The Birchs Inlet, also spelt Birch's Inlet or Birches Inlet, is a narrow cove or coastal inlet on the south-western side of Macquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. The inlet is located within the Southwest National Park, part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
| Birchs Inlet | |
|---|---|
| Birch's Inlet; Birches Inlet | |
 The area is important for orange-bellied parrots. | |
 False colour Landsat image of Macquarie Harbour, facing north-west, showing Birchs Inlet extending to the lower left and the Gordon River at the bottom. | |
| Location | West Coast Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 42°30′46″S 145°28′12″E / 42.51278°S 145.47000°E |
| Etymology | Thomas William Birch[1] |
| Primary inflows | Macquarie Harbour |
| River sources |
|
| Ocean/sea sources | Southern Ocean |
| Basin countries | Australia |
| Max. length | 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) |
Features and location
editThe inlet lies approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi) south of the town of Strahan and serves as the mouth of the Birchs, Pocacker and Sorell Rivers, three of several draining south-western Tasmania. About 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) in length, the mouth of the inlet lies near the head of Macquarie Harbour not far from the mouth of the Gordon River. It is only accessible by water transport. It has been at times an important access point for loggers working in the area for moving Huon Pine to Strahan.
It lies at the northern end of the Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet Important Bird Area.[2] It is one of only two (the other being at Melaleuca) study sites for orange-bellied parrots in their breeding range.[3][4]
Etymology
editIt is named after Thomas William Birch (1774-1821), a surgeon, whaler, merchant and shipowner who settled in Tasmania in 1808.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Stancombe, G. H. (14 August 2011). "Birch, Thomas William (1774–1821)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University.
- ^ "IBA: Melaleuca to Birchs Inlet". Birdata. Birds Australia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-08-14.
- ^ Holdsworth, Mark Christopher (2006). Reproductive success and demography of the Orange‐bellied Parrot Neophema chrysogaster (PDF). Master of Science thesis. Hobart: University of Tasmania.
- ^ Orange-bellied Parrot Recovery Team (1998). Orange‐bellied Parrot Recovery Plan 1998-2002 (PDF). Hobart: Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmania.
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