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King Island - Fast Facts

King Island
Historically important island famous for its dairy produce
Located approximately 80 km northeast of Tasmania and about 90 km southeast of Cape Otway on the Victorian coast, King Island, with a population of over 2 500, is one of Australia's undiscovered island retreats. Windswept, rainy (it has an annual rainfall of over 1000 mm), rugged and attractive it boasts over 145 km of untouched coastline, an estimated 57 offshore wrecks (a legacy of the dangers of trying to cross and pass through Bass Strait in inclement weather) and a wide and unusual variety of seabirds and wildlife.

This is not a tiny island. It is some 58 km long and 21 km wide and has a total area of 126 000 ha. Before the arrival of Europeans the island was richly forested but today it has been cleared for farming and the huge trees have been replaced by low lying scrub and ti-trees.


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Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/king-island-fast-facts-20081113-5zj0.html