Maatsuyker Island
{{Short description|Island in Tasmania, Australia}}
{{distinguish|Maatsuyker Islands}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox islands
| name = Maatsuyker Island
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| image_name = Maatsuyker Island Map.png
| image_size =
| image_caption = Detailed map of Maatsuyker Island
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| map = Australia Tasmania
| map_alt =
| map_width =
| map_caption = Location off the southern coast of Tasmania
| map_relief = 1
| label = Maatsuyker Island
| label_position = left
| coordinates = {{coord|43|39|00|S|146|16|12|E|type:island_region:AU-TAS|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| location = South West Tasmania
| pop =
| archipelago = {{nowrap|Maatsuyker Islands Group}}
| waterbody = Southern Ocean
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| area_ha = 186
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| elevation_m = 284
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| country = Australia
| country_admin_divisions_title = State
| country_admin_divisions = Tasmania
| country_admin_divisions_title_1 = Region
| country_admin_divisions_1 = South West
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| population = A small number of volunteers
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Maatsuyker Island is an island located close to the south coast of Tasmania, Australia. The {{convert|186|ha|sqmi|adj=on}} island is part of the Maatsuyker Islands Group, and comprises part of the Southwest National Park and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site.
The Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse, the southernmost Australian lighthouse, is located on the southern tip of the island.Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. {{ISBN|0-7246-4816-X}}{{citation | title=Small Southern Islands Conservation Management Statement 2002 | url=http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/IslandCare/southern_islands.pdf | year=2002 | publisher=Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service | access-date=20 July 2006 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060822190600/http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/IslandCare/southern_islands.pdf | archive-date =22 August 2006}} The island is part of the Maatsuyker Island Group Important Bird Area, identified as such by BirdLife International because of its importance as a breeding site for seabirds.{{cite web|url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/maatsuyker-island-group-iba-australia/text|title=Important Bird Area factsheet: Maatsuyker Island Group|access-date=23 May 2023|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230523004830/http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/maatsuyker-island-group-iba-australia/text|archive-date=23 May 2023|df=dmy}}
Maatsuyker Island is currently inhabited by volunteers, swapped out every 6 months, the improvements on it are being maintained by the Tasmanian Government and volunteer organisations interested in preserving the history of the island and the lighthouse.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation is dominated by the woody shrub Leptospermum scoparium, or tea tree, which covers most parts of the island, reaching a canopy height of 6 m in sheltered places.
Recorded breeding seabird and wader species are the little penguin (700 pairs), short-tailed shearwater (800,000 pairs), sooty shearwater, fairy prion (5000 pairs), common diving-petrel (10,000 pairs), soft-plumaged petrel, Pacific gull, silver gull and sooty oystercatcher. The swamp antechinus has been recorded.
The island is a haul-out site for the Australian fur seal and a breeding site for the New Zealand fur seal. It is visited by southern elephant seals, which occasionally breed there. Reptiles recorded include the metallic skink, three-lined skink and Tasmanian tree skink.
Traffic
Access to the island has traditionally been by boat, but today helicopters have almost totally taken over this role.{{cite web
|url = https://wildcaretas.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/2015-17-Maatsuyker-Is-Information-and-Application-Package.pdf
|title = Maatsuyker Island Volunteer Caretaker and Weather Observer Program Information Package
|publisher = Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service
|access-date = June 9, 2020}}
Climate
Because the island is so far south and is entirely dominated by circumpolar weather systems, mean temperatures are significantly colder than most of Australia. Maatsuyker Island has an annual mean temperature of around {{convert|11|C}} with strikingly cool summers that are reminiscent of those in northern Scotland, despite sharing a latitude with Nice in southern France. Wind is almost constant and often vigorous.
Weather conditions in the area can be extreme, with the Roaring Forties wind being a particular problem. The maximum wind gust recorded was 185 km/h (115 mph). There are an average of 250 rain days a year.{{cite web| url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_094041_All.shtml|title=Averages for Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse|work=Climate Averages for Australian Sites |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology|access-date=2007-09-07 }} Snow falls occasionally to beach level, while sleet is a common occurrence.
Reportedly, the first keepers of the light took chickens with them to Maatsuyker but the fowls blew away into the ocean. Given the wind and lack of shelter, this is possible if they were left outside during storms. Vegetables get blown flat by the wind, but surprisingly, can be grown successfully,{{cite web| url=http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s998272.htm |title=Maatsuyker Garden |work=Gardening Australia fact sheets |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=2006-07-12 }} even though the garden is on the west side of the island, facing into the prevailing winds. Due to the high vegetation in patches on the top of the island, it is possible to shelter on the "jeep trail" that runs from the lighthouse to the landing. Several vehicles have been used here over the years, including Suzuki Sierras in the 1980s.
Weather observations have been recorded continuously from the island since 1891 for rainfall; mean temperatures from 1936, and extreme temperatures from 1957.
{{Weather box
|location = Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse (43.66° S, 146.27° E)
|single line = y
|metric first = y
|Jan record high C = 34.1
|Feb record high C = 34.7
|Mar record high C = 32.4
|Apr record high C = 31.0
|May record high C = 22.0
|Jun record high C = 20.0
|Jul record high C = 17.8
|Aug record high C = 21.8
|Sep record high C = 25.6
|Oct record high C = 28.0
|Nov record high C = 33.0
|Dec record high C = 32.9
|year record high C =
|Jan high C = 17.1
|Feb high C = 17.3
|Mar high C = 16.3
|Apr high C = 14.5
|May high C = 12.8
|Jun high C = 11.5
|Jul high C = 11.0
|Aug high C = 11.2
|Sep high C = 12.2
|Oct high C = 13.3
|Nov high C = 14.4
|Dec high C = 15.7
|year high C =
|Jan low C = 10.9
|Feb low C = 11.2
|Mar low C = 10.7
|Apr low C = 9.6
|May low C = 8.5
|Jun low C = 7.4
|Jul low C = 6.7
|Aug low C = 6.5
|Sep low C = 6.9
|Oct low C = 7.5
|Nov low C = 8.5
|Dec low C = 9.7
|year low C =
|Jan record low C = 3.5
|Feb record low C = 5.0
|Mar record low C = 1.7
|Apr record low C = 0.2
|May record low C = 0.7
|Jun record low C = -1.1
|Jul record low C = −1.0
|Aug record low C = 0.0
|Sep record low C = 0.6
|Oct record low C = -1.1
|Nov record low C = 2.0
|Dec record low C = 3.2
|year record low C =
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 77.4
|Feb precipitation mm = 69.4
|Mar precipitation mm = 84.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 107.1
|May precipitation mm = 115.9
|Jun precipitation mm = 116.3
|Jul precipitation mm = 128.3
|Aug precipitation mm = 123.6
|Sep precipitation mm = 107.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 104.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 90.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 88.9
|year precipitation mm = 1213.9
|unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 17.4
|Feb precipitation days = 14.7
|Mar precipitation days = 18.3
|Apr precipitation days = 20.7
|May precipitation days = 22.8
|Jun precipitation days = 22.0
|Jul precipitation days = 24.2
|Aug precipitation days = 24.6
|Sep precipitation days = 22.8
|Oct precipitation days = 22.7
|Nov precipitation days = 20.1
|Dec precipitation days = 19.2
|year precipitation days = 249.5
|Jan afthumidity = 76
|Feb afthumidity = 76
|Mar afthumidity = 78
|Apr afthumidity = 80
|May afthumidity = 82
|Jun afthumidity = 82
|Jul afthumidity = 81
|Aug afthumidity = 80
|Sep afthumidity = 79
|Oct afthumidity = 78
|Nov afthumidity = 77
|Dec afthumidity = 77
|year afthumidity = 79
|source = Bureau of Meteorology{{cite web
|url = http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/averages/tables/cw_094041_All.shtml
|title = Climate Statistics for Maatsuyker Island Lighthouse
|publisher = Bureau of Meteorology
|work = Climate statistics for Australian locations
|access-date = 1 July 2023}}
}}
See also
{{stack|{{Portal|Australia|Islands}}}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{SouthWestTasmania |state=autocollapse}}
{{Islands of Tasmania |state=autocollapse}}
Category:Protected areas of Tasmania
Category:South coast of Tasmania
Category:Important Bird Areas of Tasmania