Deal Island is a granite island, with an area of 1576.75 ha, in south-eastern Australia. It is the largest of Tasmania’s Kent Group, lying in northern Bass Strait between the Furneaux Group and Wilsons Promontory in Victoria. It is now part of the Kent Group National Park, Tasmania’s northernmost national park, which was gazetted in 2002. In 2004 the national park was extended to include the state waters of the three major islands of the Kent Group marine waters.[1]
The Beagle Commonwealth Marine Reserve, the Kent Group, is located at the southern end of the Commonwealth reserve.[2]
Deal Island has been extensively modified in the past by human activity in the construction of facilities and the vegetation clearance and regular firing associated with grazing livestock. It has a lighthouse, airstrip (closed), roads, jetty, four houses, a dam and a museum.[3]
Deal Island has the highest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere, standing 305 m above sea level. The height has caused problems with visibility in low cloud conditions. The lighthouse was built in 1848 and deactivated in 1992. Management and conservation is under the control of the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service.[4]
Recorded breeding seabird and wader species include Little Penguin, Pacific Gull, and Sooty Oystercatcher. Mammals found on the island are the Red-necked Wallaby, Common Brushtail Possum, Southern Brown Bandicoot, as well as the introduced European Rabbit. Reptiles present include the Metallic Skink, Bougainville's Skink, White's Skink and the White-lipped Snake.[3]