Franklin Islands

The Franklin Islands provide good anchorage against winds from southwest to southeast. On the northern side the only hazard is a rock which lies north of the sandbar joining the two islands. This rock does not break in light weather.

East Franklin Island seen from the west. The gap between the islands is not visible. Anchorage may be had anywhere along this coast.

Anchor as close in as possible in one of the sandy bays on the north side of either island. Some of the rocky points which interrupt the beach have rocks extending a little seaward and these must be avoided. Local sailors like to anchor at the gap between the islands, possibly because it offers the most attractive scenery. A good anchorage is near the two sheds on the western island.

The islands are much undermined by shearwaters, which nest there in their millions. It is extremely difficult to walk about, except on the beach and the rocks. There is at least one burrow in every square metre of ground and some are very hard to detect by sight. The ground must be tested at every step. Some writers have made much of the tiger snakes which occupy some of the burrows, but a more likely danger is the risk of leg injuries caused by falls. It would be very hard to remove an injured person from the scene of an accident, even with several helpers.

West Franklin Island. Note the reefs extending from the points, a feature of these islands. The shed is used by park rangers monitoring the bird population.