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10c ..............Maria Island Tas
30c ..............Rottnest Island WA
$1.30...........Green Island Qld
$1.95...........Fraser Island Qld
$2.60...........Kangaroo Island SA
$3.85...........Lord Howe Island NSW
ISLAND JEWELS – INTERNATIONAL STAMPS
5 MARCH 2007
Australia’s coastline is fringed with fascinating islands, including
the atolls along the Great Barrier Reef, Kangaroo Island off
South Australia, King Island in Bass Strait and the Tiwi Islands
off the top end. And there are many more. Norfolk Island and
Lord Howe Island are both self-administered. Fraser Island,
Lord Howe Island, Heard and McDonald Islands and Macquarie
Island are World Heritage listed. Other Australian islands are
interesting for their Indigenous cultural significance or because
of their landscapes and natural beauty; for example, the Tiwi
Islands, or Kangaroo, Hinchinbrook and Maria Islands.
Maria Island, Tasmania
This wild and rugged island lies 88 kilometres north-east of
Hobart. Its terrain is characterised by sheer cliffs and jagged
rocky outcrops. The island was first sighted by Abel Tasman
in 1642 and was named by him after the wife of Anthony Van
Diemen, the governor-in-chief of the Dutch East India Company
in Batavia. In 1825 the sealers inhabiting the island gave way
to a penal colony but this was closed in 1832. It was later
reopened (1842) and then finally abandoned in 1851.
Rottnest Island, Western Australia
Located approximately 18 kilometres west of Perth, Rottnest
Island was inhabited by Aboriginal people about 30,000 years
ago. It was first sighted by Europeans in 1610 and named by
Dutch mariners, who mistook the numerous native marsupial
quokkas for rats and named it “Rottnest” or “Rats’ nest”
island. For much of the period between 1838 and 1931 Rottnest
served as an Aboriginal prison, and it was later used as an
internment camp during World Wars I and II.
Today Rottnest Island is one of Western Australia’s most
popular holiday spots, with nearly 500,000 visitors each year.
Managed by the Rottnest Authority, no private ownership of
land is permitted and there are very few permanent residents.
Green Island, Queensland
This popular diving area lies about 30 kilometres from Cairns, is
12 hectares in area, and rests upon 710 hectares of reef. The
island features spectacular rainforest and beautiful coral beaches,
and was declared a national park in 1937.
Fraser Island, Queensland
Located approximately 300 kilometres north of Brisbane, Fraser
Island is the world’s largest sand island and is an outstanding
example of ongoing ecological and biological processes.
The island has at least 40 lakes, including half of the world’s
perched dune lakes.
8 | stamp bulletin australia | no. 287 | April – June 2007