Solitary Islands Marine Park

Sunrise over Solitary Islands Marine Park, NSW, Australia. Left to Right: South West Solitary Island, South Solitary Island, Split Solitary Island
Solitary Island Marine Park, NSW, Australia. (For more detailed map, click here). [1]

Solitary Islands Marine Park (SIMP) is a marine park in New South Wales State waters, Australia. It adjoins the Solitary Islands Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) and was declared under the Marine Parks Act 1997 (NSW) in January 1998.[2] Prior to this it was declared a marine reserve in 1991.[3] The Park was one of the first declared in NSW and stretches along the northern NSW coast, from Muttonbird Island, Coffs Harbour, to Plover Island near Sandon River, 75 kilometres to the north. It includes coastal estuaries and lakes and extends from the mean high water mark, to three nautical miles out to sea, covering an area of around 72,000 hectares.[4] There are five main islands in the Park, North Solitary Island, North West Solitary Island, South West Solitary Island (Groper Island), South Solitary Island and Split Solitary Island, as well as other significant outcrops such as Muttonbird Island and submerged reefs.

On 15 May 1770, Lieut. James Cook sailed past the Solitary Islands and noted their position in his journal, “Between 2 and 4 we had some small rocky Islands between us and the land the southernmost lies in the Latitude of 30°10' and the northernmost in 29°58' and about 2 Leagues or more from the land.”[5] He named them the "Solitary Isles" on his chart.[6]

  1. ^ NSW Marine Parks Authority. (2011). Solitary Island Marine Park & Solitary Islands Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) - zoning summary and user guide. Retrieved 20/05/2015, from http://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/resources/8f451416-4b49-4eac-8287-4153281f2ae5/files/solitary-user-guide-map.pdf.
  2. ^ Commonwealth of Australia. (2001). Solitary Islands Marine Reserve (Commonwealth Waters) Management Plan. Environment Australia, Canberra.
  3. ^ NSW Marine Parks Authority. (2008). Natural values of the Solitary Islands Marine Park.
  4. ^ NSW Marine Parks Authority. (2013). Solitary Islands Marine Park - Southern Sanctuary Zone.
  5. ^ Cook, J. (1771). Journal of H.M.S. Endeavour, 1768-1771 [manuscript]. Retrieved 20/05/2015, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms1-s236r
  6. ^ Cook, J. (1770). A Chart of New South Wales, or the East Coast of New Holland. Discover'd and Explored By Lieutenant J. Cook, Commander of his Majesty's Bark Endeavour, in the Year MDCCLXX. from http://southseas.nla.gov.au/journals/maps/zoom_au.html