George Rocks

{{Short description|Islands in Tasmania, Australia}} {{distinguish|George Rock}} {{Use Australian English|date=December 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}} {{Infobox islands | name = George Rocks<!-- mandatory --> | native_name = <!-- or |local_name= --> | native_name_link = | native_name_lang = | sobriquet = <!-- or |nickname= --> | image = | image_size = 280 | image_caption = | image_alt = | map = Australia Tasmania | map_alt = | map_width = | map_caption = Location of Bird Rock off the coast of [[Tasmania]] | map_relief = 1 | label = | label_position = | coordinates = {{coord|40|55|S|148|19|E|display=inline,title}} | etymology = | location = Banks Strait, [[Bass Strait]]<!-- mandatory, body of water where located --> | pop = | archipelago = [[Waterhouse Island (Tasmania)|Waterhouse Island]] Group | waterbody = | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_ha = 7<!-- or |area_m2= or |area_ha= --> | area_footnotes = | rank = | length_km = <!-- or |length_m= --> | length_footnotes = | width_km = <!-- or |width_m= --> | width_footnotes = | coastline_km = <!-- or |coastline_m= --> | coastline_footnotes = | elevation_m = | elevation_footnotes = | highest_mount = | country = Australia<!-- mandatory --> | country_admin_divisions_title = [[States and territories of Australia|State]] | country_admin_divisions = [[Tasmania]] | demonym = | population = ''uninhabited'' | population_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_rank = | population_rank_max = | density_km2 = | density_rank = | density_footnotes = | ethnic_groups = | timezone1 = | utc_offset1 = | timezone1_DST = | utc_offset1_DST = | website = | additional_info = }} The '''George Rocks''', also historically known as King George's Rocks, is part of the [[Waterhouse Island (Tasmania)|Waterhouse Island]] Group, a group of three adjacent uninhabited [[granite]] [[islet]]s and associated [[reef]]s with a combined area of {{convert|7|ha}}, situated in Banks Strait, part of [[Bass Strait]], lying close to the north-eastern coast of [[Tasmania]], Australia.<ref name=Brothers2001>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}}</ref>

Seal hunting took place early in the 19th century. [[James Kelly (Australian explorer)|Captain James Kelly]] took seals there in 1816, and Thomas Tucker is recorded sealing on the rocks in 1827. Captain Kelly applied for a lease to establish a bay [[whaling]] station at a small sandy beach on the west side of the largest of the rocks in 1841<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kostoglou |first1=Parry |title=Sealing in Tasmania historical research project |date=1996 |publisher=Parks & Wildlife Service |location=Hobart |pages=75–6 |edition=First}}</ref>

Other islands in the Waterhouse Group include [[Ninth Island|Ninth]], [[Tenth Island|Tenth]], [[Waterhouse Island (Tasmania)|Waterhouse]], [[Little Waterhouse Island|Little Waterhouse]], [[Maclean Island|Maclean]], [[Baynes Island|Baynes]], [[Cygnet Island|Gygnet]], [[Swan Island (Tasmania)|Swan]], [[Foster Islands (Tasmania)|Foster]], [[Little Swan Island|Little Swan]], [[St Helens Island|St Helens]] and [[Paddys Island|Paddys]] islands and [[Bird Rock (Tasmania)|Bird Rock]] islet.<ref name=Brothers2001/>

==Fauna== Recorded breeding [[seabird]] species are [[little penguin]], [[short-tailed shearwater]], [[white-faced storm-petrel]], [[silver gull]], [[black-faced cormorant]] and [[crested tern]]. Introduced [[mammal]]s are rabbits and rats (it was announced in February 2021 that all the rats had been eradicated). The [[metallic skink]] is present.<ref name=Brothers2001/>

==See also== {{stack|{{Portal|Australia|Islands|Environment}}}} *[[List of islands of Tasmania]]

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Islands of Tasmania |state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Islands of North East Tasmania]] [[Category:Waterhouse Island group]] [[Category:Seal hunting]]

{{Tasmania-geo-stub}}