A chain of long, narrow islands in the Arafura Sea. The highest point, at 130 metres, is to be found on Raragala Island. Vegetation is diverse, including Triodia heathlands, Melaleuca woodlands and patches of monsoon forest and vine thickets. Vegetation of the islands.

Location: the islands are situated at the north-eastern tip of Arnhem Land to the north east of Pt. Napier and north of Gove Peninsula; 600 km east of Darwin.

Places of interest: Cape Wessel; Cunningham Islands; Gove Peninsula; The English Company's Islands; Aboriginal rock and and historic occupational sites.

Brief history

Part of the territory of the Nango Aboriginal peoples, there is evidence to support Japanese records indicating that between 1620 and 1633, a fleet of forty Japanese ship lead by Yamada Nagamasa reached these shores, referring to it as 'Sei-tso' or "South Land of Pearls". Aboriginal rock paintings depicting human figures in garments typical of ancient Japanese pearlers occur on the wall of a large rock shelter on one of the islands.

Dutch explorers Lenaert Jacobszoon (August 1818), J Carstenszoon (May 1823), Gerritt Pool (June 1636) and Abel Tasman (April 1644) all visited the islands. Matthew Flinders charted and named them in March 1803. During World War II, a Japanese float plane bombed and sank HMAS Patricia Cam near the islands in January 1943.

The islands are today occupied by the Galpu Aborigines but are otherwise undisturbed. Various proposals for tourist developments on the islands pose some threat to their wilderness character. Some islands are covered by mining exploration licence applications and most of Marchinbar Island is a mining reserve.

Origin of name

Named by Matthew Flinders, 6th March 1803. It recalls the Dutch ship, Wesel, which was one of three ship despatched under Commander Gerritt Thomas Pool to explore this coast in June 1636. The voyage was fraught with problems and was abandoned after natives attacked and killed crew members, including Pool, who was killed on the shores of New Guinea.