|
| The beach near the resort
|
Dunk Island
Famous tropical island surrounded by the Great Barrier
Reef.
'In these calm and shallow waters there is a never-ending
panorama of entertainment. Coral gardens - gardens of the
sea nymphs, wherein fancy feigns cool, shy, chaste faces and
pliant forms half-revealed among gently swaying robes; a
company of porpoise, a herd of dugong; turtle, queer and
familiar fish, occasionally the spouting of a great whale,
and always the company of swift and graceful birds.
Sometimes the whole expansive ocean is as calm as it can
only be in the tropics and bordered by the Barrier Reef - a
shield of shimmering silver from which the islands stand out
as turquoise bosses.'
So wrote Dunk Island's most famous resident, Edmund James
Banfield who, known as 'Beachcomber' (and sometimes as 'Rob
Krusoe') moved to the island in 1897 and until his death in
1923 recorded the life of the island in a series of books -
the most famous of which was The Confessions of a
Beachcomber.
|
| The graves of E.J
Banfield and his wife |
A great admirer of Thoreau and a keen naturalist,
Banfield did much to ensure that most of the island became a
sanctuary for its wildlife. Today the southern section of
Dunk Island is a National Park.
But while Banfield may have been the island's most famous
resident, he was by no means the first European to make
contact with its shores. As early as June 1770, James Cook
sailed past and observed it to be a 'tolerable high island'.
He named it after the Earl of Halifax, George Montagu Dunk.
In 1848 the HMS Rattlesnake anchored off the island and
John MacGillivray studied the fauna and flora of the island.
He subsequently wrote of its natural features in the
Narrative of the Voyage of HMS Rattlesnake, published in
England in 1852.
Located 4 km off the coast, Dunk Island is 160 km north
of Townsville and 120 km south of Cairns. It used to be
called Coonanglebah (sometimes spelt Gunanggulba) by the
local Aborigines. Some sources suggest the word meant
'Island of Peace and Plenty'.
In 1968 Dunk was used as the setting for the cinematic
version of Norman Lindsay's The Age of Consent, which
starred James Mason and Helen Mirren.
Today the island is a careful mixture of tourism and
national parkland. There is one resort and visitors spend
their time inspecting the reef or wandering around the
island's tracks, which include a fascinating path (which
starts at the back of the resort) that crosses a suspension
bridge and continues on past Banfield's grave to Mount
Koo-Tal-Oo Lookout.
Dunk Island offers excellent access to the Great Barrier
Reef. There are regular ferry services from Mission Beach.
There is an area on the island for daytrippers. It has
adequate facilities and a place called the Jetty Bar which
serves food and drinks.
The Dunk Island Resort offers a range of facilities and
activities such as swimming pools, skydiving, horseriding
and Barrier Reef snorkelling and diving.
The National Parks camping area is adjacent the
daytripper's area. Camping spots are limited and the maximum
stay is three days for those with permits, tel: (07) 4068
8199.
Things to see:
|
| Dunk Island from Mission
Beach |
Vital Information About the Island
1. The Island Itself
Location
Located 4 km off the coast of Mission Beach, Dunk Island is
160 km north of Townsville, 120 km south of Cairns and 36 km
north of Cardwell.
Description of the island
6 km long and 2km wide tropical island with rainforest,
beaches and wildlife. 730 ha. of National Park. Green-clad
slopes rising gently from sea to 271 m Mt Koo-tal-oo.
How do visitors access it?
The majority of guests access the island via regular
domestic and intenational flights into Cairns, followed by a
flight to Dunk. There is also a launch service which
operates twice daily between Mission Beach and Dunk Island .
Activities on the island
Bush walking, horse riding, visit to artist's colony, visit
to Coonanglebah bush farm.
2.
Resorts on the Island
History
Captain Brassey bought the island in 1934 and the Banfield
bungalow provided the basis for the beginnings of a resort.
The RAAF occupied the island during World War II. The
Brasseys returned to run the resort after the war. In 1956
Eric McElree of Avis Rent-A-Car purchased the island and
upgraded its facilities to international standards. Trans
Australian Airlines bought Dunk Island in 1976 and an
environmentally-sensitive reconstruction program was
instituted. It was during this time that the resort's main
complex of restaurants, bars and lounges was built. In 1992,
ownership was passed to Qantas, following its merger with
Australian Airlines. On 24 th December 1997, Dunk Island was
purchased by P&O Australian Resorts. Refurbishment commenced
in March 1998 to upgrade all interiors of the Beachfront and
Bayview guest rooms.
How big is it?
148 rooms in 12 hectares of gardens consisting of four
styles of accommodation: Bayview suites, Beachfront rooms,
secluded Garden cabanas and Banfield rooms. It caters for up
to 360 guests.
Who does it appeal to?
Families, couples and singles.
Free activities
Walking tracks, golf on 6 hole course, catamaran sailing,
windsurfing and archery. Swimming pools, tennis and squash
courts, fully-equipped gym, snorkelling off Muggy Muggy
Beach, volleyball, fitness classes, Teen Club, Kids Korna
day care centre (3-14 years) 8.30 a.m. - 11.30 a.m. and 4.30
p.m. - 8.30 p.m. daily.
Other activities
Snorkelling trips to Great Barrier Reef (The Neptunius yacht
- four different tours - The Quickcat - dive certification).
The Hooker Game Boat - game fishing, Dunk Island Deep Sea
Fishing Charters, skydiving, water-skiing parasailing and
jet skiing, boat hire and horse rides through rainforest and
along the beach, bird watching tours, clay target shooting,
kids pony rides, overnight stable stay for children 8 - 14
years (school holidays only), dinghy to Purtaboi Island
Eating at the resort
Full buffet breakfast and three-course table d'hote dinner
nightly or themed buffets are included in the tariff and
served in the Beachcomber Restaurant with occasional beach
barbecues. For lunch and snacks, choose from EJ's on the
Deck (modern Australian brasserie style menu), BB's on the
Beach (beach cafe style menu) or the Plantation Bar with
live entertainment provided every night.
Australian Businesses for sale
Caravan Parks for sale
Motels for sale
Hotels for sale
Broadwalk Business Brokers
Businesses for Sale in Dunk Island
: Buy or Sell Hotels, Motels, Caravan Parks, Bed & Breakfast,
Pubs, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Cafe, English Tea Rooms, Coffee Shops,
Deli, Catering Business, Pubs, Bars, Sandwich Bars, Pizza Delivery,
Bakeries, Hot Food Take-away, Fish & Chips, Petrol & Service Stations,
Australian Businesses for sale, Car Sales, Motor & Transport, Car/Van
Hires, Newsagents, Dry Cleaners, Salons, General Stores, Retail Stores,
Post Office, Printers, Convenience Stores, Clothes shop, Hair Dressers,
Beauty Salon, Fruit Markets, Butchers, Florist, Card & Gift shop, Sports
shop, Book Shops, Care Agency, Pharmacy, Tool-Hardware & DIY shops, Pet
Shops, Auto Mechanical, Auto Parts & Accessories,
Bakery Businesses for sale , Motel sales, caravan park sales, Hotel
sales, Business sales, Bar for sale, Juice Bar for sale,
Beauty Salon for sale, Bike and Motorcycle Businesses for sale ,
Australian Businesses for sale, Blinds and Shutters Businesses for sale , Boat Business for sale ,
Book Shop , Bread Run, Building and Construction , Butcher Shop,
Café Business for sale, Car Dealerships for sale, Car Rental
Business for sale , Car Yard, Cleaning Business for sale, Computer
Business for sale, Childcare Centre for sale, Confectionary
Business for sale, Convenience Store for sale, Deli Businesses for
sale , Distribution Businesses for sale , Earth Moving Businesses
for sale , Businesses for sale , Engineering Businesses for sale ,
Export/Import Businesses for sale , Fitness Centres for sale,
Florist for sale, Franchise Businesses for sale , Fruit and Veg
Shop for sale, Function Centre for sale, Funeral Parlour for sale,
Furniture Businesses for sale , Garden Equipment Businesses for
sale , General Store s for sale, Gift Shop for sale, Hairdressing
salons for sale , Hardware Businesses for sale , Hire Businesses for
sale , Businesses for sale, Motels for sale, Caravan Parks for sale,
hotels for sale, Ice Cream Businesses for sale , Juice Bar for sale, Laundrette ' s for sale, Lawn Mowing Businesses for sale , Magazine
Businesses for sale , Manufacturing Businesses for sale , Marine
Businesses for sale , Menswear Businesses for sale , Milk Run 's
for sale, Mixed Businesses for sale , Mobile Businesses for sale ,
News agency Businesses for sale , Pawnbroker Businesses for sale ,
Preschool for sale, Pest Control Businesses for sale ,Business for
sale Pet Shop, Plumbing Businesses for sale , Post Office for sale ,
Removalist Businesses for sale, Restaurants for sale, Roadhouses for
sale, Rubbish Removal Businesses for sale , Rural Supplies
Businesses for sale , Sales and Distribution Businesses for sale ,
Security Businesses for sale , Service Station for sale, Shoe Shop
for sale, Supermarkets for sale, Takeaway Businesses for sale ,
Taxi Businesses for sale , Transport Businesses for sale , Vending
Machine Businesses for sale , Wholesale Businesses for sale,
Wrecking Yard for sale in Dunk Island.
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