Part of the Furneaux Group, Clarke Island (also known by its indigenous name of Lungtalanana Island) has an area of 82��km2 and is located (24��km) off the northeast coast of Tasmania, south of Cape Barren Island. Off its west coast lies the shipwreck of HMS Litherland, which sank in 1853 and was discovered in 1983. Clarke Island is Tasmania���s eighth largest island.

The island was named Clarke Island after William Clark, a survivor of the wreck of the Sydney Cove on 28th February 1797 on nearby Preservation Island. Clark, the supercargo of the Sydney Cove, was one of the three survivors who sailed the ship���s longboat to Ninety Mile Beach (East Gippsland, Victoria) and then successfully marched to Sydney, 600 km away.

On 10th May 2005, the government released Crown lands on both Cape Barren and Clarke Island to be overseen by the local Aboriginal association. This marked the first official handover of Crown land to an Aboriginal community in Tasmania. As of 2009, Clarke Island had one permanent resident. Current infrastructure is limited and ageing.

A prominent feature of Clarke Island is a central plateau that rises 110��metres. This inland highland provides a limited water catchment from which water flows directly to the sea. The highest elevation point is 206��metres, located on a northwestern point of the island.

View Larger Map