  Bishop and Clerk Islets Location in the SouthwesternPacific Ocean | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | SouthwesternPacific Ocean |
| Coordinates | 55°07′S158°41′E / 55.117°S 158.683°E /-55.117; 158.683 |
| Area | 60 ha (150 acres) |
| Highest elevation | 45 m (148 ft)[1] |
| Administration | |
| State | Tasmania |
| LGA | Huon Valley Council |
| Demographics | |
| Population | uninhabited |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
| • Summer (DST) | |
| Type | Natural |
| Criteria | vii, viii |
| Designated | 1997(21stsession) |
| Reference no. | 629 |
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
TheBishop and Clerk Islets are a 60-hectare (150-acre) group ofislets, lying 33 kilometres (21 mi) south ofMacquarie Island in the southwesternPacific Ocean. They are, withMacquarie Island, part of theAustralian state ofTasmania.[2][3] The group consists of Bishop Islet, 24 smaller islets, and various rocks and reefs. Bishop Islet has an area of 3 hectares (7.4 acres) and is mostly rock with some shallow patches of soil. Its highest elevation is 45 metres (148 ft).[1]
The Bishop and Clerk Islets are thesouthernmost terrestrial point of both Australia (excluding theAustralian Antarctic Territory) and Tasmania. The islets are within theMacquarie Island Nature Reserve, managed by theTasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and along with Macquarie Island and theJudge and Clerk Islets,[4] were inscribed in 1997 on theUNESCOWorld Heritage Area,[5] and form a Special Management Area within the nature reserve.[1] They are very infrequently visited and are free of introduced animals and plants.[6]
Three known landings have been made on the islets, all by ship-assisted helicopter. The first, in 1965, was on a rock 50 metres (160 ft) from Bishop Isle. The following two, in 1976 and 1993, were on Bishop Islet itself.[1]
Macquarie shags have been recorded nesting at the Bishop and Clerk Islets. A colony ofblack-browed albatrosses was discovered in 1965.[7]
The onlyvascular plant recorded on Bishop Islet isColobanthus muscoides, while two varieties oflichens have also been noted.
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