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Cato Island


Cato Reef, a part of the Cato Bank, is an area in the Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia that is of approximately 21 km by 13 km of this 200 km2 area, where depth of water is typically less than 17 m. Upon Cato Bank Cato Reef encircles an area of 3.3 km by 1.8 km, area 5 km2 including a small shallow lagoon which contains Cato Island, a low-relief cay in the west that is approximately 650 by 300 m, area 15 hectares, 6 m high. Close to the southeast corner of Cato Bank is Hutchison Rock, with 1 m depth over it.

Cato Island 23°15′S 155°32′E / 23.250°S 155.533°E / -23.250; 155.533 (Cato Island), is a small oval-shaped island lying approximately 375 km east of Gladstone, Queensland and about 270 km east-southeast of the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. This island is approximately 115 km south of Bird Islet, part of the east end of Wreck Reefs.

The island is a mound of coral debris and grit 5.8 m high covered in grass and creepers up to 1 m high. An automatic weather station, with two radio masts and a silver-painted hut, stands on the north-east end of the island. The island is almost entirely surrounded by reefs: there are three narrow boat passages through the reefs on the northern side. The best entrance is the center one, located 350 meters north of the eastern end of Cato Island; it has a conspicuous rock at half tide on its eastern side.

The island lies on the western end of an oval-shaped reef enclosing a lagoon. The lagoon contains numerous coral heads. The sea breaks over the reef in all weather. The reef lies on Cato Bank, which falls away steeply on all sides.

Hutchison Rock 23°15′S 155°36′E / 23.250°S 155.600°E / -23.250; 155.600 (Hutchison Rock - Cato Island), with a depth of 5.5 m, lies 3.5 km east of Cato Reef.


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