Family Islands National Park Explained
| Type: | protected |
| Family Islands National Park |
| State: | qld |
| Iucn Category: | II |
| Coordinates: | -17.9258°N 146.1353°W |
| Nearest Town Or City: | Tully |
| Area: | 8.69 |
| Established: | 1994 |
| Managing Authorities: | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
| Url: | http://nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/family-islands/index.html |
Family Islands National Park is an Australian national park comprising a group of continental islands lying a short distance off the coast, about midway between Cairns and Townsville, in Far North Queensland. Most of the area has been designated as part of the national park.
The islands were given their collective name and also English names by Captain Cook when he sailed through the area in 1770. They were part of the mainland until roughly 8,000 years ago when the sea level rose.[1]
The Islands
The largest of the Family Islands, their Aboriginal names, and their position in the "family" are:
There are also a number of smaller islands:
- Kumboola, 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 Island (Ti mana), which is privately owned with one residence. This is the only Australian island which is owned freehold.
The European names of the islands reflect the names of the officers on board the survey ship HMS Paluma: Lieutenant G. Richards, commander; Lieutenants Wheeler, Combe and Bowden-Smith; Dr. Thorpe, surgeon; and Mr. Hudson, engineer.[2]
Facilities
Camp grounds are available on Dunk, Coombe and Wheeler Islands, with permits available from Queensland Parks and Wildlife.[3] Resorts operate on Dunk and Bedarra Islands.
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Family Islands National Park: Nature, culture and history . 3 April 2012 . Department of Environment and Resource Management . 20 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110403004659/http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/family-islands/culture.html . 3 April 2011 . dmy-all .
- Book: Venn, Linda. Paluma : the first eighty years 1870s-1950s. 2002. https://web.archive.org/web/20191031224040/https://www.townsville.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/5374/Paluma-The-First-Eighty-Years_web.pdf. Thuringowa City Council. 978-0-9577305-5-7. 31 October 2019. live.
- Web site: Family Islands National Park: Camping information . 3 April 2012 . Department of Environment and Resource Management . 20 August 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120721032917/http://www.derm.qld.gov.au/parks/family-islands/camping.html . 21 July 2012 . dmy .
