The area was discovered to be a strait (and Tasmania an island) by [[George Bass]] and [[Matthew Flinders]] in 1798 and named after Bass. The Strait and the islands in it are legally part of the State of Tasmania. Its islands were unofficially colonised by whalers and sealers even before the mainland to the north and south were settled. The last remnants of the Tasmanian Aboriginals were settled on the Bass Strait Islands and, to this day, a fair proportion of the population have [[Aboriginal]] blood and follow certain aspects of Aboriginal culture. | The area was discovered to be a strait (and Tasmania an island) by [[George Bass]] and [[Matthew Flinders]] in 1798 and named after Bass. The Strait and the islands in it are legally part of the State of Tasmania. Its islands were unofficially colonised by whalers and sealers even before the mainland to the north and south were settled. The last remnants of the Tasmanian Aboriginals were settled on the Bass Strait Islands and, to this day, a fair proportion of the population have [[Aboriginal]] blood and follow certain aspects of Aboriginal culture. |