St Alouarn Islands

Discovery

In 1772 Louis de St Alouarn in the Le Gros Ventre was in the region as part of the expedition of Kerguelen, and subsequently the islands were named in 1792, after Captain de St Alouarn, by French navigator Antoine d'Entrecasteaux.

Location

The Point Matthew lookout on the road between Augusta and Cape Leeuwin, that has the islands identified in a brass compass plate that also identifies distances.

Wrecks

There are a number of wrecks in the vicinity of Cape Leeuwin.

The best-known wreck near the islands was that of the Aberdeen White Star ship SS Pericles on an uncharted rock on 13 March 1910, within sight of the Cape Leeuwin lighthouse in daylight hours.

Whale watching boats leaving from Augusta or Barrack Point (Flinders Bay) tend not to venture into this group of islands and rocks, but travel around Flinders Bay to the east of the islands.

The islands are significant for their bird colonies - with Seal Island and St Alouarn Island being reserves for that purpose.

The named islands, in order of distance from mainland are:

Seal Island

Seal Island (Augusta, Western Australia) - is a large flat brownish rock, 1.5 km south of Point Matthew.

possibly named by George Vancouver in 1791, recorded by Archdeacon in 1878 Status: Seal Island Nature Reserve - National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority Size: approx 4 ha in area - Conservation of Fauna reserve

Saint Alouarn Island

Saint Alouarn Island 34 24 15 115 11 30

- 5.5 km south east of Point Matthew Saint Alouarn Island Nature Reserve - Size: approx 8.5 ha in area - Conservation of Fauna reserve

Flinders Island

Flinders Islet (also Flinders Island) - 34 21 00 115 20 00

(also identified by some sources as Flinders Island

- 7 km south east of Point Matthew

Rocks

Therer are a few named rocks in the group

Square Rock - 7.5 km south east of Point Matthew

South-West Breaker - approximately 9 km ssw of Point Matthew is the farthest named rock from the mainland.

Unnamed rocks run parallel to the line of named islands above, between Cape Leeuwin and South-West Breaker, with one exception - Spout Rock, west of Flinders Islet.

Augusta Port

In 2009, the gazettal of the Augusta Port Area delineated the port in reference to the northernmost point (at High water level) on Saint Alouarn Island (with truncated spelling), as well as Seal Island, and Point Matthew.

In 2013 - 2013, the Western Australian government, through the Royalties for Regions programme, constructed a new harbour outside of the Hardy Inlet area of the Blackwood River mouth.

The port is to the south, and within view of Flinders Bay settlement and boat ramp. It is located adjacent to the road that goes to Cape Leeuwin lighthouse.

Oceangoing vessels had previously anchored in Flinders Bay, or used the Flinders Bay jetty; however, its short-term operation between the 1890s and 1930s subsequently left the bay with no port facility.