Veteran Isles

{{Short description|Islands in South Australia}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date= May 2015}} {{Infobox islands | name = Veteran Isles | map = South Australia | map_width = 250 |coordinates = {{coord|-33.742752|134.284829|region:AU-SA|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | location = [[Great Australian Bight]] | area_ha = 14 | area_footnotes =<ref name=Robinson200>Robinson et al, 1996, page 200</ref> | elevation_m = 82 | elevation_footnotes =<ref name=Robinson200/> | country = [[Australia]] | population = }} The '''Veteran Isles''' ({{langx|fr|Île du Vétéran}}; also known as the '''Veteran Islands''') is a pair of [[island]]s in the [[Australia|Australian state]] of [[South Australia]] which is part of the [[Pearson Isles]] which itself is part of the larger island group known as the [[Investigator Group]]. It is located about {{convert|69|km|abbr=off}} west south-west of [[Cape Finniss]] on the west coast of [[Eyre Peninsula]]. It was discovered as part of the Pearson Isles by [[Matthew Flinders]] on 13 February 1802. The island was given its name in August 1969 in order to preserve a name used within the locality by the [[Baudin expedition to Australia|Baudin expedition]]. The island has enjoyed [[protected area]] status since at least 1972 and since 2011, it been part of the [[Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area]].

==Description== Veteran Isles is a pair of peaks located about {{convert|1|km|abbr=off}} south of [[Pearson Island]] and about {{convert|0.5|km|abbr=off}} apart. The northern island rises to a height of {{convert|82|m|abbr=off}} above sea level while the south island reaches a height of {{convert|25|-|26|m|abbr=off}}. One source reports a combined area of {{convert|14|ha|abbr=off}} for both islands. The northern island “retains pockets of granitic soil’ that supports a [[shrubland]] on its upper levels while southern island is bare of soil and therefore vegetation due to wave action. As 1996, access via boat was suggested as being “hazardous” due to the combination of a steep shoreline and sea conditions that need to be calm.<ref name=Robinson200/><ref name=RAN>RAN, 1979</ref>

==Formation, geology and oceanography== {{further|Pearson Isles#Formation, geology and oceanography}} The Veteran Isles were formed along with the rest of the Pearson Isles about 10,500 years ago following the rise of sea levels at the start of the [[Holocene]].<ref>Robinson et al, 1996, Pages 11 & 13</ref> Geologically, the Veteran Isles and the other parts of the Pearson Isles are the summits of an [[inselberg]] partially concealed by sea level rise.<ref name=Robinson196>Robinson et al, 1996, page 196</ref> The waters adjoining Veteran Isles are shown on [[Admiralty Chart]]s as falling immediately to depths equal and greater than {{convert|50|m|abbr=off}} from the Isles' shoreline.<ref name=RAN/>

==Flora and fauna==

===Flora=== As of 1996, the north island supported low [[shrubland]]s dominated respectively by two species - [[Atriplex paludosa|marsh saltbush]] and [[Olearia ramulosa|twiggy daisy-bush]]. As of 1996, the southern island was reported as being bare of soil and vegetation presumably due to being washed away by swells breaking over the island.<ref name=Robinson200>Robinson et al, 1996, page 200</ref><ref name=DEH19>DEH, 2006, page 19</ref><ref name=Robinson480>Robinson et al, 1996, page 480</ref>

===Fauna=== [[Vertebrate]] animals observed on both islands consist of mammals, birds and reptiles. The northern island has been observed in 1980 as being used as a [[haul out]] both by [[Australian sea lion]]s and [[New Zealand fur seal]]s, although a survey conducted in 2014 found no fur seals to be present. Bird species which are considered to be residents include [[sooty oystercatcher]], [[little penguin]] and [[rock parrot]] while species observed on the island such as [[Cape Barren geese]] are considered to be visitors. Reptiles are represented by the [[marbled gecko]], the [[four-toed earless skink]] and the [[Ctenophorus fionni|peninsula dragon]].<ref name=Robinson200/><ref>Shaughnessy et al, 2014, page 12</ref> The southern island has been observed as being used as a haul out by New Zealand fur seals, although a survey conducted in 2014 revealed the possible use of the island as a breeding site. Other species observed on the island in 1980 and which are considered to be visiting include Australian sea lion, sooty oystercatcher and [[Pacific gull]].<ref name=Robinson200/><ref name= Robinson388>Robinson et al, 1996, pages 383 & 388</ref><ref>Shaughnessy et al, 2014, page 31</ref>

==History==

===European discovery=== Veteran Isles is part of the island group sighted by Matthew Flinders on Saturday, 13 February 1802 and who subsequently named the group as the Pearson Isles on the same day.<ref>Flinders, 1814 (1966), page 223</ref>

==Nomenclature== {{further|Pearson Isles#Nomenclature}} The pair of islands was officially named in August 1969 by the [[Government of South Australia|South Australian government]] as the “Veteran Isles”, being the anglicised version of “Iles du Veteran”, in response to the following recommendation made by the Nomenclature Committee in 1965 within the then Department of Lands:<ref>Manning, 2006, pages 131 & 435</ref><ref name=RSSA121>RSSA, 1971, page 121</ref><blockquote> The Committee recommends the adoption of the names "Veteran Isles" for the two small islands in the Pearson Islands and "[[Dorothee Island]]" for the southernmost island in this group. It is with some reservations that the Committee makes this recommendation as these names were first used on the chart of [[Nicolas Baudin|Captain Baudin's]] voyage prepared by [[François Péron|F Peron]] and [[Louis de Freycinet|L de Freycinet]] and difficulty is experienced in relating islands shown in this chart to present day Admiralty Charts but as these names do not appear on modern charts this recommendation is a means of perpetuating them in the general area of the first use'.</blockquote>

==Protected areas status== {{further|Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area}} The Veteran Isles are first mentioned as specifically receiving [[protected area]] status in 1972 as part of the [[Investigator Group Conservation Park]] proclaimed under the ''[[National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972]]'' for the purpose of protecting “delicate island ecology and Australian sea lion and New Zealand fur seal haul-out areas”. On 25 August 2011, it was one of the islands excised from the Investigator Group Conservation Park to form the Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area.<ref name=Robinson145>Robinson et al, 1996, page 145</ref><ref name=DEH6>DEH, 2006, page 6</ref><ref>WAC, 2013, pages 16-17</ref> Since 2012, the waters adjoining Veteran Isles have been part of a sanctuary zone in the [[Investigator Marine Park]].<ref name=DEWNR2012>DEWNR, 2012, page 22 of 26</ref>

==See also== *[[List of islands of Australia]] *[[Investigator Islands Important Bird Area]]

==Citations== {{reflist|30em}}

==References== *{{cite book |title=Island Parks of Western Eyre Peninsula Management Plan |author=Anon |year=2006 |publisher=Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH), South Australia |location=Adelaide |isbn=1-921238-18-6 |url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/570dd7a4-2986-4563-ae90-9e4f00b22af4/WESTEYRE_IP.pdf}} *{{cite book |title=Investigator Marine Park Management Plan 2012|year=2012 |publisher=Department for Environment Water and Natural Resources (DEWNR) |url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/3e8d3aff-c9fa-4be9-8c56-a117009e0e88/mp-gen-4investigator-managementplan.pdf}} *{{cite book| last = Flinders| first = Matthew| author-link = Matthew Flinders| title = A Voyage to Terra Australis : undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803 in His Majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland Schooner; with an account of the shipwreck of the Porpoise, arrival of the Cumberland at Mauritius, and imprisonment of the commander during six years and a half in that island.| url= http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/world/readfile?fk_files=1486723&pageno=223| access-date=20 April 2015| edition= Facsimile| year= 1966| orig-year= 1814| publisher= Libraries Board of South Australia| location= Adelaide}} *{{Citation | author1=Manning, Geoffrey H | title=Manning's place names of South Australia from Aaron Creek to Zion Hill | publication-date=2006 | publisher=Gould Books | edition=[Extended and rev. ed.] | isbn=978-0-947284-60-2 }} *{{cite book | last1 = A.C. | first1 = Robinson | first2 = P.| last2 = Canty | first3 =T. | last3 = Mooney |first4=P. |last4= Rudduck | title = South Australia's offshore islands | location = Canberra | publisher = Australian Heritage Commission |url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/5a7dbb25-70b9-4ceb-bbfd-a25800961994/offshore-islands-gen.pdf | date = 1996 | isbn = 0-644350-11-3 }} *{{cite journal | title = Pearson Island Expedition 1969 | journal = Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia | volume = 95 | issue = Part 3 | pages = 121–183| publisher = [[Royal Society of South Australia]] (RSSA)| location = Adelaide | date = 15 October 1971 | url = https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/127776#page/1/mode/1up | access-date = 10 January 2015 }} *{{cite journal|title=Wilderness Advisory Committee Annual Report 2012-13 (WAC)|journal=Annual Report |date=September 2013|pages=16–17|url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/files/5ad5624b-73b3-4284-86e0-a28900c9111c/wilderness-annual-report-2012-13-rep.pdf|publisher=Department for Environment Water and Natural Resources |access-date=17 March 2014|issn=1832-9357}} *{{cite book|last1=Shaughnessy|first1=P.D.|last2=Goldsworthy|first2=S.D.|last3=Mackay|first3=A.I.|title=Status and trends in abundance of New Zealand fur seal populations in South Australia. Final report to the Australian Marine Mammal Centre. SARDI Publication No. F2014/000338-1. SARDI Research Report Series No. 781|date=June 2014|publisher=South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences) |location=Adelaide|url=http://www.pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/232394/NZ_Fur_Seals_Survey_2013-14_Report_-_FINAL.pdf|access-date=20 April 2015}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veteran Isles}} [[Category:Islands of South Australia]] [[Category:Uninhabited islands of Australia]] [[Category:Great Australian Bight]]