Flinders Island

Flinders Island is the largest of the Furneaux Group in Bass Strait, about sixty kilometres long, with granite peaks rising to 756 metres at Mount Strzelecki and beaches that are frequently empty. Killiecrankie Bay is known for topaz, marketed as Killiecrankie diamonds, which visitors sieve from the sand and gravel. The island's history includes the Wybalenna settlement, where surviving Tasmanian Aboriginal people were relocated in the 1830s and where many died; the site is now managed by the Aboriginal community and remains one of the most significant places in Tasmanian Aboriginal history. Walking, fishing, diving on wrecks and simply having a beach to yourself make up the rest.

History

People first reached the island at least 35,000 years ago across the land bridge where Bass Strait now lies, and a population survived until about 4,500 years ago. Tobias Furneaux recorded some of the southern islands of the group in 1773, Matthew Flinders charted them in 1798, calling this one Great Island, and Phillip Parker King later named it after him; sealers came in the late 18th century with Aboriginal women, most of them taken from their mainland peoples. From 1831 the surviving Tasmanian Aboriginal people were exiled here, from 1833 to the Wybalenna establishment at Settlement Point, where about 130 of some 180 people died (Wikipedia, Flinders Island).

What's there

• The empty beaches - long stretches of sand with granite headlands and no one on them.
• Mount Strzelecki - a demanding climb to the island's highest point.
• Killiecrankie - the bay where visitors sieve for topaz in the sand.
• Wybalenna - the site of the 1830s Aboriginal settlement, community managed.

When to go

November to April for the mildest weather; Bass Strait is rough and cold in winter and flights are more often disrupted. Accommodation is limited year-round and should be booked with transport.

Practical notes

Getting there is by small aircraft or a vehicle ferry with a limited timetable, both expensive. There is one small supermarket and few restaurants. A hire car is effectively necessary. Wybalenna is a place of grief and should be visited with care.

Nearby

Cape Barren Island lies south in the same group; Launceston is the mainland link.

Key facts