Middle Osborn Island

{{Short description|Island in Kimberley region of Western Australia}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Use Australian English|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox islands

| name = Middle Osborn

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| map = Western Australia

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| coordinates = {{coord|14.31822|S|125.0138918|E|display=inline,title}}

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| total_islands = 1

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| area_ha = 2361

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| country = Australia

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Middle Osborn Island is an island off the coast of the Kimberley region in Western Australia.

Located on the western side of Admiralty Gulf and a part of the Bonaparte Archipelago, the island encompasses an area of {{convert|2361|ha|acre|0}}.{{cite web|url=http://conservation.wa.gov.au/media/8919/final%20version_14april2010.pdf|title=Status Performance Assessment: Biodiversity conservation of Western Australian Islands|date=1 April 2010|accessdate=10 August 2014|publisher=Government of Western Australia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314234512/https://www.conservation.wa.gov.au/media/8919/final%20version_14april2010.pdf|archive-date=14 March 2018|url-status=dead}} It is part of the Osborn Island group, which includes South West Osborn, Borda, Carlia, Steep Head and Kidney Island as well as West, North and Centre Rock.

The island is a volcanic plug.{{cite web|url=http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/pdf/science/bio_audit/north_kimberley01_p497-505.pdf |title=North Kimberley 1 - (NK-1) Mitchell Bioregion |author=Gordon Graham |date=1 August 2001 |accessdate=10 August 2014 |publisher=Department of Environment |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730164311/http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/pdf/science/bio_audit/north_kimberley01_p497-505.pdf |archivedate=30 July 2008 }}

The traditional owners of the area are the Uunguu peoples of the Wunambal language group, whose name for the island is Ngurraali.{{cite web|url=http://museum.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/WAM_Supp81_Internals%20pp145-181.pdf|title=Biodiversity values on selected Kimberley Islands, Australia|author=T. Vigilante|year=2013|accessdate=10 August 2014|publisher=Western Australian Museum|display-authors=etal}}

The group was named in 1891 by Phillip Parker King after John Osborn, one of the Lords of the Admiralty.

The air-breathing land snails, Kimberleymelon tealei and Carinotrachia admirale are both endemic to the island.Köhler F. (2010). "Three new species and two new genera of land snails from the Bonaparte Archipelago in the Kimberley, Western Australia (Pulmonata, Camaenidae)." Molluscan Research 30: 1-16. [http://mapress.com/mr/content/v30/2010f/n1p016.htm abstract], [http://mapress.com/mr/content/v30/2010f/n1p016.pdf PDF].

In 2008 a boat carrying refugees that had travelled via Indonesia arrived at the island. The then immigration minister, Chris Bowen was attacked by the opposition over his "porous border protection policies".{{cite web|url=https://www.liberal.org.au/latest-news/2010/11/09/illegal-boat-arrivals-accelerate-under-bowen-watch-0|title=Illegal boat arrivals accelerate under Bowen watch|year=2010|accessdate=10 August 2014|publisher=Liberal Party of Australia|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205108/https://www.liberal.org.au/latest-news/2010/11/09/illegal-boat-arrivals-accelerate-under-bowen-watch-0|archivedate=12 August 2014|df=dmy-all}} Another boat arrived in 2010 with only two passengers and one crew on board.{{cite web|url=http://www.safecom.org.au/pdfs/2010-boat-arrivals.pdf|title=Annual boat arrival in Western Australian water in 2010|year=2011|accessdate=10 August 2014|publisher=Project SafeCome Inc}}