Location of the Three Hummock Island in the Bass Strait | |
Etymology | Three prominent hills: North, Middle and South Hummock |
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Geography | |
Location | Bass Strait |
Coordinates | 40°26′24″S 144°54′36″E / 40.44000°S 144.91000°E |
Archipelago | Hunter Group |
Area | 70 km2 (27 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 237 m (778 ft) |
Highest point | South Hummock |
Administration | |
State | Tasmania |
Largest settlement | Chimney Corner |
Additional information | |
Official website | threehummockisland |
The Three Hummock Island, part of the Hunter Island Group, is a 70-square-kilometre (27 sq mi) granite island, located in the Bass Strait near King Island, lying off the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia.[1]
The island is named after its three most prominent hills, North, Middle and South Hummock, the latter being the highest, with an elevation of 237 metres (778 ft) above mean sea level. From the mid-19th century until the mid-1970s, most of the island was subject to a pastoral lease, allowing farming and grazing to take place.
The focus of human settlement on the island is the homestead at Chimney Corner at the westernmost point. There is an automated lighthouse at Cape Rochon in the north-east, as well as roads, three airstrips, fencing and a wharf. Seasonal muttonbirding occurs in March and April.[2]