Robins Island Visitors’ Guide: Tips and Information

Robbins Island is an Australian island in Bass Strait that is 9,900 hectares (24,000 acres) in size. It is situated off the coast of Tasmania.
The island is located south of Walker Island and is divided from the Tasmanian mainland by the extremely tidal Robbins Passage

The biggest freehold island in Tasmania, Robbins Island is the seventh-largest island in Tasmania. Robbins Island has had several ownership changes over the years but is still privately owned now.

Who lives on Robins Island?

present situation. Wall Street investor Louis Bacon owns Robins Island, which he paid $11 million for in 1993 in a bankruptcy court auction.

The island is now privately owned and acts as a sanctuary and wildlife preserve. By planting mature oak trees and removing non-native grasses, the owner has used the funds to restore the island’s original state. Thanks to the owner, Louis Bacon, Robbins Island currently has a healthy population of turtles in the state of New York. He has already started construction on the island, including a house and cottages for the island’s caretakers.

Robbins Island is, however, still a private location and is absolutely off-limits to the general public. Even though the island’s environment is thought to be unstable, Mr. Bacon does not want the island to be destroyed by commercialization, which may seem surprising for a nature preserve.

Robbins Island is now restricted to the public, but there’s a chance that it could open up in the future.

Who lives on Robins Island?

Simply said, the owner won’t allow you to go there to look for it. The mysterious “owner” of Robins Island is 64-year-old millionaire businessman Louis Bacon, who paid just $11 million in bankruptcy court in 1993 for the island.

robins island

Access methods to Robben Island

The Nelson Mandela Gateway, which lies on Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, is included in the island tour’s ferry passage to and from it. Tours leave routinely throughout the morning depending on the weather, though occasionally trips are canceled if the crossing is too harsh. Since this is a popular tour, it is a good idea to reserve your spot in advance.

Also, arrive early enough to have time to view the installation that depicts the history of Robben Island in the waiting area. If you’re lucky enough to have excellent weather, the ferry ride takes between 30 and 45 minutes, and the views of Table Bay and Table Mountain are spectacular. People who become seasick may want to make arrangements in advance since this is frequently a turbulent stretch of water.

A short distance separates Murray’s Bay Harbour from the bus that will transport you to the island’s attractions.

What to see there

Visitors travel throughout the island by bus while being accompanied by an official tour guide, who is typically an ex-political prisoner who served time in this jail. Robert Sobukwe’s “house,” where he was held in solitary confinement for several years without being allowed to communicate with anyone, is included on the tour route, which also includes the cemetery for leprosy victims, two quarries where prisoners were forced to work hard to extract stone for buildings and roads on the island, and the maximum security prison itself, which is brought to life by guides who once lived there.

An important reminder of South Africa’s stormy past is Nelson Mandela’s prison cell. Although there are more than 100 permanent residents on the island, the structures are still kept in a minimal level of decay from when it was a prison island. The entire island is regarded as a museum.

robins island

In the Hamptons, are there any private islands?

However, it might very well be the most priceless and untouchable private residence in the entire Hamptons. Approximately 435 acres in size with miles and miles of waterfront, Robins Island is located in the middle of the North and South forks.

Robben Island’s wildlife

Although this windy island’s natural state is barely vegetated grassland without any trees, it is home to a wide variety of animals despite not being the ideal shelter for biodiversity.
While there are several springbok, deer, ostriches, tortoises, many rabbits, and cats on the island itself, it is the tens of thousands of adorable African penguins that draw the most attention. Fur seals and whales are frequently spotted in the harbour. Robben Island’s coasts once hosted more than 20,000 penguins, but as of right now, just about 3,000 remain, probably as a result of scarce food sources.

With more than 100 kinds of birds documented in such a tiny area, the birdlife is generally fairly abundant. On the island, there are nesting night herons and crowned cormorants, so keep an eye out for them.

robins island

Important former inmates

Since then, three of the former Robben Island inmates have been elected president of South Africa. Nelson Mandela held office from 1994 to 1999 and is renowned around the world for his contribution to the anti-apartheid movement. Kgalema Motlanthe served ten years on Robben Island between 1977 and 1987 as a result of his imprisonment for his association with the ANC. Beginning in 2008, he served as President pro tempore for eight months. Jacob Zuma served as South Africa’s president from 2009 to early 2018. He was one of the Robben Island ex-prisoners who served 10 years in prison for his association with the ANC and for plotting to topple the then-reigning apartheid government.

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