Marchinbar Island facts for kids

Marchinbar Island is the biggest island in the Wessel Islands. These islands are located in the Northern Territory of Australia, within the Arafura Sea.

Where is Marchinbar Island?

Marchinbar Island is very close to other islands. It is separated from Rimbija Island by a narrow channel. This channel is less than 364 meters (1,194 ft) meters wide at its narrowest point.

To the southeast, Marchinbar Island is separated from Guluwuru Island. This separation happens through a waterway called Cumberland Strait. At its narrowest, this strait is 1,664 meters (5,459 ft) meters wide.

What Does the Island Look Like?

Marchinbar Island is long and thin. It stretches for about 57.4 kilometers. At its widest, the island is about 8 kilometers across. The total area of the island is 210.9 square kilometers.

The northernmost tip of the island is known as Low Point. About 16 kilometers southwest of Low Point, you'll find Sphinx Head. This area has noticeable cliffs that are up to 67 meters high. South of Sphinx Head, there are two flat-topped hills. These hills reach a maximum height of 79 meters. The entire eastern coast of the island is made up of high cliffs.

Who Manages the Island?

Marchinbar Island is part of a local government area. It belongs to the Gumurr Marthakal Ward. This ward is part of the East Arnhem Region in the Northern Territory.

People on the Island

There is only one small community on Marchinbar Island. It is called Martjanba. This is a small family outstation. It is located on Jensen Bay, in the northern part of the island.

Animals and Nature

Marchinbar Island was once a very important home for an animal called the golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus). This small animal used to live across many parts of northern, central, and western Australia. It even lived as far south as New South Wales.

Recently, Marchinbar Island was the last place where a group of these bandicoots still lived. To help protect them, some bandicoots from Marchinbar Island have been moved. They were taken to Raragala and Guluwuru islands. This helps to make sure the species survives in more than one place.

Mystery of Ancient Coins

In 1944, something very interesting was found on Marchinbar Island. Nine old coins were discovered at Djinjan creek, just south of Jensen Bay.

Four of these coins were later identified as Dutch duits. These coins were made between 1690 and the 1780s. The other five coins had Arabic writing on them. These were identified as coming from the Kilwa Sultanate in eastern Africa.

Before this discovery, only one Kilwan coin had ever been found outside East Africa. That one was found during an excavation in Oman. The writing on the Jensen Bay coins names a ruler from Kilwa. However, it is not clear if this ruler was from the 10th century or the 14th century.

This discovery is very important to historians. It suggests that seafaring people might have visited Australia or its nearby islands a long time ago. This would have been after Aboriginal people settled Australia. It was also before the first widely accepted sighting by a European, the Dutch sailor Willem Janszoon in 1606.

Another similar coin was found in 2018. This coin is also thought to be from the Medieval Kilwa sultanate. It was found on Elcho Island, which is also in the Wessel Islands group.