The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles, is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the south coast of Western Australia. The islands stretch from east to west and to off-shore encompassing an area of approximately . The western group is near Esperance and the eastern group at Israelite Bay. They are located in coastal waters, part of which is designated the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve.
History Pre-European Recherche Archipelago exhibits evidence of human occupation dated to 13,000 years ago. Archeologists have found ancient artefacts on Salisbury Island, a massive limestone remnant sitting on a granite dome offshore, that included stone blades, lizard traps, axe heads, grinding stones and granite watering holes. The objects are believed to extend up to 13,000 years before present, from a time of lower sea levels when many of the islands were joined to the mainland.
European discovery and naming The islands became known to Europeans when François Thijssen and Pieter Nuyts, sailing on Gulden Zeepaert, charted the coast in 1627. George Vancouver also passed through the archipelago as part of his expedition in HMS Discovery in 1791. The area was named Archipelago of the Recherche (, ) by Rear-admiral Antoine Bruni d'Entrecasteaux in 1792 during a French expedition in search of the vanished navigator Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse. The name was taken from one of the admiral's ships, Recherche ("Research"). The bay containing the current town of Esperance was named for his other ship, Espérance. Matthew Flinders was the first to explore and chart the islands of the archipelago in 1802 as part of his voyage in the Investigator.
Maritime history Flinders abandoned two anchors when leaving Middle Island in 1803. These were found and recovered in 1973 by divers.Christopher, P. & Cundell, N. (editors), (2004), Let's Go For a Dive, 50 years of the Underwater Explorers Club of SA, published by Peter Christopher, Kent Town, SA, pp.45–49. This describes the search and recovery of the anchors by members of the Underwater Explorers Club of South Australia The bower anchor is on display at the South Australian Maritime Museum while the stream anchor can be seen at the National Museum of Australia.Christopher, P. & Cundell, N. (editors), (2004), Let's Go For a Dive, 50 years of the Underwater Explorers Club of SA, published by Peter Christopher, Kent Town, SA, pp.48'HM Sloop Investigator anchor,' , retrieved 16 July 2012.Stream anchor from Matthew Flinders' ship the 'Investigator' , National Museum of Australia
Sealers and whalers from other British colonies on the Australian continent frequented the area since at least the early 1820s. Australia's only recorded pirate, Black Jack Anderson, frequented the archipelago in the 1830s. A former whaler, he turned to piracy and wreaked havoc in the area until being murdered by his crew.Georgatas, G., "An 18,000-year old history uncovered on WA island", National Indigenous Times, 20 June 2012, p. 14. Middle Island was regarded as the right whale hunting station of the bight in the 1830s and 1840s.
The archipelago is recorded as the site of shipwrecks and other maritime incidents. The brig Belinda was wrecked off Middle Island while sealing in late 1824. The crew unsuccessfully attempted to reach Sydney in two boats, and were eventually rescued by the Nereus. The schooner Liberty salvaged the wreck the following year collecting metal stores and both the anchors. The Mountaineer was sunk off Thistle Cove near Cape Le Grand in 1835 while attempting to find shelter from a gale. The Rodondo was thought to be wrecked on Polloch Reef off Salisbury Island in 1895. The SS Penguin was wrecked in 1920 off Middle Island while trying to shelter from a gale. The vessel was salvaged later the following year. On 14 February 1991 the Sanko Harvest a bulk carrier of 33,024 tons sank in the archipelago – and it became the second largest wreck that can be dived on in the world.(1994) Wreck has become a massive artificial reef. Second largest vessel in the world that can be dived Landscope, Winter 1994, pp. 23–27(1995) Government declares 500-metre radius around the wreck a protected area for local marine life and recreational diving Western fisheries, May/June 1995, p.7 The response to pollution caused by the wreck was reported upon soon after.Western Australia. State Committee for Combating Marine Oil Pollution.(1991) Report on pollution response operations at Esperance from the wreck of the "Sanko Harvest" / by the State Committee for Combating Marine Oil Pollution; R.S. Purkiss, chairman. Fremantle, W.A : Dept of Marine & Harbours, 1991] no. DMH P4/91
Uses of the area now include recreational and commercial fishing, and shipping from the Port of Esperance. Commercial fishing is primarily for abalone, southern rock lobsters, pilchards, and sharks, and fishing tourism is an established industry. The area is proposed for other applications of aquaculture, including farming trials of bluefin tuna.
Geography
The archipelago includes 105 features classed as islands, and more than 1500 islets. The islands of the archipelago have a combined area of . The islands are generally composed of granite outcrops, often with steep slopes and usually lacking beaches. A large number of features are submerged, some becoming exposed by tides. The coast is subject to some of the most extreme wave energy in all of Australia, with the wave energy causing abrasion as far down as during storms. The inner shelf of the archipelago has an average depth of with most of the islands being in of water. Middle Island with an area of is the largest island in the Archipelago.
Groups
The islands are usually considered as being either in the western group, near Esperance and Woody Island and Cape Le Grand National Park, or in the eastern group where Middle Island is most prominent, near Cape Arid National Park.Smith, L.A., R.E. Johnstone and J. Dell.(2005) Vertebrate fauna of the Eastern Group, Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia Western Australian naturalist, Vol.24, no.4 (30 April 2005), p.232-246 Some surveys of the archipelago go further than the eastern and western distinction and consider groupings around named islands,Everall Consulting Biologist.(1999) Benthic habitat survey of the Remark, Mart, Mondrain, Tory and York Island groups in the Recherche Archipelago Perth, W.A. : Fisheries Western Australia, also known as Draft aquaculture plan for the Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia. February 1999 such as the Woody Group and the Remark Group.
Part of the area is included in the bioregion described as Esperance 2 (ESP2), the 'Recherche subregion', which contains Cape Le Grand National Park at its western end, and the Cape Arid National Park at the eastern end. This area is named the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve.
Islands
Tour operator Don MacKenzie was granted permission to land passengers on Woody Island in 1973. The MacKenzie family built the jetty that is still used for visitors to disembark from tourist boats.