Islands of the Kimberley (Western Australia)

Location of the Kimberley region in Western Australia

The Islands of the Kimberley are a group of over 2,500 islands lying off the coast of the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The islands extend from the Western Australia–Northern Territory border in the east to just north of Broome in the west.

North-West Kimberley Islands 1970s survey

In 1971, 1972, 1973 a series of biological surveys were carried out.[1]

1971 visit

The list is in the order of visits in August 1971.

• Middle Osborn
• Fenelon
• Borda
• South West Osborn
• Low rocks
• Sir Graham Moore
• Louis
• North Eclipse
• Augustus
• Darcy
• Champagny
• Uwins
• Commerson
• Coronation
• Bigge

Kimberley Islands Biological Survey

A biological survey of 22 of the islands was conducted between December 2006 and December 2010[2] by the Department of Environment and Conservation, traditional owners, the Australian Museum and the Western Australian Museum.[3][4]

The partnership with the Kimberley Land Council is important as the islands sampled in this survey are covered by five native title claim groups: Balanggarra, Uunguu, Dambimangari, Mayala and Bardi Jawi. Traditional owners have strong management rights to the islands through native title and Aboriginal Reserve tenure.[5]

See also

• Buccaneer Archipelago – Archipelago of the Western Australian Kimberley coast
• Sortable list of islands of Western Australia

Notes

1. Burbidge, A. A. (Andrew A.); McKenzie, N. L; Western Australian Wildlife Research Centre; Burbidge, Andrew A; McKenzie, N; Western Australia (1978), The Islands of the north-west Kimberley, Western Australia, Western Australian Wildlife Research Centre, Dept. of Fisheries & Wildlife, ISBN 978-0-7244-7852-1
2. [1]
3. http://kimberleycoast.com.au/kimberley-islands/
4. "Kimberley Islands Biological Survey – Department of Environment and Conservation". Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
5. [2]

Further reading

• Gibson, Lesley (2009), A biological survey of the Kimberley islands, Dept. of Environment & Conservation
• O'Connor, Sue (1990), 30,000 years in the Kimberley : a prehistory of the islands of the Buccaneer Archipelago and adjacent mainland, west Kimberley, Western Australia, The University of Western Australia
• Vigilante, T.; Toohey, J.; et al. (2013). "Island country: Aboriginal connections, values and knowledge of the Western Australian Kimberley islands in the context of an island biological survey". In Gibson, L.A.; Yates, S.; et al. (eds.). Biodiversity values on selected Kimberley islands, Australia (PDF). Records of the Western Australian Museum: Supplement. Western Australian Museum. pp. 145–181. The Kimberley Land Council (KLC) facilitated the participation of 50 Aboriginal traditional owners in this survey, which spanned five Native Title areas, three of which have now been determined (Bardi and Jawi, Wanjina Wunggurr Dambimangari and Wanjina Wunggurr Uunguu) and two of which are still in mediation (Balanggarra and Mayala).
• Wells, Fred E.; Western Australian Museum; National Geographic Society (1989), Survey of the invertebrate fauna of the Kimberley Islands, Western Australia: a report to the National Geographic Society, The Museum