Lawrence Rocks
| Australasian gannet in flight Lawrence Rocks rocky islets in Western Victoria | |
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| Etymology | Captain Effingham Lawrence[1][2] |
|---|---|
| Geography | |
| Location | Bass Strait |
| Coordinates | Lua error in Module:Coordinates at line 489: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Area | 7 ha (17 acres)[3] |
| Length | 800 m (2600 ft)[3] |
| Width | 50 m (160 ft)[3] |
| Highest elevation | 90 m (300 ft)[3] |
| Administration | |
Australia | |
| State | Victoria |
The Lawrence Rocks are a group of two rocky islets, 6.8 ha and 1.5 ha in area, with an associated reef, 2.4 km south-east of Point Danger in western Victoria, Australia, and about 6 km south-east of the city of Portland.[3] Geologically, the group is formed from the remnants of an extinct volcano, with the islets composed of basalt and tuff.[4]
The islets were sighted by Lieutenant James Grant on 5 December 1800 from the survey brig HMS Lady Nelson and named[1] for Captain Effingham Lawrence,[2] one of the Elder Brethren of Trinity House.
Fauna
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The rocks are protected as a nature reserve and are the site of a breeding colony of Australasian gannets, the overspill from which led to the establishment of a sister colony at Point Danger.[5] The group has been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area (IBA), because it supports over 10% of the world population of Australasian gannets, being used by over 6000 birds.[6][7] Other birds recorded on the rocks, and likely to breed there, include little penguins, black-faced cormorants, crested terns, silver gulls, sooty oystercatchers and small numbers of Cape gannets. The rocks are also used as a haul-out site by Australian fur seals.[4] Seal hunting was conducted on the island in the 19th century.[8]
Recreational dive sites
[edit | edit source]There are several named sites:[9]
- The Nursery, at the eastern side, where there are four caves, one known as the Cockpit with a small chamber at the top, at 38° 24.280′ S, 141° 40.260′ E
- North Point, a boulder ridge off the northern end of Lawrence Rocks, at 38° 24.225′ S, 141° 40.004′ E
- The Saddle, a gully that cuts through the centre of the rocks, at 38° 24.331′ S, 141° 40.082′ E
- The Harbour, an area of gutters, ledges and swim-throughs, at 38° 24.514′ S, 141° 40.136′ E
- The wreck of the Emily S, a short distance northeast from Lawrence Rocks.
References
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- ^ a b c d e Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ a b BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lawrence Rocks. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/08/2011.
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- ^ Karen Townrow, An archaeological survey of sealing & whaling sites in Victoria, Heritage Victoria & Australian Heritage Commission, Melbourne, 1997, p.14.
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