Family Islands National Park
Encyclopedia
The Family Islands are a group of continental islands lying a short distance off the coast, about mid-way between Cairns and Townsville, in Queensland
, Australia
. Most of the area has been designated as a national park. The islands were given their collective name and also English names by Captain Cook when he sailed through the area in 1770.
There are also a number of smaller islands:
Camp grounds are available on Dunk, Coombe and Wheeler Islands, with permits available from Queensland Parks and Wildlife. Resorts operate on Dunk and Bedarra Islands.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Most of the area has been designated as a national park. The islands were given their collective name and also English names by Captain Cook when he sailed through the area in 1770.
The Islands
The largest of the Family Islands, their aboriginal names, and their position in the "family" are:- Dunk Island (Coonanglebah) - the father
- Richards Island (BedarraBedarra IslandBedarra Island is a privately owned island in the middle of the Family Islands National Park, located off the Queensland coast in Australia. The island is made from granite and was part of the mainland before the last sea level rise began 8,000 years ago...
) - the mother - Wheeler Island (Toolgbar) and Coombe Island (Coomba) - the twins
- Smith Island (Kurrumbah), Bowden IslandBowden IslandBowden Island is one of the southern islands of the Family Islands group and located approximately 20 km East of Tully Heads.The Aboriginal name for this island is Budg-Joo Island....
(Budjoo) and Hudson IslandHudson IslandHudson Island is the southernmost island of the Family Islands group and located approximately 20 km East of Tully Heads. The Aboriginal name for this island is Coolah Island....
(Coolah) - the triplets.
There are also a number of smaller islands:
- KumboolaKumboola IslandKumboola Island is in the Family Islands group and located approximately 15 km North East of Tully Heads and immediately South of Dunk Island....
, which is connected to Dunk Island on particularly low tides - Mound Island (Purtaboi), which is protected as a sea bird nesting habitat
- Woln Garin, a small island off Dunk Island's south east corner, known locally as "40ft Rock"
- Battleship Rock (Pee-Rahm-Ah), named because of its distinctive shape when seen from the north.
- Thorpe IslandThorpe IslandThorpe Island is one of the middle islands of the Family Islands group and located approximately 15km East of Tully Heads.The alternate name for this island is Timana Island.In 1770 Captain James Cook discovered The Family Group of Islands...
(Ti mana), which is privately owned with one residence. This is the only Australian island which is owned FreeholdFee simpleIn English law, a fee simple is an estate in land, a form of freehold ownership. It is the most common way that real estate is owned in common law countries, and is ordinarily the most complete ownership interest that can be had in real property short of allodial title, which is often reserved...
to the Low Water Line.
Camp grounds are available on Dunk, Coombe and Wheeler Islands, with permits available from Queensland Parks and Wildlife. Resorts operate on Dunk and Bedarra Islands.