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Lion Island, New South Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lion Island | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category Ia (Strict Nature Reserve) | |
 |
|
| Location: | New South Wales |
| Nearest city: | Gosford |
| Area: | 8 ha |
| Established: | 1956 |
| Governing body: | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service |
Lion Island is located at the entrance to the Hawkesbury River inside Broken Bay and is considered part of the Gosford local government area.[1] It is a descriptive name because it resembles a Sphinx, mythical figure of a crouching lion.[2] The island was originally named Elliott Island by Governor Phillip in 1789 because it resembled Gibraltar where his friend, General Elliott, had inflicted defeats on French and Spanish fleets.[3] This name continued to be used by cartographers until the 1920s.[4]
In 1956 the entire area of the island became a Fauna Reserve. It was reclassified as a Nature Reserve under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1967.[1]
The island contains the largest population of little penguins in the Sydney area[1] and is free of feral cats and foxes[2]. It is listed in the Register of the National Estate as a breeding habitat for shearwaters and little penguins[1][5].
The cap at the Eastern end of Lion Island is composed of Hawkesbury Sandstone. The shores of the island are composed of the older Narrabeen Group of sandstones and shales.[1]
The island has a weed infestation problem, with problem weeds including Bitou Bush and Lantana.[1]
Access to the island is restricted by permit to conservation, education and research purposes.[1]
In 2005, a documentary film claimed erroneously that the wreckage of a Japanese midget submarine, which disappeared after the attack on Sydney Harbour in 1942, was buried under sand on the seabed, just east of Lion Island[6][7]. The wreck has since been located near Long Reef.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Lion Island, Long Island and Spectacle Island Nature Reserves Plan of Management, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, May 2002.
- ^ a b Lion Island sign board at West Head Lookout
- ^ Pratt, Eileen (1978) Place Names of the Central Coast. Brisbane Water Historical Society and The Entrance and District Society. p29
- ^ National Library of Australia nla.map-rm3117-sl-e
- ^ Australian Heritage Database, Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Lion, Long and Spectacle Island Nature Reserves, Ku-ring-gai Chase Rd, Bobbin Head, NSW, Department of the Environment and Heritage
- ^ Steve Meacham, Down to the wire ... solving a 60-year mystery, Sydney Morning Herald, November 29, 2005
- ^ Investigation fails to find midget sub, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, December 19, 2005. 5:34pm (AEDT)
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- Street map from Street Directory, MSN Maps and Multimap.
- Satellite image from Google Maps, WikiMapia and Terraserver.