Garden Island (Western Australia)
Garden Island (Noongar: Meandup or Meeandip) is a narrow island about 10 kilometres (6 mi) long and 1.5 kilometres (0.9 mi) wide, lying about 5 kilometres (3 mi) off the Western Australian coast, to which it is linked by an artificial causeway and bridge.
Garden Island and Cockburn Sound from space (NASA World Wind) | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Indian Ocean |
| Coordinates | 32°11′39″S 115°40′27″E |
| Area | 11 km2 (4.2 sq mi) |
| Administration | |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 772 (SAL 2021) |
| Official name | Garden Island |
| Type | Listed place (Natural) |
| Designated | 22 June 2004 |
| Reference no. | 105274 |
Like Rottnest Island and Carnac Island, it is a limestone outcrop covered by a thin layer of sand accumulated during an era of lowered sea levels. The Noongar peoples tell of walking to these islands in their Dreamtime.
At the end of the last glacial period, the sea level rose, cutting the island off from the mainland. For the last seven thousand years, the island has existed in relative isolation.
The Royal Australian Navy's largest fleet base, Fleet Base West, also called HMAS Stirling, is on the shores of Careening Bay, on the southeastern section of Garden Island, facing Cockburn Sound. At the 2016 census, 720 people lived on the Garden Island base.
The entirety of Garden Island is included on the Commonwealth Heritage List for its natural values. Garden Island is home to a tammar wallaby population.