.jpg) Gabo Island Lighthouse | |
  Gabo Island Location off the coast nearShire of East Gippsland | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Bass Strait |
| Coordinates | 37°33′47″S149°54′39″E / 37.5629167°S 149.9109722°E /-37.5629167; 149.9109722 |
| 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 a 154-hectare (380-acre)island located off the coast of easternVictoria, Australia, betweenMallacoota andCape Howe on the border withNew South Wales.[1] It is separated from the mainland by a 500-metre-wide (1⁄4-nautical-mile) 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 theAustralian Bureau of Meteorology. The island is anunincorporated area under the direct administration of the government of Victoria.
Gabo Island is well known for itshistoric lighthouse. This lighthouse, Australia's second tallest, was completed in 1862 and made from pinkgranite quarried from the island itself. Thefocal plane of the light is situated at 55 metres (180 ft) above sea level, thecharacteristic 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]
Gabo Island has a moderateoceanic climate (Cfb) with mild summers and cool winters and rainfall spread throughout the year. The island features 60.8 clear days annually, higher thanMelbourne's 48.6 days, mainly due to thefoehn effect that is experiencedin the eastern seaboard. Due to a strong foehn effect, the island registered a high of 32.1 °C on 19 September 2023.[4]
| Climate data for Gabo Island Lighthouse | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | 36.5 (97.7) | 26.6 (79.9) | 22.5 (72.5) | 23.3 (73.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 34.6 (94.3) | 35.6 (96.1) | 37.2 (99.0) | 38.4 (101.1) | 40.8 (105.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.4 (70.5) | 21.6 (70.9) | 21.0 (69.8) | 19.3 (66.7) | 16.9 (62.4) | 14.9 (58.8) | 14.2 (57.6) | 14.7 (58.5) | 16.0 (60.8) | 17.3 (63.1) | 18.5 (65.3) | 20.0 (68.0) | 18.0 (64.4) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 15.9 (60.6) | 16.3 (61.3) | 15.5 (59.9) | 13.5 (56.3) | 11.2 (52.2) | 9.3 (48.7) | 8.2 (46.8) | 8.6 (47.5) | 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) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 70.0 (2.76) | 67.2 (2.65) | 72.8 (2.87) | 83.7 (3.30) | 98.0 (3.86) | 102.3 (4.03) | 83.9 (3.30) | 71.4 (2.81) | 70.9 (2.79) | 74.3 (2.93) | 73.1 (2.88) | 68.3 (2.69) | 935.4 (36.83) |
| Average precipitation days | 9.4 | 9.1 | 10.6 | 11.7 | 13.4 | 14.3 | 13.6 | 13.3 | 13.2 | 13.3 | 11.6 | 10.8 | 144.3 |
| Source: Bureau of Meteorology[5] | |||||||||||||
The island is home to the world's second largestcolony oflittle penguins.[2]Gabo and nearbyTullaberga Island have been identified byBirdLife International as anImportant Bird Area because of the numbers of breeding penguins (up to 21,000 pairs) andwhite-faced storm petrels (up to 20,000 pairs).[6]Concern of predation of native birds and animals led to a successfulferal cat eradication program on the island between 1987 and 1991.[7][8]
“The wind that blows by Gabo,” is the title of a poem byE.J. Brady.[9]
| NearEast Gippsland | |
|---|---|
| NearCorner Inlet | |
| NearWilsons Promontory | |
| InWestern Port | |
| InPort Phillip | |
| NearPortland Bay | |
| In rivers | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
