Wardang Island
| Native name: Wauraltee | |
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Wardang Island viewed from Port Victoria
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 Wardang Island
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| Geography | |
| Location | Spencer Gulf |
| Coordinates | 34°30′S 137°22′E / 34.500°S 137.367°ECoordinates: 34°30′S 137°22′E / 34.500°S 137.367°E |
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Australia
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Wardang Island, also known as Wauraltee Island, is a low-lying 20 km2 island in the Spencer Gulf close to the western coast of the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. It acts as a natural breakwater, protecting the former grain port of Port Victoria and providing a sheltered anchorage. Historically it has been used for mining lime sand and in rabbit disease research. The much smaller Goose Island and the other rocks and islets in the Goose Island Conservation Park lie off the northern end.
Wardang Island was previously the second largest breeding colony of little penguins in South Australia and the largest colony in the state's gulf waters.
Penguins were known to be abundant on the island in 1874 and were seen in Mungari bay to the north of Wardang Island by yachtsmen in 1895. In 1928, 1930, 1931, 1934 and 1937, Wardang Island was described as a home to many penguins. In 1937 the island was described as being "infested with thousands of penguins". In 1944, the colony was described in the Port Pirie newspaper The Recorder:
"The north and north west coasts of the island consist of precipitous limestone cliffs. Heavy westerlies have undermined these cliffs and large portions of rock have fallen to the sea bed, where waves have pounded them into weird shapes. Up on top, penguins are very numerous and they make their nests in shallow burrows. There are hundreds of such nests."
In 1946, Mr. Pim wrote of Wardang Island:
"On the west coast... colonies of penguins are at home to anyone who cares to call."
Their presence was noted in 1950 by Edna Davies who advised that if anyone visited the island and stayed until nightfall that they would see and hear the penguins coming ashore. In 1966, a visitor described seeing "hundreds" of fairy penguins on Wardang Island. In 1981, penguins were considered abundant. In 2004, Wardang Island was estimated to support approximately 8,000 penguins. In 2005, the Point Pearce Community was involved in feral cat trapping work. This was undertaken to reduce feral cat predation on little penguins. As of 2011, the penguin colony's status is unknown.
The island is part of the traditional lands of the Narungga people of the Yorke Peninsula who camped there regularly to fish, hunt and gather food. With European settlement of South Australia, the first pastoral lease on Wardang Island was issued in the late 19th century to Stephen Goldsworthy for a term of 14 years. The lease gave the Narungga the continued right to travel to and from the island. In 1884 Goldsworthy transferred the lease to the Point Pearce Aboriginal Mission. The island was used to graze sheep. Shearing sheds were built as well as living quarters to cater for the families living there. In 1909 a lighthouse was built on the island to serve the large number of ships visiting nearby Port Victoria, though its effectiveness was limited by low visibility. Several shipwrecks have occurred in the vicinity of the island.
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Wikipedia