Smooth Island is privately owned; it has a freehold title with no covenants. In 2014 Smooth Island was gazetted as a Private Forest Timber Reserve.[2] The coast line 200 m (660 ft) from the Smooth Island waterline has been classified Zone 23 (Environmental management) under the Tasman Interim Planning Scheme 2015.[3][4]
Access
Smooth island is private property to the coastal high-water mark; unauthorised public access, including mooring of vessels, is prohibited. Subject to authorisation, Smooth Island is easily accessible by boat and helicopter. The island's terrain is suited to the construction of a small airstrip.
Services
The island receives radio coverage from ABC Local Radio (936 AM), 3G mobile phone coverage from Telstra and wireless coverage from the National Broadband Network. The table below outlines the nearest services and facilities to Smooth Island.
"All waters 200 metres seaward from the low water mark of Smooth Island: Shark Refuge Area. No taking of shark, skates or rays, except elephantfish. Where permitted, graball nets must not be set for more than 2 hours and can only be set from sunrise until one hour before sunset. No mullet nets. No set lines (ong lines and drop lines)."[13]
The island has two hilly peaks separated by a saddle.[note 19] The height above sea level of the North peak, South peak and saddle are 43 m (141 ft), 40 m (130 ft) and 30 m (98 ft) respectively.[note 20][note 21]
Smooth Island consists of diabase or dolerite rock, a subvolcanic intrusion that probably occurred from 56 to 33.9 million years ago during the Eoceneepoch of the Cenozoic era.[15] A geological survey identified consolidated, brownish, fine-grained quartz sandstone occurring on the island's north-east coastline at approximately 2 m (6.6 ft) above sea level, covered by sand. It was said to be similar to the sandstone samples retrieved from South Arm that contained numerous fossils but no fossils were found in the samples taken from Smooth Island.[16][17] The western aspect of the island contains dolerite (tholeiitic) with locally developed granophyre from the Jurassic period. The water table is classified as a surficial sediment aquifer (porous media – unconsolidated).[18]
Because the island predominantly has a sloping hard rock shore, there is little vulnerability to flooding or erosion due to a rise in sea level.[19] A coastal acid sulfate soil analysis produced a result of "extremely low" along the north and north-east side of the island.[19]
A species of red algae (Rhabdonia verticillata)[23][24] has been found close to the island.[25] The fish species flathead, trumpeter, perch, cod and Australian salmon can be found in the waters immediately surrounding the island. Dolphins are frequently sighted and killer whales (Orcinus orca)[26] are infrequently sighted near the island.[27][28] The Spotted handfish and the Live-bearing Seastar (Parvulastra vivipara) are threatened marine species that may be present in the waters surrounding Smooth Island.[29] A killer whale was identified 1 km (0.62 miles) north-east of the current lighthouse position. Several humpback whales were spotted near Smooth Island in June 2017.[30]
Ecological rehabilitation
The terrestrial ecosystem of Smooth Island has been damaged by overgrazing and slashing-and-burning,[31] and through the commercial hunting of wildlife.[32] The island's natural vegetation has been largely displaced by exotic grass, thistle, bracken, scattered eucalypts and African boxthorn bushes. Between 0.86 ha (2.1 acres)[33] and 18 ha (44 acres) of shearwater rookeries are present on Smooth Island and the impact of repeated fires on these habitats has been studied.[31] The island' current owners intend to systematically restore its native ecosystem. Since March 2014, a diverse range of native Tasmanian flora have been planted throughout the island.[34] Remnant eucalypts are also expected to seed on the island's south-east coast since grazing has ceased.
Matthew Flinders was the first to chart the island on 15 December 1798 and named it "Smooth Island" on his contemporaneous maps[35][36] but the island does not appear on his 1814 map.[37] In 1824 Thomas Scott referred to the island as "Garden Island" on his maps. The origins of this are not entirely clear, and other sources are inconclusive about the above assertions.[38] and state that the island was first named on a map by "Cross (1830)" and "Frankland" (1837)", before stating several pages later that the island was first named "Smooth Island".
According to a 1911 newspaper article, the island "is not named in the map of D'Entrecasteaux, even though it was marked".[39] During the early 21st century, Smooth Island was occasionally listed as "Lot 1 Norfolk Bay, Dunalley TAS 7177" on some real-estate classifieds.[40]
Much confusion exists about the names of many of the islands in South East Tasmania. Garden Island has become an alternative name for both Green Island[41] and Smooth Island. A newspaper article from 1836 refers to a Garden Island in the Pembroke Land District.[42][43]
Structures
Formal survey of Smooth Island, 1863
A survey of Smooth Island was completed on 14 July 1863; it reveals the presence of the original jetty, a spring and a guano excavation site on the island. A lighthouse (K 3621.2) was installed on the north peak in 1991.[44] It was relocated by request of the landowners in 2014.[note 22][45][note 23][46]
Potential uses
Smooth Island's south and west coasts have alkaline soil while the east slope has acidic soil.[47]
The crops with the greatest yield potential are as follows:[47]
Phosphate mining: on 13 October 1941, the viability of mining phosphate on Smooth Island was assessed but was determined to not be viable.[48]
Artwork
Painting inspired by Smooth Island
Smooth Island has been the subject of several notable paintings: Amanda DaviesX Marks the Spot (2022 Glover Prize Finalist),[49] Robyn Harman's Smooth Island (2021),[50] Michael Weitnauer's Norfolk Bay[51][52] and Dale Frank's "Dunalley, Smooth Island".[53] It has been mentioned in poems such as "Two Kinds of Silence" by Kathryn Lomer:[54]
I could lose or find myself
in this private Bermuda triangle-
Connelly's Bay, Lime Bay, Smooth Island;
In the dusk Smooth Island's navigation light
begins to blink its code name
to sailors bound for Dunalley[54]
^Measured on 30 December 2015 using barometric function of Garmin Monterra. Sea level calibrated to 0 metres when tide was at 1.11 m (3 ft 8 in). After the first set of measurements the device was recalibrated to sea level (−7 cm (−2.8 in)) and the altitude of the three features was reassessed, increasing the altitude of all points by 1 m (3 ft 3 in). It is the second set of measurements which have been recorded. Conditions: pressure 1,015.4 hPa (14.727 psi), humidity 53%, 20.4 km (12.7 mi) NE wind, no rain, dew point 12.7 °C (54.9 °F).
^Other data suggests the north peak is 39.95m above sea level, and south peak 36.81m above sea level. See this linkArchived 22 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine for evidence.
^The specifications of the light remain unchanged since this relocation. Its height is 2 m (6 ft 7 in). The light's range was 6 nmi (11 km; 6.9 mi) in clear weather. It is a stainless steel pole in the water. The technical specifications of the lighthouse are: FL(3)W, period 6.1 seconds (i.e.: a cluster of 3 flashes of a white light is produced, which repeats every 6.1 seconds)
^'Highly suitable' area: Most of the west side of the island – in addition to the south east side (near the shack, north of Crap Rock). 'Suitable' area: The remainder of the island.
^'Highly suitable' area: Along a channel from the saddle to the south peak. 'Suitable' area: The remainder of the island.
^ ab'Highly suitable': A small patch at the very top of the north peak.
^'Highly suitable': isolated patches, and most of the rest of the island is classified as 'suitable'.
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