Flinders Island Adventures

Flinders Island Walks, Eco Tours, Fishing Charters and Packages

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About Flinders Island

History of Flinders Island

Located 60 km off the north east tip of Tasmania and to the south east of Wilson's Promontory Victoria, Flinders Island is the largest of the Furneaux Group of islands which stretch across the eastern end of Bass Strait.

The islands were part of the land bridge which once joined Tasmania to the mainland. Bass Strait was formed as a result of the melting of ice after the last ice age leaving the mountain tops to form the present day chain of islands.

The islands were first identified by Europeans when Tobias Furneaux, the commander of Captain Cook's support ship sighted the islands in 1773. Following the 1797 wrecking of the trading ship the "Sydney Cove" on Preservation Island, the rescuers from Sydney reported large numbers of seals among the islands which led to the first settlement south of Sydney by sealers and exploration by Mathew Flinders.

Soon after the islands became home to the Straitsmen who lived by harvesting seals, wallabies and Short tailed Shearwaters (Mutton Birds). The sealskins became Australia’s first export to China.

In 1833 Wybalenna Settlement on Flinders Island became home to some of the last of the Tasmanian Aborigines, until 1848 when it was closed and they were returned to Oyster Bay in Tasmania. Now the restored chapel and the cemetery remain as a tribute to the people who were settled here.

Today between 800 and 900 people live on the island, with farming and fishing being important industries. The farmers producing quality beef and lamb as well as clean fine wool and the fishermen harvesting crayfish, abalone, scallops and giant crabs.

A little over a third of the island is used for farmland, with the remainder being National Park, bush land, lagoons and coastal reserves, providing the visitor with a superb opportunity to explore, touring or walking and enjoy little changed natural setting with abundant wildlife, spectacular scenery and fascinating history.

Flinders Island weather

Flinders Island has a mild maritime climate, as with any island it can be windy at times. Spring is the time for wildflowers and summers can be quite dry, with some of the most stable weather in the autumn. Check out the today’s weather and the 7-day forecast here www.weatherzone.com.au/

Getting to Flinders Island

Sharp Airlines fly direct to Flinders Island from Launceston in Tasmania and Essendon in Melbourne. www.sharpairlines.com.au
Flinders Island Aviation fly direct to Flinders Island from Bridport in Tasmania. www.flindersislandaviation.com Kirkhope Aviation operate group tours on scheduled departure dates  and also private  charter flights.  www.kirkhopeaviation.com.au


Flinders Island Car Rentals

We recommend Flinders Island Car Rentals www.ficr.com.au
You’ll have a great range of cars, vans and utes to choose from.

Flinders Island accommodation

We work with the leading accommodation suppliers on Flinders Island to offer you a range of places to stay from self-contained cottages, hosted resort accommodation, hotel and motel, including:
Partridge Farm www.partridgefarm.com.au
Lady Barron Holiday Home www.ladybarron.com
Furneaux Tavern www.furneauxtavern.com.au


Phone: 0427 594 507

International: +61 427 594 507

info@flindersisland.com.au

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