Greenly Island (South Australia) facts for kids
Greenly Island; a distant view taken from the sea (circa 1903) [State Library of South Australia PRG 280/1/1/120]
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 Greenly Island
Location in South Australia
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Great Australian Bight |
| Coordinates | 34°38′49″S 134°47′53″E / 34.647°S 134.798°E |
| Highest elevation | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Administration | |
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Australia
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Greenly Island is a cool island in South Australia. It's found in the Great Australian Bight, which is a huge bay. The island is about 30 kilometers (18 miles) west-south-west of Point Whidbey on the Eyre Peninsula.
No people live on Greenly Island. This makes it a safe home for many different kinds of animals and plants. The island and the shallow waters around it are part of the Greenly Island Conservation Park. Sometimes, fishermen visit the nearby waters to catch yellowtail kingfish.
Contents
How Greenly Island Got Its Name
A British explorer named Matthew Flinders discovered Greenly Island. He named it on February 16, 1802. He named it after the fiancée of Sir Isaac Coffin, 1st Baronet, who was an important person at the time.
Greenly Island's Environment
Greenly Island looks like a big granite dome. It has very steep sides that drop straight down into deep water. The island is split into three parts by two large cracks called crevasses.
The top of the island is covered with trees like Drooping Sheoak (Allocasuarina verticillata) and Dryland Tea-tree (Melaleuca lanceolata). The lower parts of the island have grassy areas with Coastal Tussock (Poa poiformis) or shrubs like Marsh Saltbush (Atriplex paludosa). The highest point of the island is 230 meters (755 feet) tall.
Amazing Animals of Greenly Island
Greenly Island is home to many interesting animals. It's a special place for marine animals and birds.
Marine Animals
You can often see Australian sea lions and New Zealand fur seals resting on the island's shores. People first saw Australian sea lions here in 1948. The waters around Greenly Island are also full of fish. You might find Western blue groper and yellowtail kingfish swimming there.
Land Animals
In 1905, Tammar wallabys were brought to the southern part of Greenly Island. This was done to provide food for sailors who might get stuck on the island. You can see how much they changed the plants by comparing the northern and southern parts of the island. Both parts of the island also have many bush rats.
Birds of Greenly Island
Many different birds live on or visit Greenly Island. Some of them include:
- Cape Barren goose
- White-faced heron
- Ruddy turnstone
- Australian raven
- Australian kestrel
- White-bellied sea eagle
- Sooty oystercatcher
- Welcome swallow
- Silver gull
- Pacific gull
- Rock parrot
- Little grassbird
- Red-capped robin
- Great cormorant
- Short-tailed shearwater
- Crested tern
- Fairy tern
- Silvereye
- Little penguin
Reptiles of Greenly Island
Several types of reptiles have been found on Greenly Island. These include:
- Bull skink (Egernia multiscutata)
- Four-toed earless skink (Hemiergis peronii)
- Southern four-toed slider (Lerista dorsalis)
- Dwarf skink (Menetia greyii)
- Mallee snakeeye (Morethia obscura)
- Marbled gecko (Phyllodactylus marmoratus)
Little Penguins: Life Cycle and Reproduction
The first animal study on Greenly Island happened in 1948. It said there were "innumerable" (too many to count) little penguins. In 1996, a survey confirmed that the island was a breeding spot for these cute birds. By 2004, scientists thought there were about 1,500 breeding pairs of little penguins living there.
Protecting Greenly Island
Greenly Island is a special place, so it's protected by law. It first became a protected area on March 16, 1967. This was done under a law called the Crown Lands Act 1929-1966. Later, in 1972, it became the Greenly Island Conservation Park. This happened under a newer law called the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972. This means the island's wildlife and environment are kept safe for the future.
