Flinders Island
Historically important island lying north east of Tasmania in Bass Strait
Located 20 km north of Cape Portland by sea and 151 km from Launceston by air, Flinders Island is the largest of the Furneaux group of islands which lie to the north east of Tasmania in Bass Strait. It is about 29 km wide at its widest point and 64 km long.

The island was probably part of a land bridge which joined Tasmania to the mainland. Bass Strait was formed as a result of the melting of ice after the last ice age and consequently Flinders, Cape Barren and Three Hummocks all became islands and the Aborigines of Tasmania were cut off from their mainland counterparts.

The island was first identified by Europeans when Tobias Furneaux, the commander of Cook's support ship, became separated from the Endeavour in fog and discovered the Furneaux group of islands on 19 March 1773.

George Bass and Matthew Flinders, resolved the issue of Van Diemen's Land's status, when, between October 1798 and June 1799, they circumnavigated the island. The strait which separates Tasmania from the mainland was named after Bass and this, the major island, was named after Flinders by Governor King.

Flinders Island is a mountainous place which, like King Island, has seen changing land use over the last two hundred years.

Like King Island its first settlers were the sealers. In 1833 the remnants of the Tasmanian Aborigines (a mere 160 people) were isolated on the island in the misguided belief that they would be protected from the rape and abuses of the white settlers in Tasmania. This was not to be. Aboriginal women were still raped; Aboriginal men were still murdered. The soldiers sent to guard the Aborigines combined with the sealers who were left on the island and continued the atrocities which the Aborigines were supposedly being isolated from. By 1847 the settlement had been deemed a failure and it was duly abandoned and the remaining 45 Aborigines were sent to Oyster Cove. 'Wybalenna Historic Site' at Settlement Point on the western coast of the island is a remnant of the original settlement. The Wybalenna chapel, a simple Georgian building with a wooden shingle roof, still stands. There is an interesting museum in nearby Emita and guided tours of the site are available in Whitemark.

Within the next decade grazing leases were established and an agriculture based on beef and dairy cattle, sheep grazing for wool and fat lambs, and a fishing industry were established. It is of interest that while these industries were being established it was until 1888 that George Boyes became the island's first permanent European settler.

In the 1950s soldier settlement schemes on the island, particularly at Memena and Lackrana, increased the population of the island and greatly improved the island's agricultural productivity.

In 1977 the Furneaux Fishing and Processing Company was opened to strengthen the local fishing industry.

One of the island's more unusual industries is mutton-birding. The so-called 'muttonbird', a short-tailed shearwater, has been caught for commercial purposes since the early nineteenth century. While early muttonbirding was excessive and indiscriminate, more recently it has been subject to stringent government controls.

The season lasts for a little over one month (from 27 March to 30 April) and is largely carried on as a family business. Young birds are caught at the rookeries and, through a quite elaborate process, are killed and processed for their oil (which is used for pharmaceutical purposes), their fat (which is sold to local dairy farmers and used as a feed supplement), their feathers (which are ideal as down in upholstery) and their flesh, which is commonly salt-cured and sold to the mainland. During World War II they were actually canned and sold in Britain as 'squab in aspic'.

Current research has monitored the muttonbird population on the island to ensure that a proper ecological balance is maintained. With a density of up to 6 000 burrows to a hectare in a rookery it is unlikely that low level culling will seriously affect the population. In recent times a sanctuary has been established on the island.

Airlines of Tasmania, offer daily RPT flights from Launceston and services from Melbourne ( Moorabbin Airport) Mon, Weds & Fridays. Contact: 0362485490 and web address www.airtasmania.com.au.

Things to see:  

Activities on the Island
Today Flinders Island is a popular tourist destination. Its main appeal is for those who enjoy fishing, bushwalking, or are interested in the horrific history of the Tasmanian Aborigines. The main town Whitemark, probably named rather unimaginatively after a white survey mark, is located south of the airport and provides the visitor with all the necessary facilities. Regular flights are offered by Air Tasmania from Melbourne and Launceston.

The brochure Let's Talk About Flinders Island is a useful additional guide for visitors to the island.

	Tourist Information
	Flinders Island Visitor Information Centre Whitemark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: 1800 994 477
	Hotels
	Furneaux Tavern Franklin Pde Lady Barron Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3521 Rating: ***
	Interstate Hotel Patrick St Whitemark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2114 Rating: **1/2
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Bluff House 24 Bluff Rd Whitemark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2259 or 0427 592 034
	Silas Beach Lady Barron Island Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3521 Rating: ****
	Yakkalla Memana Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2163
	Holiday Homes & Units
	Bucks at Lady Barron Lady Barron Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: 0408 351 599
	Apartments
	Interstate Hotel Patrick St Whitemark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2114 Rating: ***
	Holiday Homes & Units
	Killiecrankie Holiday Home Killiecrankie Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 8560 Rating: ****
	Lady Barron Holiday House Franklin Pde Lady Barron Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3555 Rating: ***1/2
	Cottages & Cabins
	Castle Cottage Emita Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 8488
	Echo Hills Holiday Cottages Madeleys Rd Lackrana Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 6509
	Lady Barron Cottage Lady Barron Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3703
	Leafmore By The Sea Coast Rd Lady Barron Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3517 Rating: ***1/2
	Leafmore in Whitemark Cnr Patrick & Martin Sts Whitemark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3517 Rating: ***1/2
	Lemana Emita Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 6507
	Lisa's Cottage Lees Rd Memana Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 6530
	Palana Beach House Palana Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3121
	Palana Retreat Palana Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 8566
	Yaringa Cottages Holloway St Lady Barron Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 5998 3293
	Farm & Eco Holidays
	Carnsdale Host Farm Memana Whitemark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 9718 Rating: ***1/2
	Partridge Farm Bungalow Badger Cnr Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3554 Rating: ****
	Caravan Parks
	Flinders Island Cabin Park Bluff Rd Whitemark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2188 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Furneaux Tavern (Shearwater Restaurant) Franklin Pde Lady Barron Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 3521
	Cafés
	Flinders Island Bakery Whitmark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2105
	Interstate Hotel (counter meals) Whitmark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2114
	Sweet Surprises Cafe Whitmark Flinders Island TAS 7255 Telephone: (03) 6359 2138