King Island (YKII)
(Above) Currie Harbour provides a small but sheltered anchorage on the western side of the island and is still the base for over 20 commercial fishing and crayfish boats.
(Above) The Netherby, bound for Brisbane from London, foundered on King Island's notorious rocks in 1867 however amazingly, all 506 souls on board made it to shore. However, others were not so lucky. The wreck of the Cataraqui in 1845 claimed over 400 lives in what is still Australia's worst-ever peacetime disaster.
A fairy penguin colony calls the Grassy area on the island's east coast their home.
A small selection of the sumptuous range of products at the King Island dairy factory.
MORE ABOUT KING ISLAND
King Island was formally taken into British possession in 1802 as part of a concerted effort to keep the French from establishing a base on Australian territory. The incident was notable for the fact that it was done while the French explorer, Nicholas Baudin, was moored offshore.
The British Lieutenant Robbins, in his haste to beat the Frenchman, raised the Union Jack upside down. It is claimed that Baudin, amused and annoyed by the absurdity of the incident, observed that the flag looked as though 'it was hanging out to dry'. Before sailing off Baudin tartly remarked that he had 'no intention of annexing a country already inhabited by savages'.
Ever since Bass Strait was charted by George Bass and Matthew Flinders in 1798, many ship’s captains have decided to risk the dangerous passage to shorten the time needed to reach Sydney but many came to grief.
The King Island Maritime Trail Shipwrecks & Safe Havens tells some of the stories of the shipwrecks, both heart-breaking and heroic. In the words of keeper William Hickmott, “I suppose there are no lights in these waters so blest by sailors as the two upon King Island.”
The King Island Dairy is a highlight of our toursKing Island is
located off the north-west tip of Tasmania, and
mirrors the diversity found in Tasmania as a whole. The north
and east coasts of the island feature wonderful sandy beaches,
while the jagged cliffs to the south make it easy to see why this
area has claimed more shipwrecks than anywhere else in
Australia.
WHY NOT JOIN OUR TOUR!
Today there are a whole range of things to see and do on King Island by either flying yourself down, or visiting down with Lilydale Air Services and King Island Discovery Tours.
On a one day guided tour from Lilydale, you will see the scenic highlights of the island including the unique calcified forest. This was formed thousands of years ago when forest was rapidly covered by sand dunes, which have since receded.
Next comes a hot lunch and a walk around the pictureque township of Currie before more sightseeing and a visit to the famous King Island Dairy where you can sample and buy from their sumptuous range of cheeses for up to 50% off 'mainland' prices.
CALL OUR DESK TO FIND OUT MORE DETAILS - 9739 1211
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LILYDALE
FLYING SCHOOL PTY. LTD. ABN 390 6774 9615
Tel: (+61) 3 9739 1211 Fax: (+61) 3 9739 1019 13 MacIntyre Lane, Lilydale
PO Box 525, Lilydale VIC, 3140
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