The Wellesley group of islands as seen from space

Over the waves, on the land and in the sky

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.

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Sea birds of Bass Strait

Sea birds of Bass Strait

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.

Shipwreck over the land bridge

Shipwreck over the land bridge

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?

Birds of a feather don’t always flock together

Birds of a feather don’t always flock together

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.