Gabo Island is a 154-hectare (380-acre) island located off the coast of eastern Victoria, Australia, between Mallacoota and Cape Howe on the border with New South Wales.[1] It is separated from the mainland by a 500-metre (1,600 ft) wide channel; access is available by arranged flights and boats.[2] Gabo Island is a shipping reference commonly referred to in Victorian weather warnings issued by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The island is an unincorporated area under the direct administration of the government of Victoria.
![]() ![]() Gabo Island Location off the coast near Shire of East Gippsland | |
Geography | |
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Location | Bass Strait |
Coordinates | 37°33′47″S 149°54′39″E |
Length | 2.4 km (1.49 mi)[1] |
Width | 0.8 km (0.5 mi)[1] |
Highest elevation | 52 m (171 ft)[1] |
Administration | |
Australia | |
State | Victoria |
Gabo Island is well known for its historic lighthouse. This lighthouse, Australia's second tallest, was completed in 1862 and made from pink granite quarried from the island itself. The focal plane of the light is situated at 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level, the characteristic is a group of three flashes that occurs every twenty seconds. A keeper's house is occupied by a caretaker; another building may be rented for overnight stays.[3]
Climate data for Gabo Island Lighthouse | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 40.8 (105.4) |
39.1 (102.4) |
38.6 (101.5) |
35.0 (95.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
23.3 (73.9) |
26.7 (80.1) |
31.0 (87.8) |
35.6 (96.1) |
37.2 (99.0) |
38.4 (101.1) |
40.8 (105.4) |
Average high °C (°F) | 21.3 (70.3) |
21.6 (70.9) |
21.0 (69.8) |
19.2 (66.6) |
16.9 (62.4) |
14.8 (58.6) |
14.1 (57.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
15.9 (60.6) |
17.2 (63.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
19.9 (67.8) |
17.9 (64.2) |
Average low °C (°F) | 15.8 (60.4) |
16.2 (61.2) |
15.4 (59.7) |
13.5 (56.3) |
11.2 (52.2) |
9.3 (48.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
8.5 (47.3) |
9.7 (49.5) |
11.2 (52.2) |
12.8 (55.0) |
14.4 (57.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
Record low °C (°F) | 6.3 (43.3) |
7.8 (46.0) |
7.8 (46.0) |
6.4 (43.5) |
2.2 (36.0) |
3.3 (37.9) |
2.0 (35.6) |
2.8 (37.0) |
2.8 (37.0) |
2.8 (37.0) |
1.7 (35.1) |
7.2 (45.0) |
1.7 (35.1) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 70.2 (2.76) |
67.7 (2.67) |
72.5 (2.85) |
84.4 (3.32) |
98.3 (3.87) |
103.4 (4.07) |
85.4 (3.36) |
71.5 (2.81) |
72.5 (2.85) |
74.4 (2.93) |
73.1 (2.88) |
66.7 (2.63) |
941.9 (37.08) |
Average precipitation days | 9.4 | 9.1 | 10.6 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.4 | 13.7 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 13.3 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 144.7 |
Source: Bureau of Meteorology[4] |
The island is home to the world's second largest colony of little penguins.[2] Gabo and nearby Tullaberga Island have been identified by BirdLife International as an Important Bird Area because of the numbers of breeding penguins (up to 21,000 pairs) and white-faced storm petrels (up to 20,000 pairs).[5] Concern of predation of native birds and animals led to a successful feral cat eradication program on the island between 1987 and 1991.[6][7]
“The wind that blows by Gabo,” is the title of a poem by E.J. Brady.[8]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gabo Island. |
Local government areas of Victoria | |||||||
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Port Phillip region |
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Barwon South West region |
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Gippsland region |
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Grampians region |
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Hume region |
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Loddon Mallee region |
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Unincorporated areas |
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Islands and islets of Victoria, Australia | |
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Near East Gippsland | |
Near Corner Inlet | |
Near Wilsons Promontory | |
In Western Port |
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In Port Phillip | |
Near Portland Bay | |
In rivers | |
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General |
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National libraries |