East Wallabi Island
Satellite image
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Indian Ocean, off the coast of Western Australia |
| Coordinates | 28°26′23″S 113°43′33″E / 28.43972°S 113.72583°ECoordinates: 28°26′23″S 113°43′33″E / 28.43972°S 113.72583°E |
| Archipelago | Houtman Abrolhos |
| Area | 3.21 km2 (1.24 sq mi) |
| Length | 3.3 km (2.05 mi) |
| Width | 1.8 km (1.12 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 15 m (49 ft) |
| Highest point | Flag Hill |
| Administration | |
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Australia
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| State | Western Australia |
| Demographics | |
| Population | Uninhabited |
East Wallabi Island is an island in the Wallabi Group of the Houtman Abrolhos, located in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of mainland Australia.
East Wallabi Island played an important role in the story of the Batavia shipwreck and massacre. Following the shipwreck, a group of soldiers under the command of Wiebbe Hayes were put ashore on West Wallabi Island to search for water. The mutineers who took control of the ship left them there in the hope that they would starve or die of thirst. However, the soldiers discovered that they were able to wade to East Wallabi Island, where they eventually discovered a fresh water spring. Furthermore, West and East Wallabi Island are the only islands in the group upon which the tammar wallabi lives. Thus the soldiers had access to sources of both food and water that were unavailable to the mutineers.
In the context of the Batavia mutiny and massacre, East Wallabi Island is often referred to as "High island". This was the name given it in contemporary sources, and was used by historians for as long as it remained a lost toponym.
Nominally located at 28°26′23″S 113°43′33″E / 28.43972°S 113.72583°E, East Wallabi Island is the second-largest island in Houtman Abrolhos archipelago, after West Wallabi Island. It is roughly circular in shape, except for Fish Point in the north-east. It is approximately 3.3 kilometres (2.1 mi) long (along the south-eastern edge) and about 1.8 kilometres (1.1 mi) wide, giving it an area of about 321 hectares.
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