It is a fantastic little island in the Bass Straight north of Tasmania
in southern Australia.
It has got a population of 1500 and is mostly known for its cheeses,
seafood, mineral water, kelp and beef. But there are also a lot of
shipwrecks, wildlife and sheelite deposits, and some beautiful bays and
beaches.
Currie
The biggest town on the island is Currie on the western coast of the
island. Currie has the island’s only post office, a lighthouse, a
population of 800, and a nice harbour and a beach. Just north of Currie
you can visit the island’s wind farm.
Cheeses of King Island Australia
Further north from Currie is the King island Diary, internationally
renown for its cream and cheeses.
They
produce a wide
range of cheeses
like Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Blue, Crème Fraiche, Pure Cream, Ricotta
and Mascarpone. You can sample all those cheeses in the King Island
Dairy's Fromagerie Tasting Room, and of course, buy some
cheeses.
Animals on the
Island
Further north there is the Reekara Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can
see the island’s animals. There is a lot of wildlife on the island.
Some are typical Australian
animals such as platypus,
echidna
and different species of birds
of prey, snakes
and possums.
Others are not found on
most of the mainland Australia, such as Bennett’s Wallabies, Tasmanian
Pademelons, and the rare Orange-bellied Parrot.
Northern King
Island Destinations
North of the Reekara Wildlife Sanctuary is the small township of
Reekara, and further north are Yambacoona, Egg Lagoon and Lavinia
Nature Reserve – the largest one of the island (6400 hectares). There
are two lakes - Pennys Lagoon and Lake Martha Lavinia; and two beaches
– Lavinia Beach and Nine Mile Beach. There is also some wildlife, and
plants like beautiful orchids, and some wet and dry heath vegetation
that once covered large parts of the island. Furthest north on the
island is Cape Wickham, with Cape Wickham Lighthouse and a shipwreck
off the coast. The island is surrounded by numerous shipwrecks.
Eastern King Island Destinations
In the eastern parts of the island are Sea Elephant Bay, Naracoopa, and
further south are Yarra Creek and Grassy – a township that started off
as a mining town where the world’s largest sheelite deposits were found
here. Since the mining stopped, things have been quiet but there is a
supermarket, a butchery, some eateries and accommodation. And if you
like animals, there are natural penguin rookeries on the coast of
Grassy.
Southern King Island Destinations
South of Grassy are a few shipwrecks, Seal Bay and the southernmost
point of the island, Stokes Point. On the western side of Stokes Point
is Surprise Bay, another shipwreck, and Seal Rocks State Reserve – an
area of about 800 hectares with native vegetation and walking tracks,
the beautiful Seal Rocks, and in the southern part of it is the
Calcified Forest. There are tour operators that can show you around
here, and they also offer fishing and diving trips.
Seafood
The island’s climate is perfect for oysters, crayfish, giant crabs,
lobsters and all sorts of yummy seafood to grow, and the island is very
famous for it. Even the bakery makes crayfish pies! The island is also
known for its beef. Cattle can graze all year around thanks to the
perfect climate, and the beef is consequently perfectly organic. There
is also heaps of fish to catch around the island.
Here's a King Island map where I
have tagged the places that I mentioned on this web page. You can click
on the tags to see what places they are, and double-click anywhere on
the map to zoom it in and see the places closer. Drag the map to move
around, and if you want to see the satellite image with Google Earth,
click on "Sat" in the top right hand corner.
Note:
This site uses
British English, which is the English we use in Australia. You will
find words like "traveller", "harbour" and "realise", and they are all
correct in the language used in Australia.
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that all the information on this site is correct,
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