The Lawrence Rocks are a group of two rocky islets, 6.8 ha and 1.5 ha in area, with an associated reef, 2.4 km south-east of Point Danger in western Victoria, Australia, and about 6 km south-east of the city of Portland.[
]
Geologically, the group is formed from the remnants of an extinct volcano, with the Islet composed of basalt and tuff.[
]
The islets were sighted by Lieutenant James Grant on 5 December 1800 from the survey brig HMS Lady Nelson and named[
]
for Captain Effingham Lawrence,[
]
one of the Elder Brethren of Trinity House.
Fauna
The rocks are protected as a nature reserve and are the site of a seabird colony of Australasian gannets, the overspill from which led to the establishment of a sister colony at Point Danger.[BirdLife International. (2011). Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lawrence Rocks. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 04/08/2011.] Seal hunting was conducted on the island in the 19th century.[Karen Townrow, An archaeological survey of sealing & whaling sites in Victoria, Heritage Victoria & Australian Heritage Commission, Melbourne, 1997, p.14.]
Recreational dive sites
There are several named sites:
-
The Nursery, at the eastern side, where there are four caves, one known as the Cockpit with a small chamber at the top, at 38° 24.280′ S, 141° 40.260′ E
-
North Point, a boulder ridge off the northern end of Lawrence Rocks, at 38° 24.225′ S, 141° 40.004′ E
-
The Saddle, a gully that cuts through the centre of the rocks, at 38° 24.331′ S, 141° 40.082′ E
-
The Harbour, an area of gutters, ledges and swim-throughs, at 38° 24.514′ S, 141° 40.136′ E
-
The wreck of the Emily S, a short distance northeast from Lawrence Rocks.
