Editing South Cumberland Islands National Park

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox Australian place
| type                   = protected
| name                   = South Cumberland Islands National Park
| state                  = qld
| iucn_category          = II
| image                  = 
| caption                = 
| image_alt              = 
| coordinates            = {{coord|20|44|28|S|149|28|25|E|display=inline,title}}
| relief                 = relief
| map_alt                = 
| nearest_town_or_city   = [[Mackay, Queensland]]
| area                   = 21.8
| area_footnotes         = 
| established            = 
| established_footnotes  = 
| visitation_num         = 
| visitation_year        = 
| visitation_footnotes   = 
| managing_authorities   = Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
| url                    = www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/south-cumberland-islands/index.html
}}
'''South Cumberland Islands''' is a national park in [[Queensland]], [[Australia]], 831&nbsp;km northwest of [[Brisbane]]. It is famous for the [[Box jellyfish|marine stingers]] which can be found in the waters of the park between October and May.<ref name="xqnp"/>

==Islands==
Islands that are protected within the park include [[Keswick Island|(portion of) Keswick Island]], '''St Bees Island''', '''Cockermouth Island''', and '''Scawfell Island''' (formerly named '''L Island'''), which is the largest in the group.

===Scawfell Island===

Scawfell Island (located at 20°52'S., 149°37'E., {{convert|60|km}} off the cost of Queensland, north-east of [[Mackay, Queensland|Mackay]]) is officially regarded as the beginning of the [[Whitsunday Islands|Whitsunday group]]. It was originally part of the Cumberland Isles Group identified by [[Captain James Cook]] in 1770, but was not named.  The island is one of the Cumberland Isles, later known as Whitsundays, and is now part of the South Cumberland Islands. It was named "L Island" by [[Matthew Flinders]] in September 1802, during his [[circumnavigation]] of Australia in {{HMS|Investigator|1801|2}}. It was later renamed as Scawfell Island in 1879, by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell of the [[Royal Navy]],  who surveyed and named many islands of the Whitsundays in 1879 in [[SS Llewellyn|SS ''Llewellyn'']]. The name of the island originates from England's second highest peak, [[Scafell]], in [[Cumbria]], which was then spelt "Scawfell".<ref>Wainwright, A. (1960). The Southern Fells. London: Francis Lincoln. {{ISBN|0-7112-2230-4}}.</ref>

The terrain of the island rises to a peak {{convert|397|m}} high, south-east of Duddon Point, the northern extremity of the island. The island lies  and is a large [[horseshoe]] shape, with [[granite]] cliffs along the coast. It is the largest national park island in the South Cumberland group, and is uninhabited. Large areas of [[tropical rainforest]] cover steep mountain slopes. There is a [[coral]] fringing reef.{{cn|date=January 2021}}{{cn|date=January 2021}}

'''Refuge Bay''' on Scawfell Island provides good anchorage and fishing is permitted here.<ref name="xqnp">{{cite book |title=Explore Queensland's National Parks |year=2008 |publisher=Explore Australia Publishing |location=Prahran, Victoria |isbn=978-1-74117-245-4 |pages=17 }}</ref> Bush camping is permitted on Scawfell Island but visitors must be self-sufficient, and a permit is required from [[Queensland National Parks]]. Camping is at sheltered sites in Refuge Bay.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Science|first=jurisdiction=Queensland; sector=government; corporateName=Department of Environment and|date=2009-10-22|title=Refuge Bay, Scawfell Island {{!}} South Cumberland Islands National Park|url=https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/south-cumberland-islands/camping/refuge-bay-scawfell-island|access-date=2021-02-17|website=Parks and forests {{!}} Department of Environment and Science, Queensland|language=en-AU}}</ref>

In February 2023, a report<ref name="2023-02-20_Z">[https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5244.3.2 A new species of Phyllurus leaf-tailed gecko (Lacertilia: Carphodactylidae) from Scawfell Island, mid-east Queensland, Australia], Conrad J Hoskin, Zootaxa, 2023-02-20</ref><ref name="2023-03-03_ABC">[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-03/queensland-gecko-discovery-mackay-scawfell-island/102050356 New species of leaf-tailed gecko discovered on Scawfell Island in Great Barrier Reef], Julius Dennis, [[ABC News Online]], 2023-03-03</ref> by Dr Conrad Hoskin reported the finding of the [[Scawfell Island leaf-tailed gecko]] (''Phyllurus fimbriatus''), growing to 15&nbsp;cm.

===St Bees Island===
St Bees Island is the 2nd largest island in the group {{Convert|10.32|km2|sqmi|2|abbr=on}}, and is populated by a family living at Homestead Bay on the island.{{cn|date=January 2021}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Queensland}}
* [[List of islands of Australia]]
* [[Protected areas of Queensland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{National Parks of Queensland}}
{{North Queensland}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:National parks of Queensland]]
[[Category:North Queensland]]
[[Category:Islands of Queensland]]