Nickname: Macca | |
|---|---|
 Satellite photo of Macquarie Island | |
  Macquarie Island Location in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Southwestern Pacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 54°38′S 158°52′E / 54.63°S 158.86°E |
| Area | 128 km2 (49 sq mi) |
| Length | 35 km (21.7 mi) |
| Width | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 410 m (1350 ft) |
| Highest point |
|
| Administration | |
| State | Tasmania |
| LGA | Huon Valley Council |
| Demographics | |
| Population | No permanent inhabitants |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) | |
| Criteria | Natural: vii, viii |
| Reference | 629 |
| Inscription | 1997 (21st Session) |
Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica.[1] Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 1978 and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
It was a part of Esperance Municipality until 1993, when the municipality was merged with other municipalities to form Huon Valley Council.[2] The island is home to the entire royal penguin population during their annual nesting season. Ecologically, the island is part of the Antipodes Subantarctic Islands tundra ecoregion.
Since 1948, the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) has maintained a permanent base, the Macquarie Island Station, on the isthmus at the northern end of the island at the foot of Wireless Hill. The population of the base, constituting the island's only human inhabitants, usually varies from 20 to 40 people over the year. A heliport is located nearby. Through "Operation Southern Discovery", elements of the Australian Defence Force also provide annual support for the Australian Antarctic Division and the Australian Antarctic Program (AAP) in regional scientific, environmental and economic activities.[3]
As part of "Operation Resolute", the Royal Australian Navy and Australian Border Force are tasked with deploying Cape or Armidale-class patrol boats to carry out civil maritime security operations in the region as may be required.[4] In part to carry out this mission, as of 2023, the Navy's Armidale-class boats are in the process of being replaced by larger Arafura-class offshore patrol vessels.[5]
- ^ "Macquarie Island Station". Australian Antarctic Division. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
- ^ Macquarie Island station: a brief history Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Australian Antarctic Division. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
- ^ "Operation Southern Discovery". Australian Government - Defence. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Operation Resolute". Australian Government - Defence. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Arafura Class OPV". Royal Australian Navy. Retrieved 20 August 2023.