Matthew Flinders travelling on board the Francis on its third and final salvage trip also decided to take a wombat specimen from the island to Port Jackson. Governor Hunter later sent the animal's corpse to Joseph Banks at the Literary and Philosophical Society to verify it as a new species. The island was named Clarke island after William Clark. Sealing is believed to taken place on the island early in the 19th century. Recent developments The root fungus pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi, known to be able to kill Australian native plants was found in the island in an isolated case, in 2002. Introduced animals still inhabiting the island include rabbits, cats and rats. In January 2023, a project to remove the feral cats to protect a colony of vulnerable white-fronted terns (Sterna striata) nesting on the island began. On 10 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. , Clarke Island had one permanent resident. Current infrastructure is limited and ageing. Topography A prominent feature of Clarke Island is a central plateau that rises . This inland highland provides a limited water catchment from which water flows directly to the sea. The highest elevation point is , located on a northwestern point of the island. To the East of the Island are a collection of white beaches in the Rutherford Cove area. See also List of islands of Tasmania References Furneaux Group Islands of Bass Strait Islands of North East Tasmania Seal hunting Private islands of Tasmania