Rodondo Island

Rodondo Island is a visually striking granite island, ringed by steep cliffs up to 200 m high, with an area of 106 ha and a high point of 350 m, in south-eastern Australia. It is part of Tasmania’s Rodondo Group, lying in northern Bass Strait only 10 km south of Wilsons Promontory in Victoria, and so being the northernmost point of Tasmanian territory. It is a nature reserve with a breeding colony of over one million Short-tailed Shearwaters.

Flora and fauna

Rodondo's vegetation communities include "Disphyma" herbfield, "Stipa" tussock grassland, "Poa poiformis" tussock grassland, "Melaleuca armillaris" low closed forest, "Allocasuarina verticillata" low open forest, clifftop shrubland, and "Eucalyptus globulus" open forest.

As well as the shearwaters, recorded breeding seabird and wader species include Little Penguin, Fairy Prion, Pacific Gull and Sooty Oystercatcher. White-bellied Sea-Eagles have nested on the island. Reptiles present include the Metallic Skink, White's Skink and Southern Water Skink, Rodondo being the only place the latter has been recorded on Tasmanian territory.Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). "Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features". Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. ISBN 0-7246-4816-X]

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