Five Islands Nature Reserve facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Five Islands

Seen from Wollongong
Geography
Location	Tasman Sea
Total islands	5
Major islands	Big ("Rabbit" or "Perkins") Island Martin Islet
Highest elevation	16 m (52 ft)
Highest point	Big Island
Administration
Australia
State	New South Wales

Five Islands Nature Reserve New South Wales
IUCN Category IV (Habitat/Species Management Area)
Five Islands Nature Reserve Location in New South Wales
Nearest town or city	Port Kembla
Established	10 June 1960 (1960-06-10)
Area	0.26 km2 (0.1 sq mi)
Managing authorities	NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
Website	Five Islands Nature Reserve
See also	Protected areas of New South Wales

The Five Islands Nature Reserve is a special protected area in Australia. It is located in the Tasman Sea, just off the east coast of New South Wales. This reserve covers about 26 hectares (that's about 64 acres).

The reserve is made up of five islands. They are located between 0.5 and 3.5 kilometers east of Port Kembla. The five islands are Flinders Islet (also called Toothbrush Island), Bass Islet, Martin Islet, Big Island (also known as Rabbit or Perkins Island), and Rocky Islet.

History of the Islands

The Five Islands Nature Reserve was first set up in 1960. It was created to protect the animals living there. The islands are important for their unique wildlife and for their Aboriginal history. The NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service looks after them.

About 18,000 years ago, during the last ice-age, sea levels were much lower. At that time, these islands were actually connected to the mainland. When Europeans first arrived in the late 1700s, the Tharawal people lived on the coast opposite the islands.

Before 1861, people brought cattle and rabbits to the islands. A family named Perkins even built a house on Big Island in 1867. They lived there until 1872, raising cattle and catching sharks. In the early 1900s, people mined the seabed west of Big Island for shells.

Aboriginal Dreamtime: The Story of the Five Islands

In Dreamtime stories, there was a powerful West Wind named Oola-boola-woo. He lived on top of Merrigong, which is the Illawarra Range. The West Wind had six daughters: Mimosa, Wilga, Lilli Pilli, Wattle, Clematis, and Geera.

Sometimes, their cousins from a seaside camp visited them on the mountain. The cousins brought gifts like fish, seashells, fruit, and flowers. But Mimosa was often grumpy and unkind to her visitors. While her sisters played happily, Mimosa would scratch and fight.

Oola-boola-woo was very upset with Mimosa's bad behavior. He got so angry that he pulled off the piece of the mountain where she was sitting. Then, he threw it out into the sea! Imagine seeing a big rock flying through the air with little Mimosa clinging to it!

The rock splashed into the sea, giving Mimosa a big shower. This cooled her bad temper. "Whoosh, gurgle, goggle," she cried, coughing and choking. She looked around and realized she was far from land. She was on an island! Her sisters and friends could not swim to her because of the sharks. Poor Mimosa! She regretted being naughty. Day after day, she sat on the island. Eventually, she turned into a mermaid, slid into the sea, and swam away.

Mimosa's story should have taught her sisters a lesson. But over time, they became lazy and disobedient. One evening, Oola-boola-woo came home at sunset. He found Wilga lying on a warm rock, playing with a pet lizard. She had not washed her face, combed her hair, or tidied the house. Oola-boola-woo had run out of patience. He was tired from blowing dust storms and fanning a bushfire.

Taking a deep breath, he blew Wilga and her rock out to sea. The next morning, people in the camp were surprised to see two islands in the sea. It wasn't long before Lilli Pilli, Wattle, and Clematis were also blown out to sea on pieces of rock. Soon, there were five islands, each with a little mermaid sunning herself.

So, Geera was the only child left in Oola-boola-woo's home. She was very lonely. Her father was often away, and there was no one to talk to or play with. The children from the camp had stopped climbing the mountain to visit the unruly family. Geera sat hunched, looking at the smoke from the camps or staring at the Five Islands. Year after year, she sat so still that she turned to stone. Dust and leaves covered her, and grass and wildflowers grew over her. She became part of the mountain range. Today, she is known as Mount Keira.

Amazing Animals and Plants

In 1914, someone visited the islands and reported seeing "hundreds" of little penguins. These penguins were successfully breeding in burrows. There were also many shearwaters and gulls. The report also mentioned marine life like the Waratah anemone and sea dragons.

By 1952, five bird species were known to breed on the islands:

• Little penguins
• The white-faced storm petrel
• Wedge-tailed shearwater (also called muttonbird)
• Crested tern
• Silver gull

The plants on the Five Islands, especially Big Island, have been damaged. This happened because of past human activities and the introduction of non-native animals and plants. A big problem is the presence of Kikuyu grass on Big Island. This grass makes it hard for native plants to grow back. It also makes it difficult for burrowing birds like petrels to dig their nests.

Today, the reserve is still very important for seabirds. Scientists from the Southern Oceans Seabird Study Association continue to study them. Birds that breed on one or more of the islands include:

• Sooty oystercatcher
• Little penguin
• Wedge-tailed shearwater
• Short-tailed shearwater
• Crested tern
• White-faced storm-petrel
• Silver gull
• Kelp gull
• Australian pelican

The islands are also home to several types of reptiles. These include the eastern water skink, common garden skink, weasel skink, and three-toed skink. Sometimes, marine mammals visit the islands' shores. These visitors can include the Australian fur seal, the New Zealand fur seal, and the leopard seal.

Geography of the Islands

The rocks that make up the islands are about 250 million years old. They are mostly volcanic rocks, with some sedimentary rocks on top.

As mentioned, the islands were once part of the mainland. The whole area was likely covered in sand dunes. This was true until the end of the last Ice Age. Over the last 18,000 years, the sea level rose. This caused the islands to become separated from the mainland. Sand and soil were washed away by the rising water.

About 5,000 years ago, when sea levels were at their highest, parts of the islands would have been covered by the sea. The soil on the islands is shallow. Even though Big Island has the deepest soil, grazing by animals in the late 1800s sped up erosion. This erosion is now likely irreversible.

Here is a table showing details about each island: