Low Isles, Queensland Explained

Type:suburb
Low Isles
State:qld
Coordinates:-16.3888°N 145.5633°W
Pop:0
Postcode:4873
Area:2.0
Timezone:AEST
Utc:+10:00
Lga:Shire of Douglas
Stategov:Cook
Maxtemp:29.4
Mintemp:23.4
Rainfall:2100.7
Near-N:Coral Sea
Near-Ne:Coral Sea
Near-E:Coral Sea
Near-Se:Coral Sea
Near-S:Coral Sea
Near-Sw:Coral Sea
Near-W:Coral Sea
Near-Nw:Coral Sea

Low Isles is an offshore locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia.[1] Located in the Coral Sea, the islands are due east of Rocky Point and approximately 14.5km (09miles) north-east of Port Douglas on the Queensland mainland coast. In the, Low Isles had "no people or a very low population".

Geography

The locality consists of a pair of islands:[2]

with the Low Islands Reef between them.

The islands are due east of Rocky Point and approximately 14.5km (09miles) north-east of Port Douglas on the Queensland mainland coast.

Climate

The Low Isles have a tropical monsoon (Köppen: Am; with sultry, very rainy summers and very warm, relatively dry winters.

History

The name comes from Lieutenant James Cook of HMS Endeavour, who wrote in his log on 10 June 1770, "...we hauld off north to get without a small, low island...".[1]

The Low Isles Light station was established in 1874 with the first permanent lighthouse completed in 1878, it was the first lighthouse in Far North Queensland and the first to light the Inner Passage of the Great Barrier Reef.[5]

In 1954, a scientific expedition to Low Isles to monitor water quality was organised by the Geology Department, University of Queensland and led by Dr Fred Whitehouse.[6]

Staff operating the lighthouse lived on the island until it was upgraded to use solar power in 1993, after which it operated automatically.

On 4 September 2006, Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray on Batt Reef to the east of Low Isles. He was rushed to Low Island where he was pronounced dead.[7] [8] [9]

Demographics

In the, Low Isles had "no people or a very low population".

In the, Low Isles had "no people or a very low population".

Heritage listings

The Low Island Lighthouse (-16.3841°N 145.5598°W) is listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List.

Education

There are no schools on the islands. Distance education and boarding school would be options.[10]

Attractions

The islands are popular for snorkelling over the reef to see coral, fish and sea turtles. Birdwatching is popular on Woody Island where white heron and migrating species are seen.

Low Island has the Low Isles Lighthouse and a museum.[11]

Notes and References

  1. 24 May 2019.
  2. Web site: 12 November 2020 . Marine islands - Queensland . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20201125063021/https://www.data.qld.gov.au/dataset/geographic-features-queensland-series/resource/ffa00969-099d-4fd4-98f8-81e9aea26df6 . 25 November 2020 . 25 November 2020 . Queensland Open Data . Queensland Government.
  3. 25 November 2020.
  4. 7 June 2019.
  5. 29 October 2023.
  6. Science on the Great Barrier Reef. Reuben Hillier. 21 March 2017. Blog. 22 May 2022.
  7. News: 4 September 2006 . Croc Hunter Irwin killed by stingray . The Age . Australia . live . 4 September 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061022053436/http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Croc-Hunter-Steve-Irwin-died-instantly/2006/09/04/1157222051588.html . 22 October 2006.
  8. News: 5 September 2006 . Farewell to a larrikin adventurer, killed in his prime . The Sydney Morning Herald . live . 4 February 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121107165657/http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/farewell-to-a-larrikin-adventurer-killed-in-his-prime/2006/09/04/1157222072696.html?page=fullpage . 7 November 2012.
  9. Rory Callinan . 4 September 2006 . Death of a Crocodile Hunter . dead . Time . https://web.archive.org/web/20070213005551/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1531446,00.html . 13 February 2007 . 4 September 2006.
  10. Web site: Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments . 28 October 2023 . Queensland Globe . . 19 December 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171219175447/https://qldglobe.information.qld.gov.au/ . live .
  11. Web site: Low Isles. Tourism Port Douglas Daintree. https://web.archive.org/web/20190607000210/https://www.visitportdouglasdaintree.com/low-isles. 7 June 2019. live. 7 June 2019.