The islands of Bass Strait host a diverse range of seabird species, from albatross to penguins, serving as critical habitats for breeding, maintaining seabird populations and conservation.

Stories of the remnant lands of the ancient Bassian Plain: the islands, promontories and coasts of the Bass Strait today.
When the sea reclaimed the Bassian Plain between about 15,000 and about 8,000 years ago, new wildlife arrived. The shy albatross is an endangered bird which only breeds on rocky islands off the coast of Lutruwita/Tasmania, including Albatross Island in the western Bass Strait, once a high point in land bridge country. Photograph by Ed Dunens. CC BY 2.0.
The islands of Bass Strait host a diverse range of seabird species, from albatross to penguins, serving as critical habitats for breeding, maintaining seabird populations and conservation.
After sea levels rose, the islands of the eastern Bass Strait, which once had been hills overlooking the Bassian Plain, became seabird rookeries that formed a nutrient rich environment few hardy Australian plants could survive in.
When the sailing ship the Sydney Cove crashed into remnants of the ancient land bridge, seventeen sailors were compelled to cross Bass Strait and walk 600 miles to Sydney. How did they survive the ordeal?
The rise and fall of the ancient Bass Strait land bridge helped drive a number of biogeographical bird anomalies, including missing currawongs, curious scrubwren distributions and a mysterious absence of emus.