Hook Island
Encyclopedia
Hook Island is one of the Whitsunday Islands
off the coast of the Australia
n state of Queensland
. The island is almost uninhabited, quite rugged and almost completely contained within a section of the Whitsunday Islands National Park
. The island has two prominent geographical features on the southern side of Hook Island; the Nara and Macona inlets, two fjord
-like recesses that are used as anchorages for the Whitsunday tourist fleet. The island's northern coast is noted for its colourful underwater coral
growths, to which snorkelling and diving
enthusiasts are attracted.
On 12 February 2008 a yacht ran aground at Cape Cove. The yacht became wedged on dangerous rocks requiring the rescue of 37 people by helicopter. The incident was Australia's largest helicopter rescue operation from a vessel. At least two people have died from irukandji jellyfish
stings while snorkeling
off Hook Island.
Some of the oldest archaeological site
s ever found in Eastern Australia
are the caves and midden of the Ngaro People
on Hook Island. A site at Nara Inlet is the oldest indication of Aboriginal occupation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
.
. The resort has a combined bar/restaurant with meals and snacks available. Some activities available at the resort are swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving. There is a now closed underwater observatory on the island due to health and safety deeming it to have inadequate ventilation.
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
off the coast of the 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...
n state of Queensland
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...
. The island is almost uninhabited, quite rugged and almost completely contained within a section of the Whitsunday Islands National Park
Whitsunday Islands National Park
Whitsunday Islands is a national park in Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane. It has beautiful scenery and also has a few walks that are open to any one that camps on the islands. To camp on the islands visitors need to book a site....
. The island has two prominent geographical features on the southern side of Hook Island; the Nara and Macona inlets, two fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
-like recesses that are used as anchorages for the Whitsunday tourist fleet. The island's northern coast is noted for its colourful underwater coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
growths, to which snorkelling and diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
enthusiasts are attracted.
On 12 February 2008 a yacht ran aground at Cape Cove. The yacht became wedged on dangerous rocks requiring the rescue of 37 people by helicopter. The incident was Australia's largest helicopter rescue operation from a vessel. At least two people have died from irukandji jellyfish
Irukandji jellyfish
Irukandji jellyfish are tiny and extremely venomous jellyfish that inhabit marine waters of Australia and which are able to fire their stingers into their victim, causing symptoms collectively known as Irukandji syndrome. Its size is roughly no larger than a cubic centimetre...
stings while snorkeling
Snorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
off Hook Island.
Some of the oldest archaeological site
Archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
s ever found in Eastern Australia
Eastern states of Australia
In Australia, the term eastern states refers to the states adjoining the east coast of Australia. These are the mainland states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory, while not states, are also included. The term usually includes the...
are the caves and midden of the Ngaro People
Ngaro people
The Ngaro People were a seafaring Australian Aborigine group of people that inhabited the Whitsunday Islands and coastal regions of Queensland from at least 7000 BC until 1870. Ngaro society was destroyed by warfare with traders, colonists, and the Australian Native Police...
on Hook Island. A site at Nara Inlet is the oldest indication of Aboriginal occupation in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or...
.
Hook Island Wilderness Resort
The only habitation on Hook Island is the Hook Island Wilderness Resort which is serviced in irregular days by large catamaranCatamaran
A catamaran is a type of multihulled boat or ship consisting of two hulls, or vakas, joined by some structure, the most basic being a frame, formed of akas...
. The resort has a combined bar/restaurant with meals and snacks available. Some activities available at the resort are swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving. There is a now closed underwater observatory on the island due to health and safety deeming it to have inadequate ventilation.