Breaksea Islands

Breaksea Islands Nature Reserve comprises a group of six small islands in the Southern Ocean south of Tasmania, located approximately 30 kilometres west of the South West Cape. These remote islands protect important seabird breeding colonies and a population of the Tasmanian tree skink, an endemic reptile. The islands are among the most remote and least accessible protected areas in Tasmania, lying in the powerful Southern Ocean swell zone. Their extreme remoteness has ensured minimal human disturbance and has preserved intact natural communities including significant seabird populations.

The Breaksea Islands support significant breeding populations of shy albatross and several other seabird species. The Tasmanian tree skink (Pseudemoia entrecasteauxii), a lizard endemic to Tasmania and nearby islands, finds refuge on these remote island outcrops. Australian fur seals use the rocky platforms. The isolation of the islands and their Southern Ocean position means the wildlife is largely undisturbed by human activity. Seabird breeding success at the Breaksea Islands provides important data on the health of Southern Ocean ecosystems.

The vegetation of the Breaksea Islands is sparse, reflecting the extreme exposure to Southern Ocean winds and salt spray. Coastal tussock grass, salt-tolerant herbs, and cushion plants adapted to the subantarctic-influenced climate form the primary plant communities. Seabird colonies enrich the soil with nutrients that support dense grass and herb communities around nesting areas.

The Breaksea Islands are composed of ancient Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, some of the oldest exposed rocks in the region. The islands' resistant geology has allowed them to persist above sea level while surrounding terrain was eroded. The Southern Ocean waves continue to erode the island margins, creating sheer coastal cliffs and rocky platforms.

The Breaksea Islands experience one of the harshest climates of any Tasmanian protected area, fully exposed to roaring forties westerly winds and Southern Ocean swells. Gales are frequent, and access to the islands by sea is dangerous and rarely possible. The islands receive extremely high rainfall and experience frequent sea spray inundation during storms.

The Breaksea Islands were briefly visited by sealers and explorers in the early nineteenth century but have had minimal human contact given their extreme remoteness and inaccessibility. The French explorer Bruni D'Entrecasteaux recorded the islands during his 1792 voyage.

The Breaksea Islands were declared a nature reserve to protect their seabird colonies and endemic reptile populations. The extreme remoteness of the islands provides de facto protection from most human disturbance.

The Breaksea Islands have no visitor infrastructure and access is extremely difficult and dangerous. The islands are not open to public visitation. Scientific research visits are conducted under strict permit conditions when safe sea conditions allow access.

No public access is permitted or practically possible for most people. The islands can occasionally be viewed from the deck of vessels transiting the Southern Ocean south of Tasmania.

Conservation focuses on preventing introduction of invasive species, particularly rats, which would be catastrophic for ground-nesting seabird colonies. Monitoring of the Tasmanian tree skink population tracks the status of this endemic species on these island refuges. Climate change and associated changes in Southern Ocean conditions and storm frequency are long-term threats.