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Western Australia has the most number of islands, in excess of
3,500
islands.
Off the coast of Western Australia are several large groups of small
islands of which only a few are accessible to tourists. Just off
EspEsperanceerance, along the south western coast, are a group of about 100
islands. The islands here is home to plenty of wildlife, including
penguins, water birds and fur seals. From
Esperance you can take a
trip out to Woody Island, which offers basic camping facilities.
One of the more popular islands is
Rottnest Island, just west of
Perth. Other islands west of
Perth include Garden Island, Penguin
Island and Seal Island, with the latter two being part of the
Shoalwater Islands Marine Park. During October to May, you can take
a cruise to visit the fairy penguin colony on Penguin Island.
Further north, off the central west coast are the Houtman
Abrolhos Islands, that are made up of about 100 small islands. There
are day trips to view the fantastic birdlife, and whilst there you
may want to do a bit of diving to see the Acropora Family Coral.
Off the coral coast are the Montebello Islands, that stretch from
Onslow to Karratha. Made up of more than 100 limestone islands, the
Montebello Group was named in 1801 by the French explorer Baudin.
Islands in this area include Barrow, Depuch, Direction, Dolphin,
Enderby, Hermite, Legendre, Muiron, Rosemary, Tent and Thevenard
Islands. These islands belong to the Montebello Islands, Muiron
Islands and the Dampier Archipelago. The Dampier Classic Fishing
Competition in August is hosted here in the Dampier Archipelago, a
popular region for game fishing.
Keep on going north, off the north coast of Western Australia and
the Kimberleys many more islands can be found. Several Islands
include Adele, Augustus, Bigge,
Cockatoo and the Heywood Islands. A
fair distance from the Western Australia coastline, are
Christmas
Island and the
Cocos Islands. |
