Carnac Island
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Carnac Island , Western Australia (32°7′22″S 115°39′49″E / 32.12278°S 115.66361°E). Is an A Class nature reserve approximately 10 kilometres south west of Fremantle
In 1803, French explorer Louis de Freycinet, captain of the Casuarina, named the island Île Pelée (Bald Island). It was also known as Île Lévilian and later Île Berthelot. In 1827, James Stirling changed its name to Pulo Carnac Island in honour of John Rivett Carnac, Second Lieutenant on his ship HMS Success. "Pulo" is Malay for "Island"; it is not known why Stirling included the term, and it was soon dropped.
In the early days of the Swan River Colony the island was used as a penal settlement for Indigenous Australians.
The island is home to Australian Sea Lions, Bottlenose Dolphins and a large range of marine bird life. It is particularly noted for the abundance of snakes, particularly Tiger Snakes, which live on the island. For this reason, very few people venture onto the island. There is no permanent fresh water on the island, and this provides a challenge for the permanent species on the island. The origins of the Tiger Snake colony has attracted significant debate and research into how that species has adapted to a harsh island habitat.
[edit] References
- Carnac Island Nature Reserve : management plan [Perth, W.A.] : The Commission, 2003. Management plan (Western Australia. Dept. of Conservation and Land Management) ; no. 47
