AUTUMN

March–May

LIGHT WESTERLY winds in autumn offer a cool contrast to the clear warm waters that arrive around the island from the more tropical north at this time of year.And, as the shorebird breeding season nears its end, the NPWS begins to shift its focus to maintaining and improving the island’s vegetation.

The service has been committed to rehabilitating the island back to its natural state since it became a Nature Reserve. Before Europeans arrived the island supported small trees and shrubs. But the combined effects of timber harvesting for construction and fuel, increased wildfires and grazing by feral rabbits and goats resulted in the loss of most woody vegetation and suitable habitat for nesting birds.

All trees now growing on the island have been planted by NPWS staff or volunteers as part of Montague’s rehabilitation program. “It’s been really important to get the canopy up and the native understorey vegetation re-established within previously weed-dominated habitats,” Amy says.The soil on the island is very sandy, which proves problematic when reestablishing native vegetation from scratch. Native casuarinas have been heavily exploited as part of a successional planting technique. These scraggly looking trees grow quickly and fix nitrogen in the soil before dying off after a naturally short life span of just 15 years.

Like the casuarinas, each type of plant included in the program has a unique role to play in the island ecosystem. A low-lying strappy-leaf plant called mat rush that is now also common throughout the island is important for the tens of thousands of shearwaters that nest here in burrows. “The mat rush helps bind the sandy soils together, reducing burrow collapse,” Amy explains.

Under water

Because autumn brings consistently clear warm water, it’s the perfect time to experience the island’s seals. Five charter operators service the island and provide tours that take advantage of seal activities. So, grab your snorkelling or scuba gear and slide into the ocean to watch seals frolicking in the water column or antagonising fiddler rays on the sea floor. Keep an eye out for brigades of schooling fish passing over the kelp-covered reef and listen for whale songs reverberating through the water as humpbacks pass by on their northward migration.

The seals begin moulting during autumn. “Pups are born very dark and moult after about three or four months, and the adults also moult at the same time,” Rob says, explaining fur seals don’t have a catastrophic moult like elephant seals, which shed everything at once. They’re more like dogs slowly shedding winter coats. Because males don’t feed during the spring breeding season, they use autumn, winter and early spring to build energy stores. “They can disperse a long way during that time because they don’t have anything to keep them at the island,” Rob says.

Grab your snorkelling or scuba gear and slide into the ocean to watch seals frolicking.

Grey nurse sharks (far left) are seasonal visitors to Montague and can be spotted while diving in autumn with one of the island’s charter operators. Other stunning marine creatures such as this fiddler ray (left) are found inhabiting the deep blue...

Whether the island is experienced on a day trip or an extended overnight stay, visitors can expect to be surrounded by wildlife as they’re guided by NPWS staff during educational tours.