Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands
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The Sir Edward Pellew Group of Islands is situated in the south-west corner of the Gulf of Carpentaria, off the northern coast of Australia. They were named in 1802 by Matthew Flinders in honour of Sir Edward Pellew, a fellow naval officer.
Although Flinders was the first British explorer to pass that way, his journals describe indications of some "foreign" people having visited beforehand. Flinders speculated that these visitors were Chinese. The islands were also sighted in 1644 by Abel Tasman who thought they were part of the mainland and called them "Cape Vanderlin".
The island group consists of North, West, Southwest, Centre, and Vanderlin Islands. Combined, the islands have a total area of 2100 square kilometres; the largest, Vanderlin Island, is 32 km long and 13 km wide. Most islands are inhabited (some part-time) by the local indigenous Yanyuwa people. Tourists may negotiate a fee to visit, camp, and fish there.
North Island is home to the 5.41 km² Barranyi (North Island) National Park and offers free camping, with drinking water and barbecue facilities located near Paradise Bay.
