Gun Island

Gun Iceland is located in the Indian Ocean about 60 km southwest of the West Australian coastal town of Geraldton. The approximately 19 -acre island is the third largest in the Pelsaert Islands, the southernmost group of islands in the Houtman Abrolhos - Archipelago.

Geography

The wedge-shaped and almost vegatationslose island located in the northwest of the Half Moon Reef. About 1 km to the south you will find 8 Iceland, the northernmost island of the Numbered Islands.

History

On June 9, 1727 Dutch freighter aground Zeewijk in Half Moon Reef. Part of the crew was able to escape to the nearby island. There the survivors built from the wreckage of Zeewijk and other material and flotsam that they found on the surrounding islands, a small boat called Sloepie. This last reached 82 people on April 30, 1728 the original destination port Batavia.

In the course of surveying trips along the Western Australian coast in 1840 a ​​gun made ​​of bronze and some coins were found on the island. The captain of this expedition teams named the island then " Gun Iceland ".

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