Fitzroy Island

Fitzroy Island lies twenty-nine kilometres southeast of Cairns, a granite continental island whose steep slopes are covered in rainforest and largely protected as national park, with fringing reef in the bays around it. Nudey Beach on the western side is made of broken coral rather than sand and has been repeatedly voted among Australia's best beaches. Walking tracks climb to the summit and the lighthouse, and snorkelling from the beaches reaches coral, turtles and reef fish without a boat. A small resort and campground occupy Welcome Bay, and the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre on the island treats injured green turtles, shown on short guided tours.

History

The island was cut off from the mainland about 8,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age, and the Yidiny people, who came for hunting trips, named it Gabar, lower arm, for the way it was partly submerged. James Cook named it in 1770 after Augustus Henry Fitzroy, and it later served for a long time as a quarantine station for Chinese bound for the Queensland goldfields, then as a mission school and, in the Second World War, a coast-watching station, and it was long a lighthouse base, its last staffed lighthouse replaced by an automatic light on Little Fitzroy Island (Wikipedia, Fitzroy Island - Queensland).

Highlights

• Nudey Beach - a beach of broken coral on the island's western side.
• The fringing reef - snorkelling directly from the bays.
• The summit walk - the climb through rainforest to the lookout and lighthouse.
• The turtle centre - rehabilitation of injured green turtles, seen on tours.

When to go

April to October for the dry season and clear water; from November to May marine stingers require full-body suits for swimming outside netted areas. Ferries run several times daily and are weather-dependent.

Practical notes

Day trippers dominate the middle of the day and Welcome Bay gets busy. Nudey Beach is coral rubble, uncomfortable underfoot without shoes. The resort is the only real dining option and is expensive. Coral condition varies with recent bleaching.

Nearby

Cairns is the departure port; Green Island lies north in the same waters.

Key facts