western end.[2]
History
George Vancouver named Seal Island in 1791 along with Breaksea Island, Michaelmas Island and other features around King George Sound.[3]
Matthew Flinders landed on Seal Island during the voyage of HMS Investigator in 1801, searching for items that were reportedly left by Vancouver[4] and leaving behind a bottle containing a parchment with details of their own arrival and departure.[5]
HMAS Perth was scuttled behind Seal Island in 2001, and is now one of Western Australia's premier dive sites.[6]
Notes
- There are five islands in Western Australia named Seal Island; see Seal Island (disambiguation) § Australia.
