Double Island
Native name:
Wangal Djungay
View of Double Island from shore, 2005
Geography
LocationEllis Beach, Queensland[1]
Coordinates16°43′34″S 145°41′02″E / 16.72611°S 145.68389°E / -16.72611; 145.68389
Administration
Australia

Double Island (originally Wangal Djungay (Djabugay) ) is an island close to the Queensland coast, inside the Great Barrier Reef approximately 1.5 km, north east of Palm Cove, Queensland and about 30 km north of Cairns. Double Island (Wangal Djungay) was the location of an exclusive resort, but has been closed to the public for years. In 2012, Benny Wu from Hong Kong bought the island lease and planned a $10 million upgrade to the island’s resort for wealthy tourists.[2] However, by 2023, no maintenance or upgrades had been performed. With the resort having fallen into disrepair, this prompted calls for the lease to be cancelled.[3]

History

The island had been known to, and used by, the local Australian Aborigines (predecessors of the Djabugay people), for many tens of thousands of years. The Djabugay people (particularly the Yirrgay group) believe it is the resting place of Gudju Gudju, a Rainbow Serpent[4] The discovery of gold on the mainland west of the area assured that Double Island became well known in the 1880s and 1890s and it is said that, around this time, a mining company at Irvinebank used the island as a resort for employees.[5] It was also around this time that some local graziers started using the island to graze cattle.

Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves have been among the celebrities who stayed on the island.[6][7]

References

  1. ↑ "Queensland Globe". Queensland Government. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  2. ↑ Daniel Bateman, http://www.cairnspost.com.au/business/hong-kong-millionaire-benny-wu-cleared-over-tree-removal-on-double-island-near-cairns/story-fnjpusdv-1227317886896, "Hong Kong millionaire Benny Wu cleared over tree removal on Double Island near Cairns", The Cairns Post, 24 April 2015
  3. ↑ "Government out of patience as abandoned island resort and former celebrity hideout given ultimatum to open". ABC News. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Bottoms, T. (1999) Djabugay Country: An Aboriginal History of Tropical North Queensland. Allen & Unwin. Sydney.
  5. ↑ Double Island WebSite's 'History' page Archived 13 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine Accessed 15 May 2008
  6. ↑ Daniel Bateman, "Resort’s tree felling scars Double Island", The Cairns Post, 5 December 2014, page 11
  7. ↑ "Brangelina to spend summer in Sunshine State", The Cairns Post, 11 September 2013, page 2

16°43′34″S 145°41′02″E / 16.726°S 145.684°E / -16.726; 145.684

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