Moriarty Rocks

Moriarty Rocks
An aerial view of Clarke Island, centre;
with the Moriarty Rocks at the bottom of the picture.
Moriarty Rocks is located in Tasmania
Moriarty Rocks
Moriarty Rocks
Location of the Moriarty Rocks in Bass Strait
Geography
LocationBass Strait
Coordinates40°34′48″S 148°16′12″E / 40.58000°S 148.27000°E / -40.58000; 148.27000
ArchipelagoPassage Group, part of the Furneaux Group
Total islands2
Area2.46 ha (6.1 acres)
Administration
Australia
StateTasmania

The Moriarty Rocks, part of the Passage Group within the Furneaux Group, are a group of two major unpopulated granite rocks, and several smaller ones, with a combined area of 2.46 hectares (6.1 acres), located in Bass Strait, south of Cape Barren Island, west of the Low Islets, and west of the Spike and Clarke islands, in Tasmania, in south-eastern Australia.[1] The rocks are contained within a nature reserve.[2]

History

Sealing is reported to have taken on the rocks in December 1830.[3]

Flora and fauna

There is little vegetation on the rocks, due to them being frequently wave-washed. black-faced cormorants breed there, and they hold an important breeding colony of Australian fur seals, with up to about 1000 pups being born there annually.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Moriarty Rocks (TAS)". Gazetteer of Australia online. Geoscience Australia, Australian Government.
  2. ^ "Small Bass Strait Island Reserves. Draft Management Plan". Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmanian Government. October 2000. Archived from the original on 30 March 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  3. ^ Kostoglou, Parry (1996). Sealing in Tasmania (First ed.). Hobart: Parks and Wildlife Service. p. 99.
  4. ^ 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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