Schouten Island

The Schouten Island is a small uninhabited island south of the Freycinet Peninsula, which is located in the northeast of the Australian state of Tasmania. Schouten is part of the Freycinet National Park since its inception.

The highest point of the island is Mount Storey with 371 meters above the sea. The coastline is characterized by rocky cliffs and sheltered bays. In addition, located on the island a lighthouse.

History

Found on kitchen waste Schouten indicate that the island was inhabited before the arrival of the first Europeans. In 1642 the island was discovered by Abel Tasman and by Joost Schouten, a merchant and diplomat of the Dutch East India Company, named.

1802 landed a French expedition led by Nicolas Baudin on the island. After the discovery of coal deposits by the sealers John Stacey in 1809 the mining of coal and tin began on the island. Plans, which aimed to lure the coal more workers to the island, were never realized, and the coal mining finally set in 1925. From 1850 to 1969 sheep grazing was operated on the island.