The Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an uninhabited Australian external territory consisting of four low-lying tropical islands in two separate reefs (Ashmore and Cartier), as well as the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea generated by the islands. The territory is located in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the continental shelf, about 200 nm off the northwest coast of Australia and 80 nm south of the Indonesian island of Rote. I arrived here about a week ago following a passage from Darwin. It is my last day in this magical place. I am leaving for Christmas Island in the morning. Ashmore Reef is a natural reserve, and access to only one of the two lagoons and one of the three islands is permitted.
Ashmore Reef is called Pulau Pasir by Indonesians and Nusa Solokaek in the Rotenese language. Both names have the meaning “sand island”. At low tide, the West Island becomes a semi-circular sandbar.
Beautiful patterns are left in the sand as the water recedes.
A shipwreck was also exposed by the low tide. It still had an engine, which now was little more than a large block of rust.
For a seemingly barren island, West Island is teeming with life. The sounds of the birds is almost deafening. The birds must not get many visitors as they seem immensely curious, circling me as I wade to the island. At times, they look like they want to land on my shoulders.
Ashmore Reef is a crucial sanctuary for numerous bird species, supporting over 100,000 nesting seabirds and hosting significant numbers of migratory shorebirds. Key breeding seabirds include Brown Noddies, Sooty Terns, Great Crested Terns, Masked Boobies, and Lesser Frigatebirds, while important migratory species found there include Greater Sand-Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits, and Curlew Sandpipers. The reef also attracts various landbird visitors and smaller numbers of landbirds like the Pacific Reef-Heron and Little Egret. I saw most of these species while visiting the island. Here is a Brown Noddy and her chick.
The other remarkable occupant of West Island are the Loggerhead Turles.
There were dozens of nests on the island that the turtles would return to at night.
