Flinders Island

Flinders Island

The Furneaux Group as viewed from space, April 1993
Flinders Island, as shaded, located in the Bass Strait
Etymology	Matthew Flinders
Geography
Location	Bass Strait
Coordinates	40°00′S 148°07′E / 40.000°S 148.117°E / -40.000; 148.117Coordinates: 40°00′S 148°07′E / 40.000°S 148.117°E / -40.000; 148.117
Archipelago	Furneaux Group
Area	1,367 km2 (528 sq mi)
Area rank	2nd in Tasmania
Length	62 km (38.5 mi)
Width	37 km (23 mi)
Highest elevation	756 m (2,480 ft)
Highest point	Mount Strzelecki
Administration
Australia
State	Tasmania
LGA	Municipality of Flinders Island
Largest settlement	Whitemark (pop. 170)
Demographics
Population	700 (2011)
Pop. density	0.673 /km2 (1.743 /sq mi)
Additional information
Official website	visitflindersisland.com.au

Flinders Island, the largest island in the Furneaux Group, is a 1,367-square-kilometre (528 sq mi) island located in the Bass Strait, northeast of Tasmania, Australia. Flinders Island is situated 54 kilometres (34 mi) from Cape Portland and it is located on 40° south, a zone known as the Roaring Forties.

Flinders Island was first inhabited at least 35,000 years ago, when people made their way from Australia across the then-land bridge which is now Bass Strait. A population remained until about 4,500 years ago, succumbing to thirst and hunger following an acute El Niño climate shift.

Some of the south-eastern islands of the Furneaux Group were first recorded in 1773 by British navigator Tobias Furneaux, commander of HMS Adventure, the support vessel with James Cook on Cook's second voyage. In February 1798 British navigator Matthew Flinders charted some of the southern islands, using one of the schooner Francis' open boats. Later that year, Flinders returned and finished charting the islands in the Norfolk, he then went on to complete the first circumnavigation of Tasmania (1798–99), accompanied by George Bass, proving Tasmania to be an island separated from the Australian mainland by Bass Strait, later named in honor of George Bass.

James Cook named the islands Furneaux's Islands, after Tobias Furneaux. Flinders named the largest island in the group "Great Island". He also named a group of mountains on Flinders Island, the "Three Patriarchs". The small island just to the east, Flinders named "Babel Island" from the noises made by the seabirds there. Phillip Parker King later named the largest island Flinders Island, after Matthew Flinders. Flinders named Mount Chappell Island after his wife Ann née Ann Chappelle. There are three islands named "Flinders' Island"—the large island on the east side of Bass Strait, named by Phillip Parker King; an island in the Investigator Group of South Australia, named by Matthew Flinders after his young brother Samuel Flinders (midshipman on the Investigator); and an island in the Flinders Group north of Cooktown, Queensland was named after Matthew Flinders.