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The Point:
Location:
This confluence point is 1.5 km north-east of Arnold Islet and 62 km
south-east of the tip of Cape York. The Arnold Islets are low-lying
coral cays. They lie just inside Cook Shire; the point itself lies on
the boundary between Cook Shire and Torres Shire. The nearest town is
Bamaga, about 68 km to the west-north-west. The point has not been visited.
The Landscape:
At sea.
Point information:
Ken Granger, 2008. |
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WITHIN
THE DEGREE SQUARE
The Country:
About three quarters of the degree square is occupied by the waters
of the Coral Sea inside the Great Barrier Reef. There are numerous
reefs and cays dotted across those waters. A few continental islands
are located in the north-west corner of the square. They include Mt
Adolphus (Mori), Little Adolphus and Albany Islands. Mt Adolphus
Island has a maximum elevation of 178 m ASL and Albany Island has an
elevation of 68 m ASL. Turtle Head Island is a low-lying island
(maximum elevation of 34 m ASL) immediately off the mangrove-covered
Escape River Fish Habitat Area. The Adolphus Channel which is the
main shipping channel has numerous rocks, some of them named after
ships that foundered on them in earlier times. The best known such
wreck was the SS Quetta which was lost with 133 lives in
February 1890.
On the mainland
the bulk of the area lies within the Jardine River National Park,
much of it is low lying country of late Cainozoic (less than 5
million years) sands and gravels. The hilly country that forms the
tip of Cape York is Carboniferous age (354 to 298 million years)
volcanic, whereas the Carnegie Range immediately to the south is
composed of Jurassic-Cretaceous age (205 to 65 million years)
sandstone, conglomerates and siltstone. The highest point on the
Range is 68 m ASL.
The Jardine
River is the most significant stream in the square. It rises in the
Great Dividing Range and flows to the west. East-flowing streams
include Escape River and Jacky Jacky Creek.
Vegetation in
the area includes a large area of mangrove between the estuaries of
Jacky Jacky Creek and Escape River, stands of monsoon forest (known
locally as the Lockerbie scrub), dry eucalypt-dominated woodland and
some grassland. Areas of Melaleuca-dominated seasonal wetland
are also found in coastal areas.
|
Volcanic rocks
at tip (Ken Granger, 2008) |
Marker at
"The Tip" (Ken Granger, 2008) |
|
Monsoon forest
(Ken Granger, 2008) |
Mangroves at
"The Tip" (Ken Granger, 2008) |
The Climate:
The climate of the area is tropical maritime with a markedly dry
winter. The nearest climate station with good records is Horn Island,
about 90 km north-west of the confluence point.
Horn Island
(site 027058) 1995-2008 (elevation 4 m ASL)
|
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
Year |
|
Mean
max
(ºC) |
30.8 |
30.4 |
30.4 |
30.3 |
29.8 |
29.2 |
28.6 |
28.8 |
30.0 |
30.9 |
31.8 |
31.7 |
30.2 |
|
Mean
min
(ºC) |
25.2 |
24.9 |
25.0 |
25.2 |
24.7 |
23.9 |
22.9 |
22.8 |
23.9 |
24.8 |
25.5 |
25.7 |
24.5 |
|
Mean
rain
(mm) |
359.6 |
497.2 |
353.5 |
244.0 |
67.9 |
16.8 |
8.9 |
5.2 |
2.7 |
9.3 |
50.0 |
197.6 |
1757.2 |
The
highest temperature ever recorded on Horn Island in the 13 years or
record was 37.9°C in December 2002 while the lowest temperature
was 15.3°C in August 2004. Rainfalls also vary greatly. The
highest total of 2683.8 mm was recorded in 2000 and the lowest total
of 1244.2 mm in 2002.
Extremes of Nature:
The area is subject to cyclones. The cyclone database maintained by
the Bureau of Meteorology shows that 25 cyclones have tracked within
200 km of the confluence point between 1906-7 and 2006-7. Amongst
these storms were: an unnamed storm in December 1920, another unnamed
storm in March 1923, TC Audrey
in January 1964, an unnamed storm in January 1965, TC Bronwyn
in January 1972, TC Faith
in April 1972, TC Pierre
in February 1985, TC Kelvin
in February 1991, TC Ingrid
in March 2005 and TC Monica
in April 2006.
These storms
bring potentially destructive winds and high seas. Some have caused
erosion to the low-lying islands and coastal areas. They have also
been the cause of many shipwrecks in earlier days.
The area
averages between 30 and 40 thunder days each year. Severe
thunderstorms can also bring destructive winds and produce high seas.
They can come up very quickly posing a serious threat to people
travelling through the area in small boats. During the winter dry
season thunder storms may spark bushfires if there is sufficient fuel
to promote spread.
There are 2
earthquake epicentres within the degree square recorded in the
National Earthquake Database maintained by Geoscience Australia. Both
lie on the western boundary of the square. The nearest event to the
confluence point was a ML
4.0 event of 5 August 1932, centred 70 km to the north-west. The
other event was a ML
3.5 around 78 km to the south-west on Christmas Eve 1912. No damage
was recorded from either of these earthquakes.
Cyclone track
within 200 km of the confluence point (Bureau of Meteorology web site)
The
Indigenous Story:
The small numbers of Torres Strait Islanders in the square are from
the Muralag group and the mainland Aboriginals are from the
Yadhaigana group.
European
Exploration and Settlement:
It was not until 1770 that the British first ventured into the area.
Cook made a transit of the Strait that now bears the name of his ship Endeavour.
On 22 August 1770 Cook landed on Possession Island, immediately to
the west of the square, to claim all of the lands to the south for
England. The first detailed survey of the Strait was undertaken by
Flinders in the Investigator
in 1802.
In 1863 the
Governor of Queensland Sir George Bowen proposed a settlement in the
far north of the new colony to serve as a refuge for shipwrecked
sailors, a supply depot and coaling station to service the major
shipping route through Torres Strait. He believed that as an
administrative centre it would encourage the growth of commercial
activity and provide a settlement that maintained friendly
relationships between settlers and Aborigines. A site was selected on
the mainland in the lee of Albany Island and John Jardine, then
police magistrate and gold commissioner in Rockhampton was appointed
Government Resident and established Somerset.
The need for a
supply of fresh meat led to Jardine sending two of his sons, Francis
(Frank) and John, to Rockhampton to bring a mob of 42 horses and 250
cattle overland the 1930 km to Somerset. They were assisted by four
Europeans and four Aboriginals. They left Rockhampton on 14 May 1864
and finally reached Somerset on 2 March 1865 after fighting off
repeated attacks by hostile Aborigines. They arrived with their
clothes in tatters with 12 horses and 50 cattle remaining - all of
the party survived in spite of their hardships. In recognition of
their feats both brothers were appointed fellows of the Royal
Geographical Society.
At its peak
Somerset had a marine barracks, a hospital and houses for the senior
staff. Blocks of land were sold to businessmen and other interested
parties in anticipation of the boom which was anticipated - but which
never came. A financial crash in 1867 had a massive impact on
Somerset and trade through the 'Singapore of the Pacific' as it was
known, started to become obsolete. In 1877 Somerset was abandoned
with government administration being transferred to Thursday Island.
Frank Jardine
remained at Somerset and at Lockerbie until his death in 1919. He had
played a leading role in developing the first cattle industry in the
far north as well as other agricultural developments such as a
coconut plantation, experimental plantings of tropical crops such as
sugar, tea and coffee. Jardine went into partnership with 'Ginger
Dick' Holland in 1913 to run cattle on Lockerbie. The station remains
in the Holland family today. It remains the only development in the
degree square. A luxury resort, established close to 'The Tip' that
functioned for a few years is now derelict.
Today:
The total population of the degree square at the 2006 national Census
was around 400. Changes in the boundaries of census collector's
districts between the past three censuses prevent a direct comparison
of population change over the past decade.
|
Measure |
1996 |
2001 |
2006 |
|
Total
Population |
0 |
369 |
0 |
|
Total
Males |
0 |
191 |
0 |
|
Total
Females |
0 |
205 |
0 |
|
Under
5 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
|
65
Years and over |
0 |
98 |
0 |
|
Indigenous |
0 |
52 |
0 |
The main
industry now functioning in the degree square is tourism. A trip to
'The Tip' has become a major attraction and at times it is necessary
to queue to have a photo taken at the Tip marker.
Typical
tour group at "The Tip" (Ken Granger, 2008)
Site Summary:
|
Location |
1.5 km
north-east of Arnold Islets off the east coast of Cape York |
|
Nearest
town |
Bamaga, 68 km west-north-west |
|
Access |
By boat - site
not visited |
|
Terrain |
At sea |
|
Catchment |
On the mainland
the Jardine River is the largest drainage system |
|
Geology
& soils |
Mostly recent
or late Cainozoic sands and gravels with
Carboniferous
volcanic at The Tip and Jurassic-Triassic sediments forming the
low Carnegie Range. |
|
Vegetation |
Mixture of
coastal mangroves, monsoon forest and open eucalypt woodland |
|
Land
use |
Some cattle grazing |
|
Climate |
Tropical
maritime with a distinct winter drought |
|
Population
in degree square |
Around 400 but
probably seasonal |
|
Infrastructure |
A few dirt roads |
|
National
Parks |
Jardine River
National Park |
Compilers:
Ken Granger, 2008
References:
various web sites including EPA, Torres Strait Regional Authority,
local governments and Bureau of Meteorology. |
