Kent Group National Park, National park in Bass Strait, Tasmania, Australia
Kent Group National Park comprises three main islands - Deal, Erith, and Dover - situated in Bass Strait off Tasmania's coast. The park protects both the land and a substantial marine reserve surrounding the islands.
Human occupation of the Kent Group dates back an estimated 8,000 to 13,000 years. European sealer settlements in eastern Bass Strait, including here, were among the earliest outside Sydney Cove. A lighthouse was built on Deal Island in 1848 and stayed manned until 1992, and cattle grazed parts of the islands until 1996.
Aboriginal occupation of the Kent Group area is estimated at between 8,000 and 13,000 years ago, when lower sea levels left the islands joined to the mainland. European sealers set up camps in eastern Bass Strait, including here, among the earliest outside Sydney Cove. Cattle grazed parts of the islands until 1996; Dover Island, never stocked, kept its original woodland.
Access to the islands requires arranging private boat transport in advance. Basic camping facilities exist at West Cove on Erith Island and at Garden or Winter Coves on Deal Island.
Deal Island features a lighthouse built in 1848 situated at a high elevation on the island. When active, this structure was among the highest-positioned lighthouses in the Southern Hemisphere.
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