Gabo Island
Gabo Island is located in Shire of East Gippsland
Gabo Island
Gabo Island
Location off the coast near Shire of East Gippsland
Geography
LocationBass Strait
Coordinates37°33′47″S 149°54′39″E / 37.5629167°S 149.9109722°E / -37.5629167; 149.9109722
Length2.4 km (1.49 mi)[1]
Width0.8 km (0.5 mi)[1]
Highest elevation52 m (171 ft)[1]
Administration
Australia
StateVictoria

Gabo Island is a 154-hectare (380-acre) island located off the coast of eastern Victoria, Australia, between Mallacoota and Cape Howe on the border with New South Wales.[1] It is separated from the mainland by a 500-metre (1,600 ft) wide channel; access is available by arranged flights and boats.[2] Gabo Island is a shipping reference commonly referred to in Victorian weather warnings issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The island is an unincorporated area under the direct administration of the government of Victoria.

Gabo Island Lighthouse

Gabo Island is well known for its historic lighthouse. This lighthouse, Australia's second tallest, was completed in 1862 and made from pink granite quarried from the island itself. The focal plane of the light is situated at 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level, the characteristic is a group of three flashes that occurs every twenty seconds. A keeper's house is occupied by a caretaker; another building may be rented for overnight stays.[3]

Climate

Gabo Island has a moderate oceanic climate (Cfb) with mild summers and cool winters and rainfall spread throughout the year. The island features 60.8 clear days annually, higher than Melbourne's 48.6 days, mainly due to the foehn effect that is experienced in the eastern seaboard. Due to a strong foehn effect, the island registered a high of 32.1°C on 19 September 2023.[4]

Climate data for Gabo Island Lighthouse
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 40.8
(105.4)		 39.1
(102.4)		 38.6
(101.5)		 35.0
(95.0)		 26.6
(79.9)		 22.5
(72.5)		 23.3
(73.9)		 26.7
(80.1)		 31.0
(87.8)		 35.6
(96.1)		 37.2
(99.0)		 38.4
(101.1)		 40.8
(105.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 21.3
(70.3)		 21.6
(70.9)		 21.0
(69.8)		 19.2
(66.6)		 16.9
(62.4)		 14.8
(58.6)		 14.1
(57.4)		 14.7
(58.5)		 15.9
(60.6)		 17.2
(63.0)		 18.4
(65.1)		 19.9
(67.8)		 17.9
(64.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 15.8
(60.4)		 16.2
(61.2)		 15.4
(59.7)		 13.5
(56.3)		 11.2
(52.2)		 9.3
(48.7)		 8.2
(46.8)		 8.5
(47.3)		 9.7
(49.5)		 11.2
(52.2)		 12.8
(55.0)		 14.4
(57.9)		 12.2
(54.0)
Record low °C (°F) 6.3
(43.3)		 7.8
(46.0)		 7.8
(46.0)		 6.4
(43.5)		 2.2
(36.0)		 3.3
(37.9)		 2.0
(35.6)		 2.8
(37.0)		 2.8
(37.0)		 2.8
(37.0)		 1.7
(35.1)		 7.2
(45.0)		 1.7
(35.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 70.2
(2.76)		 67.7
(2.67)		 72.5
(2.85)		 84.4
(3.32)		 98.3
(3.87)		 103.4
(4.07)		 85.4
(3.36)		 71.5
(2.81)		 72.5
(2.85)		 74.4
(2.93)		 73.1
(2.88)		 66.7
(2.63)		 941.9
(37.08)
Average precipitation days 9.4 9.1 10.6 11.8 13.4 14.4 13.7 13.3 13.3 13.3 11.6 10.8 144.7
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[5]

Birds

The island is home to the world's second largest colony of little penguins.[2] Gabo and nearby Tullaberga Island have been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because of the numbers of breeding penguins (up to 21,000 pairs) and white-faced storm petrels (up to 20,000 pairs).[6] Concern of predation of native birds and animals led to a successful feral cat eradication program on the island between 1987 and 1991.[7][8]

Literary references

“The wind that blows by Gabo,” is the title of a poem by E.J. Brady.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Reilly, P. N. (September 1977). "Seabird islands No 45, Gabo Island, Victoria" (PDF). Corella. 1 (3): 51–53. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 Parks Victoria. "Gabo Island". Archived from the original on 27 July 2008.
  3. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of Australia: Victoria". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  4. ↑ Gabo Island's first September 32C in over a century of records by Ben Domensino from Weatherzone. 19 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Climate Statistics for Gabo Island Lighthouse". Climate statistics for Australian locations. Bureau of Meteorology. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  6. ↑ "IBA: Gabo and Tullaberga Islands". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  7. ↑ Twyford, B. K.; Humphrey, P. G.; Nunn, R. P.; Willoughby, L (2000). "Eradication of Feral Cats (Felis catus) from Gabo Island, south-east Victoria". Ecological Management and Restoration. 1 (1): 42–49. doi:10.1046/j.1442-8903.2000.00007.x.
  8. ↑ Nogales, Manuel; Martín, Aurleio; Tershy, Bernie. R.; Donlan, C. Josh; Witch, Dick; Puerta, Néstor; Wood, Bill; Alonso, Jesús (2004). "A review of feral cat eradication on islands". Conservation Biology. 18 (2): 310–319. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2004.00442.x. hdl:10261/22249. S2CID 11594286. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
  9. ↑ Brady, E.J., (1933) Wardens of the sea, Sydney, Endeavour Press, p.24-26
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