- Furneaux Group
The Furneaux Group is a group of 52 islands, at the eastern end of
Bass Strait , between Victoria andTasmania ,Australia . The islands were named, after British navigatorTobias Furneaux sighted the easten side of these Island after leaving Adventure Bay in 1773 on his way to New Zealand to rejoin James Cook. NavigatorMatthew Flinders explored the Furneaux Islands group first in thefrancis in 1798 and later that year in theNorfolf . [Observations on the coasts of Van Diemen’s, Land on Bass’s Strait and its islands, and on part of the coasts of New South Wales; intended to accompany the charts of the late discoveries in those countries. By Matthew Flinders, second lieutenat of His Majesty’s Ship Reliance. 1801]The largest islands in the group are
Flinders Island ,Cape Barren Island and Clarke Island. The region contains five settlements Killiecrankie, Emita, Whitemark, Lady Barron, Cape Barren Island and Whitemark on Flinders Island which serves as the administrative center of the Municipality of Flinders local government area.The historically notable Aboriginal woman
Dolly Dalrymple was born in the area. [Ian McFarlane, [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/AS10118b.htm Dalrymple, Dolly (c. 1808 - 1864)] , "Australian Dictionary of Biography", Supplementary Volume, Melbourne University Press, 2005, p. 94.]King Island, at the western end of Bass Strait, is not a part of the group.
The group of islands to the north east is the
Kent Group .Geology
The islands contain granite from the
Devonian period, as well as unconsolidated limestone and sand fromCenozoic periods. During the ice age, a land bridge joined Tasmania to the Australian mainland through this group of islands.Notes
References
* Cumpston, J. S. "First visitors to Bass Strait" Canberra : Roebuck Society, 1973. ISBN 0-9500858-8-X Roebuck Society publication no. 7.
External links
* [http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/factsheets/wildlife/FuneauxBirdList.pdf Birds of the Furneaux Islands]
* [http://oceans1.customer.netspace.net.au/furneaux-main.html Shipwrecks in the Furneaux Islands]
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