Babel Island

---

title: "Babel Island" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["furneaux-group", "important-bird-areas-of-tasmania", "private-islands-of-australia", "islands-of-north-east-tasmania", "islands-of-bass-strait", "private-islands-of-tasmania"] description: "Island in Tasmania, Australia" topic_path: "geography/australia" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babel_Island" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Island in Tasmania, Australia ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox islands"]

Field	Value
name	Babel Island
native_name
native_name_link
sobriquet
image_name	Babel Island Aerial.jpg
image_size	280
image_caption	An aerial photo of Babel Island, with the smaller Cat and Storehouse islands, as viewed from the south east.
map	Australia Tasmania
map_relief	1
map_width	280
map_caption	Location of Babel Island in Bass Strait
location	Bass Strait
coordinates
archipelago	Furneaux Group
area_ha	440
length_km	3
length_footnotes
width_km	2.8
width_footnotes
coastline_km
elevation_m	197
elevation_footnotes
highest_mount
country	Australia
country_admin_divisions_title	State
country_admin_divisions	Tasmania
::

| name = Babel Island | native_name = | native_name_link = | sobriquet = | etymology = | image_name = Babel Island Aerial.jpg | image_size = 280 | image_caption = An aerial photo of Babel Island, with the smaller Cat and Storehouse islands, as viewed from the south east. | image_alt = | map = Australia Tasmania | map_relief = 1 | map_width = 280 | map_caption = Location of Babel Island in Bass Strait | location = Bass Strait | coordinates = | archipelago = Furneaux Group | waterbody = | total_islands = | major_islands = | area_ha = 440 | area_footnotes = | rank = | length_km = 3 | length_footnotes = | width_km = 2.8 | width_footnotes = | coastline_km = | coastline_footnotes = | elevation_m = 197 | elevation_footnotes = | highest_mount = | Country_heading = | country = Australia | country_admin_divisions_title = State | country_admin_divisions = Tasmania | population = | population_as_of = | population_footnotes = | population_rank = | population_rank_max = | density_km2 = | density_rank = | density_footnotes = | ethnic_groups = | website = | additional_info = The Babel Island, part of the Babel Group within the Furneaux Group, is a 440 ha granite island, located in Bass Strait, lying off the east coast of Flinders Island, Tasmania, south of Victoria, Australia.{{cite journal | last1 = Towney | first1 = G. | last2 = Skira | first2 = I. J. | title = Seabird islands No 139, Babel Island, Furneaux Group, Tasmania | journal = Corella | volume = 8 | issue = 5 | pages = 103–104 | date = May 1985 | url = http://www.absa.asn.au/Seabird%20Islands/PDF%20files/86%20Rabbit%20Is,%20Wilsons%20Prom..PDF | access-date = 15 August 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140303174505/http://absa.asn.au/Seabird%20Islands/PDF%20files/86%20Rabbit%20Is,%20Wilsons%20Prom..PDF | archive-date = 3 March 2014 | url-status = dead

In 1995 freehold title to Babel Island was vested in the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, on behalf of the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, under the Aboriginal Lands Act 1995 (Tas).

Besides Babel Island, other islands as part of the Babel Group include the Cat and Storehouse islands and Fifty Foot Rock.

Fauna

Many seals were reported here in 1817. The Babel Island group is classified as an Important Bird Area. Babel island is home to the largest colony of short-tailed shearwaters in the world, with an estimated 2.8 million pairs, or about 12% of the whole population of this species, and is subject to annual muttonbirding. It also has a major colony of little penguins, with 20,000 pairs. As well as the shearwaters and penguins, other seabirds and waders recorded as breeding on the island include silver gull, Pacific gull, sooty oystercatcher and crested tern. White-bellied sea-eagles breed on the island and peregrine falcons nest on the eastern cliffs.

Mammals found there are the red-necked wallaby and Tasmanian pademelon as well as the introduced house mouse and Tasmanian devil. Resident reptiles include the metallic skink, three-lined skink, White's skink, eastern blue-tongued lizard and tiger snake.

References

References

1. {{Gazetteer of Australia
2. island was named by [[Matthew Flinders]] from the noises made by the seabirds there.{{cite Q. Q19027014. Flinders. Matthew
3. (30 June 2006). "Babel Island Land Transfer". Indigenous Studies Program, [[The University of Melbourne]].
4. Parry Kostoglou, “Sealing in Tasmania historical research project,” Parks and Wildlife Service, Hobart, 1996, p.115.
5. "IBA: Babel Island Group". Birds Australia.
6. Brothers, Nigel; Pemberton, David; Pryor, Helen; & Halley, Vanessa. (2001). ''Tasmania’s Offshore Islands: seabirds and other natural features''. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery: Hobart. {{ISBN. 0-7246-4816-X

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