Marine Protected Areas
Lord Howe Island, Ed Slater, Australian Heritage Commission Collection
It is believed that Europeans discovered Lord Howe Island when the island was sighted in 1788 from the British colonial naval vessel HMS Supply, en route from Sydney to the penal colony on Norfolk Island. The first landing was made two months later on the return voyage to Sydney.
By the 1830s there was a small permanent settlement in the lowland area of the main island. The settlers made a living by hunting and fishing, and by growing vegetables, fruit and meat for trade with passing whaling ships. While the marine environment has remained central to the traditions and lifestyle of the Island community to the present day, structures and places of cultural significance relate mainly to the residences, outhouses, wells and gardens of the Island settlement.
A number of historic shipwrecks are believed to be found in either the State or Commonwealth sections of the Park. Of the 12 shipwrecks believed to be in the Lord Howe area, half are believed to have been lost in Commonwealth Park. These include the Wolf, wrecked in 1837, the Zeno, wrecked in 1895, Maelgyn, lost in 1907, and the Laura, wrecked in 1913. No specific positions are available for these wrecks as they have not yet been accurately located. Seabed habitat mapping research may be able to detect the presence of these shipwrecks. For more information visit the National Shipwreck Database.