Masthead Island facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Masthead Island Queensland
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Masthead Island shoreline
Masthead Island Location in Queensland
Nearest town or city	Gladstone
Area	50 ha (124 acres)
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	Masthead Island
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

Masthead Island is a beautiful coral cay found in the southern Great Barrier Reef. It's about 60 kilometres northeast of Gladstone, Queensland. This island is a special protected area and is part of the Capricornia Cays National Park. Masthead Island is one of the most untouched cays in the park. This is because people and wild animals haven't disturbed it much. The cay covers an area of about 0.45 square kilometres and is surrounded by a coral reef. This reef can be seen when the tide is low. It's also part of the Capricornia Cays Important Bird Area, which means it's a very important place for birds.

The island is closed to visitors from mid-October to Easter. This is to protect seabirds that are nesting and turtle hatchlings that are being born. At other times, you can visit the island for camping. However, there are no special facilities like toilets or showers provided.

Masthead Island was also used as a filming spot for the 2010 movie Uninhabited.

Masthead Island: A Coral Gem

What is a Coral Cay?

Masthead Island is a type of island called a coral cay. These islands are formed from sand and coral pieces. They build up on top of a coral reef. The beach on the southern side of Masthead Island has a lot of "beach rock." This is rock formed when sand and coral bits get cemented together. There's also older beach rock on the northwestern side.

The plants and trees on the island can tell us how the cay has grown over time. For example, some very old Pisonia grandis trees in the middle of the island are up to 23 metres tall. Their trunks can be 2.4 metres wide! These big trees show us the older parts of the island.

How Masthead Island Formed

The Capricorn and Bunker Cays, including Masthead Island, are a special group of islands at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. These cays and their reefs sit on a shelf of land that is separate from the mainland. You usually can't see the cays from the mainland. But on a clear day, you might be able to spot Masthead Island from Mount Larcom.

These islands are quite young in geological terms. They mostly formed during the Holocene period, which started about 10,000 years ago. Most of them are around 5,000 years old. Before that, during the last Ice Age, the sea level was much lower. The area where the reefs and cays are now was completely dry land.

Around 10,000 years ago, the sea level started to rise. It settled at its current level about 6,000 years ago. Once the sea level stopped changing so much, the flat parts of the coral reefs could grow bigger. This created perfect spots for islands like Masthead Island to form. The coral reef around Masthead Island is known as an "Elongate Platform Reef."

A Glimpse into History

The famous explorer Matthew Flinders was the first European to discover and name Masthead Island. He did this way back in 1802. Much later, in 1994, Masthead Island became part of the Capricornia Cays National Park. This helped to protect its unique environment.

Amazing Island Life

Masthead Island is home to many different kinds of plants and animals. It's a very important place for nature.

Plants of Masthead Island

The middle of Masthead Island is covered by a thick forest of Pisonia trees. These include both birdcatcher pisonia and Pisonia grandis. Around the edges of the island, you'll find pandanus trees, velvet soldierbush, and she-oaks.

Scientists have recorded 50 different types of plants on the island since 1909. This includes 7 types of plants that were brought to the island by humans. A survey in 1998 found 37 native plant species and 3 introduced ones. Most of the plants on the island spread their seeds in two ways: by sea (52%) or by seabirds (38%).

Masthead Island is very important for Pisonia grandis trees. About 13% of all the Pisonia grandis closed forest in Australia is found right here on Masthead Island!

Animals of Masthead Island

Masthead Island is a super important place for green and loggerhead turtles. It's an internationally recognized rookery, which means it's a major breeding ground for them. These turtles come ashore to lay their eggs on the island's beaches. This happens during spring and summer, from late October to late February. In fact, it's the fifth most important breeding site for these turtles in the South Pacific!

The island also has many different kinds of seabirds. The black noddy and wedge-tailed shearwater are the most common birds you'll see. Other birds often found here include the black-naped tern, bridled tern, Capricorn silvereye, roseate tern, and silver gull.

The coral reef surrounding the island is full of amazing marine life. Some common fish and creatures you might spot are angelfish, parrotfish, butterflyfish, sweetlips, batfish, sting rays, bronze whaler sharks, sea snakes, and stonefish. A completely new type of fish, the Masthead Island Pipefish, was even discovered here!

Protecting the Island

Like many natural places, Masthead Island has faced challenges from introduced plants, also known as weeds. For example, prickly pear was brought to the island from the mainland. By the 1970s, it had spread all over the cay.

However, special programs have been put in place to get rid of these introduced plants. Thanks to these efforts, the amount of Opuntia on Masthead Island has been greatly reduced. This helps keep the island healthy for its native plants and animals.

Shipwrecks: Tales from the Sea

The reefs around Masthead Island have been the site of several shipwrecks over the years. These stories remind us of the dangers of the sea and the challenges faced by sailors in the past.

• The schooner Pioneer was lost in March 1866. It struck an outcrop of Masthead Reef and was badly damaged. The crew safely made it to shore.
• Just a few days later, in March 1866, the schooner Britons Queen also wrecked on Masthead Reef. All 14 passengers and crew were able to get to Masthead Island safely.
• The brig Cosmopolite went ashore on Masthead Reef in October 1866. It was carrying ballast and became a total wreck, but no lives were lost.
• In July 1868, the brigantine Willing Lass was caught in a squall and drifted onto Masthead Reef. The ship was destroyed, but the crew survived.
• The schooner Jane Lockhart sank between December 1868 on a reef near the area. The crew safely reached a pilot station.
• The brigantine Waterwitch struck Polmaise Reef or Masthead Reef in August 1884.
• The schooner Norna was lost near Masthead Island in June 1914.
• The wooden Motor Vessel Joyce struck the southeast corner of Masthead Island in April 1927.
• The Valante was lost at Masthead Island in January 1957.

Images for kids

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  Water Witch prior to being wrecked near Masthead Island under the command of Captain William Greenlees