Fitzroy Island (Queensland)

Fitzroy Island (originally Koba or Gabar or Goong-Gan-Jee) is a continental island offshore from Cape Grafton, 29 km (18 miles) southeast of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is a locality in the Cairns Region. In the 2021 census, Fitzroy Island had a population of 85 people.

Geography

Fitzroy Island is a large tropical island, with some rainforest covering and its own fringe coral reef system. The island has a total area of 11.6 square kilometres. The highest point of the island is 240 metres (790 feet) above sea level.

Fitzroy Island is a 45-minute ferry ride (about 30 km; 20 miles) from Cairns and is surrounded by a reef system that forms part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Nearly all of the continental island is protected within the Fitzroy Island National Park. Four walking tracks have been established to various parts of the island.

Climate

Fitzroy has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am) with a long, hot, wet season during the summer months; and a short, warm, relatively dry season during the winter months.

History

The island separated from the mainland about 8000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age. There were Aboriginal visits, mainly for visiting hunting trips and recreation. The Yidiny people named the island "Gabar", meaning "lower arm", because of how it was partially submerged.

Lieutenant James Cook named the island in 1770 after Augustus Henry Fitzroy. The island was used for a considerable time as a significant Chinese quarantine station for the Queensland goldfields. Subsequently, it was used as a mission school and, during World War II, as a coast watch station.

The island has also been a significant lighthouse base, with the last permanent lighthouse structure on the main island still being an important attraction. Since the lighthouse closed, the marine community has been served by an automatic lighthouse, based on the adjacent Little Fitzroy Island. There has been both a giant clam farm at Welcome Bay, and there is now a tourist resort and day visitor centre.

In the 2021 census, Fitzroy Island had a population of 85 people.

Attractions

The island is home to a 99-room resort with a restaurant, pool, swim up bar as well as a dive / activity centre. Originally opened in 1981, property developer Doug Gamble bought and renovated the resort in 2010. Island visitors can also spend time at Foxy's Bar and Cafe, a large Pacific Islands bar with a 70’s structural theming, situated right on the beach front, about 100 metres from the resort buildings. The resort manages the camping area.

See also

• List of islands of Australia

References

External links

• Fitzroy Island travel guide from Wikivoyage