| Location | Spencer Gulf, South Australia |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | |
| Year first constructed | 1911, rebuilt 1970 |
| Year first lit | 1911 |
| Deactivated | No |
| Construction | White lantern on square gray concrete tower |
| Tower shape | Square |
| Markings / pattern | White |
| Height | 5 m |
| Focal height | 207 m |
| Current lens | 250 mm |
| Range | 17 nautical miles (31 km; 20 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl.(2) 15s |
| Admiralty number | K1870 |
| NGA number | 8428 |
| ARLHS number | AUS-203 |
Wedge Island is a partly privately owned island, with an area of about 10 km2, in south-eastern Australia. It is the largest of the small Gambier Islands Group lying between the southern tips of the Eyre and Yorke Peninsulas in South Australia at the entrance to Spencer Gulf.
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There is a lighthouse at the south-eastern end, and highest point, of the island. There is an airstrip on the island as well as a jetty. The island is not permanently inhabited, but has buildings used for holiday accommodation and as a base for local and offshore recreational fishing. It is also a dive site.
The endangered Brush-tailed Bettong has been introduced to the island.[1] The island has been identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports over 1% of the world population, with up to about 16,000 breeding pairs, of White-faced Storm-Petrels.[2]
Wedge Island was named in 1802 by Matthew Flinders. It was originally settled in the mid-19th century as a farm for breeding horses for the British Indian Army, with various agricultural activities such sheep and cattle grazing and wheat cropping continuing for the nexrt 130 years. The lighthouse was first lit on 29 March 1911 and rebuilt in 1970.[3] During the Second World War a radar station, with a staff of about 30, was operated at the lighthouse site.[4]