Hamilton Island (Queensland)

Hamilton Island is an island of the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Australia. It is approximately 887 kilometres (551 mi) north of Brisbane and 512 kilometres (318 mi) south of Cairns.

Hamilton Island
Hamilton Island marina, 2012
Geography
LocationQueensland, Australia
Coordinates20°21′S 148°57′E
ArchipelagoWhitsunday Islands
Area5 km2 (1.9 sq mi)
Administration
StateQueensland
LGAWhitsunday Region
Demographics
Population1,208[1] (2011)

It is the largest inhabited island of the Whitsunday Islands and a popular year-round tourist destination. Hamilton Island is one of the only islands in the Great Barrier Reef with a commercial airport, offering direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Geography

Like most in the Whitsunday group, Hamilton Island was formed as sea levels rose which created numerous drowned mountains that are situated close to the east coast of Queensland. It is one of the larger islands in the Whitsundays. The Hamilton Island resort complex was inspired by Waikiki Beach in Hawaii. The central north-facing Catseye Beach is man-made and named after shells which were scattered numerously across the area.

Hamilton Island is home to many species of native flora and fauna. Population management through a culling program is occasionally necessary. Animals frequently encountered and sometimes problematic include possums, wallabies, cockatoos and crows.

History

Hamilton Island is believed to be named after a crew member of the survey vessel that charted the area in 1866. The island was purchased in 1975 by Keith Williams and Bryan Byrt for a grazing lease. In 1978, Keith Williams commenced construction of Hamilton Island Harbour and the resort complex shortly after.[2]

The resort opened in phases between 1982 and 1984. In 1985, a fire destroyed most of the central portion of the resort complex, which was completely rebuilt by 1986. The current Whitsunday Holiday Apartments opened in 1986 followed by the current Reef View Hotel in 1990. In 1992 the resort was placed in receivership and between 1995 and 2003 it was owned by BT Australia and managed by Holiday Inn for a portion of that time. In 1999, the five-star Beach Club opened. The island was purchased by the Oatley family in 2003, operators of a winemaking business, and was listed for sale in 2023.[3]

In 1987 Beatles lead guitarist George Harrison and his wife Olivia Harrison built a compound on the island in the South Pacific theme, which they called "Letsbeavenue".[4] They lived there seasonally throughout the remainder of George's life. The residence still exists and is located on Melaleuca Ave, but was sold by the family in 2008.

In 2009, there were two key infrastructure and tourism developments completed for the resort. The Hamilton Island Yacht Club was officially completed and opened by former Queensland Premier Anna Bligh during Hamilton Island Race Week.[5] and the Hamilton Island Golf Club is new Championship resort course which opened in August 2009. The 18-hole course on neighbouring Dent Island measures 6,120 metres and is billed as the only championship island golf course in Australia.[6]

In 2009, Tourism Queensland promoted the Great Barrier Reef as a global tourism destination with a website encouraging people worldwide to apply for "The Best Job in the World", to be a "Caretaker of the Islands" to "house-sit" the islands of the Great Barrier Reef for half a year, based on Hamilton Island.[7][8][9][10]

At the 2011 Australian Census, the island recorded a population of 1,208 people.[1] The permanent population comprises residents and staff. The tourist population reaches approximately 5,000 people in peak periods.

Catseye Beach on Hamilton Island
Palm Tree in Catseye Beach, Hamilton Island.
Passage Peak, the highest point on Hamilton Island
Low tide, 2011

Education

Hamilton Island State School caters for students from the Preparatory Year to Year 6.[11] It is located on Hamilton Island in the Whitsunday group, twenty kilometres from mainland Australia. It opened on 28 January 1986.[12] The school also offers a range of extra-curricular offerings such as year 4, 5 and 6 students have the opportunity to learn how to sail and from 2018, year 4 students will have the opportunity to complete a PADI Seal Diving certificate.[13]

Facilities

Drinking water is provided by a combination of rainwater recycling, a dam, and seawater desalination. A Reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant was commissioned in 1996 and can supply up to 1.3 million litres of potable water per day. The plant's seawater intake is driven by two vertical turbine pumps installed on a purpose made jetty. Waste brine is discharged to a pit where it gravitates to an ocean outfall away from the seawater intake.[14] Electricity is provided by an undersea cable connected to the mainland, as well as by generators on the island.

Hamilton Island Airport, properly named Great Barrier Reef Airport, was one of the earlier infrastructure installations and was built in the early 1980s.[15]

The island hosts approximately 500 weddings per year at various venues.

Neighbouring Dent Island was purchased by the Oatley family and now houses the world-class Hamilton Island Golf Course.

Transport

Hamilton Island Airport is the only airport in the Whitsunday Islands that is big enough to cater for larger commercial aircraft. Hamilton Island is also served by several ferries, which can only carry passengers. Mainland motor vehicles are prohibited on the island with the exception of those for tradespeople and island public transport.[16]

See also

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (31 October 2012). "Hamilton Island (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2011 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  2. "Hamilton Island". Aussie Towns.
  3. "Hamilton Island History". Hamilton Island. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  4. Theroux, Paul. "George Harrison's South Pacific-Style Compound in Australia". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  5. "Hamilton Island Yacht Club opens its doors to the public". Hamilton Island Enterprises. 1 December 2009. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  6. About the Designer Archived 6 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Hamilton Island Golf Club. Hamilton Island Great Barrier Reef Australia. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  7. The Best Job in the World website Archived 31 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine - Department of Tourism, Regional Development and Industry
  8. Best Job in the World Archived 6 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  9. (12 January 2009). BBC: Wanted: Paradise island 'caretaker' Archived 14 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. BBC News. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  10. Glen Scanlon (12 January 2009). CNN: Life's a beach with dream Australian island job Archived 20 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine. CNN. Retrieved 17 May 2014.
  11. "Hamilton Island State School". Archived from the original on 17 January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  12. "Opening and closing dates of Queensland Schools". Queensland Government. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
  13. "PADI youth scuba diving programs". Archived from the original on 14 October 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  14. "Case Studies - Hamilton Island". Ausmos. Archived from the original on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  15. "Hamilton Island Airport". ozfly. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  16. "Hamilton Island, Queensland". Cruiseabout. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Hamilton Island.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hamilton Island, Queensland.
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