Fitzroy Island National Park
Fitzroy Island National Park Queensland | |
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Nearest town or city | Cairns |
Coordinates | 16°55′48″S 145°59′32″E / 16.93000°S 145.99222°E |
Established | 1939 |
Area | 3.24 (part of Fitzroy Island) |
Managing authorities | Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service |
Website | Fitzroy Island National Park |
See also | Protected areas of Queensland |
Fitzroy Island National Park is a gazetted
The Aboriginal people particularly connected to this Island are the Kobaburra (or alternatively Gaba:ra)[3] from within the Gungganyji language group.[4]
As a Queensland National Park the natural and cultural resources of the Island itself (down to high tide) are protected by the Nature Conservation Act 1992 and much of the island is therefore off-limits to visitors. Most visitors remain on the sheltered western side of the island, where the jetty, resort and best snorkeling can be found.
Island
Fitzroy Island is a
Fitzroy Island has been put to many uses by humankind. It is part of the traditional lands of the
The Island has also been home to
Fitzroy's isolation has resulted in a unique habitat, with few large mammals. The dominant predators on the island are reptiles; particularly
Recreation
Walking trails
There is a walking track that takes in the northern end of the island, the lighthouse on the north-west point which overlooks Little Fitzroy Island, and the island's peak, which offers stunning 360 degree views over the surrounding reefs and Cape Grafton. From the top, on a clear day it is possible to make out the Frankland Islands to the south. The trail then drops back down to the resort.
Nudey Beach can be accessed by heading along the trail at the southern end of the resort, and leads along the edge of the island through rainforest, with occasional glimpses out to Cape Grafton, and then descends to Nudey Beach, which was once a nude bathing beach, with some coral available for snorkelers.
Snorkeling
The fringing reef is a fair distance from the shore at the northern end of Welcome Bay, where it starts at the quite prominent 'Bird Rock'. It runs almost all the way down to the jetty before there is a small gap where the boats come in. The reef starts again near the rocks at the southern end of the beach, and runs around the corner to Nudey Beach. Along this stretch it is extremely close to shore - literally just a few steps from the shore. The snorkelling at Fitzroy is greatly underrated. Visibility can be a bit low, especially after rough weather, but the coral is excellent and the variety of fish superb. The
It is unlikely that box jellyfish would be encountered at Fitzroy Island due to the 4 km passage between the island and the mainland, but they have been found there occasionally, as well as other stinging jellyfish.
Resort
Fitzroy Island Resort can be found on Welcome Bay. Fitzroy Island Resort is a 60-minute ferry ride (about 30 km) from Cairns in Queensland and is surrounded by a reef system that forms part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
See also
References
- ^ "Fitzroy Island National Park (entry 39456)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
- ^ "Fitzroy Island (Gabar Island) – island in Cairns Region (entry 12563)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- ^ Bottoms, T. (1992). The Bama People of the Rainforest: Aboriginal-European relations in the Cairns Rainforest Region up to 1876. Cairns: Gadja Enterprises.
- ^ "Fitzroy Island National Park". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ "Culture and history". Queensland Government Parks and Forests. 19 October 2009. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 24 May 2019.