Location of Cervantes Islands in Western Australia
The Cervantes Islands are a small group of islands in
Western Australia, found to the south west of the locality of
Cervantes. They are approximately 180km north west of
Perth. They are 2 km (1.2 mi) from Thirsty Point which is at the southern side of the locality.[1]
Island group
The Cervantes Islands are a group of three individual islands:
North Cervantes Island with an area of 284 hectares (701.8 acres) located 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) from the mainland with a maximum elevation of 8 metres (26 ft)
Middle Cervantes Island with an area of 0.45 ha (1.1 acres) located 2.6 km (1.6 mi) from the mainland.
South Cervantes Island with an area of 0.71 ha (1.8 acres) located 2.7 km (1.7 mi) from the mainland.[2]
The group sits within the
Jurien Bay Marine Park[3] and the
Turquoise Coast islands group, a chain of 40 islands spread over a distance of 150 kilometres (93 mi).[2] The islands are located in the Cervantes Islands Nature Reserve, which was declared in 1968.[4]
The islands are named for an American whaling ship that was wrecked off the North island in June 1844.[5][6] The ship was named after the writer
Miguel de Cervantes.[7]
^Thirsty Point was earlier known as Wreck Point p300 Murray, Ian; Hercock, Marion; Murray, Ian; Hercock, Marion (2008), Where on the coast is that?, Hesperian Press,
ISBN978-0-85905-452-2