Peninsula Billhook

The peninsula Courbet is a vast peninsula occupying the North-East of the principal island of the Kerguelen and accessible on its southern frontage the principal station of the archipelago, Port-with-French.

Physical geography

Coasts

The southern frontage of the Courbet peninsula faces the Presqu'île Ronarc' H and thus delimits the northern part of the Golfe of Morbihan. One reaches it by the east via a master key which one calls Royal Passe and which skirts short the Presqu'île which prolongs the peninsula towards south-east, the Presqu'île of the Prince de Galles. The northern frontage of this peninsula shelters a bay much smaller than the preceding one, baptized Norwegian Baie.

More in north, while skirting the east coast of the peninsula Billhook, and after having passed the Cape Ratmanoff, that is to say the Eastern point of the principal island of Kerguelen, one finds a coastal Lac in which is thrown the Rivière of the East, the Lac Marly. While continuing towards north, one reaches then the Cape Digby, which roughly marks the north-western point of the peninsula.

More in the west, on the northern frontage, the Cape Cotter constitutes as for him its most septentrional point. The coast indeed spins towards south-west once this course last and reached soon a news small stretch of water relatively open on the ocean, the Accessible Baie. Further, it delimits finally the south-east of a bay more extended much, the Baie of Hillsborough. Shelter of the small island Bellouard and especially of the island of the Port, the latter is closed by the Presqu'île Joffre in the North-West and by the buttresses of the Glacier Ross in south-east. With Accessible bay, it forms vast a Golfe called Golfe of the Whalers.

Interior

The half is peninsula is relatively plane and is characterized by altitudes not exceeding the 200 meters. One notices all the same a relief called there Mont Campbell with the back of the course Cotter.

Access to the remainder of the island via what one calls the Central Plateau, the Western half is much more broken and culminates with 979 meters in height. With the foot of the top stretches the North-West towards south-east a small valley called Val Studer in the prolongation of which Port-with-French is.

Human geography

In addition to Port-with-French, the principal station of Kerguelen, the southern frontage of the Courbet peninsula also shelters Molloy, another coastal site of Bay of Morbihan occupied by the scientists. Opposite are three small islands and a little more in the west an island, the High island. The latter occupies the center of a narrow arm of the sea inside principal bay formed by the Courbet peninsula and small the Presqu'île of Gauss, prolongation of the Central Plate of the island pointing towards the west.

External bonds

Photographs and texts on the peninsula Billhook

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