Gold Harbour
Gold Harbour (54°37′S 35°56′W / 54.617°S 35.933°W) is a small bay along the eastern end of South Georgia. It is found mid-way between Cape Charlotte and Müller Point, five miles south-southwest of Cape Charlotte, with the Bertrab Glacier at its head.
The harbour was surveyed by Cdr J C Grattan, RN, in 1958.
During the early 1900s, the feature was variously called "Anna's Bay", "Gold-Hafen" or "Sandwich Bay"; the latter name has also been used for Iris Bay. The approved name appears to have taken root through common usage by sealers and whalers and is now well established.
The name "Gold Harbour" was in common use among the early sealers, but no account comes down to us to be sure why, though when the sun is low in the morning of evening, its rays make the cliffs a golden yellow, which may be the reason.
Wildlife
The area is a breeding ground for penguins include King Penguins and Gentoo Penguins, and elephant seals also breed here, especially at the west end of the beach, where a glacial stream flows. Sooty Albatrosses also breed here.
Outside links
References
- Child, Jack. Antarctica and South American Geopolitics: Frozen Lebensraum. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1988, 13-14, 27-28.
- Lonely Planet, Antarctica: a Lonely Planet Travel Survival Kit, Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet Publications, 1996, pp. 275–281.
- U.S. National Science Foundation, Geographic Names of the Antarctic, Fred G. Alberts, ed. Washington: NSF, 1980.
Gazetteer and Map of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: Gold Harbour
