Double Island, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Double Island is an island close to the Queensland
coast, inside the Great Barrier Reef
approximately 1.5 km, north east of Palm Cove and about 30 km north of Cairns
.
Double Island (Wangal Djungay) is also the location of an exclusive resort
, perhaps the most expensive in Australia
, and their website
claims, the entire island is available for functions.
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
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. It was also around this time that some local graziers started using the island to graze cattle
.
In January 2002, the final elimination on the third season of The Mole
took place here. The final contestants were transported from Cairns to the island by helicopter.
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
coast, inside the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
approximately 1.5 km, north east of Palm Cove and about 30 km north of Cairns
Cairns, Queensland
Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia, founded 1876. The city was named after William Wellington Cairns, then-current Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield, but experienced a decline when an easier route was...
.
Double Island (Wangal Djungay) is also the location of an exclusive resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
, perhaps the most expensive in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and their website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
claims, the entire island is available for functions.
History
The islandIsland
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
had been known to, and used by the local Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines
Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
(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
The discovery of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
on the mainland
Mainland
Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
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
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
company at Irvinebank
Irvinebank
Irvinebank is a village in the western foothills of the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland, Australia. Once a thriving town with an economy based on mining, milling and smelting...
used the island as a resort for employees. It was also around this time that some local graziers started using the island to graze cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
.
In January 2002, the final elimination on the third season of The Mole
The Mole (Australia season 3)
The third season of the Australian version of The Mole took place mostly in Gold Coast, Queensland and was hosted by Grant Bowler.-Show Details:...
took place here. The final contestants were transported from Cairns to the island by helicopter.