Keswick Island
Encyclopedia
Keswick Island is a picturesque island in the southern half of the Whitsunday Islands
. Located 34 kilometres north-east of the Queensland
city of Mackay
, Keswick Island is part of the Cumberland Islands of islands that lay protected inside the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
.
The island is inhabited by a small number of residents. It is a semi-popular tourist destination set to expand with planned development. Visitors can stay in a small number of catered and self catered accommodation. The island has its own airstrip and is accessible from Mackay Airport
by a short plane flight or by private boat.
in 1770. Keswick Island and neighbouring St Bees Island were first designated together as ‘L1 Island’ by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders
, RN, in HMS Investigator
in 1802.
Keswick Island was later individually named in 1879 after the town of Keswick
in England's Cumbria
Lake District
by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell, RN, in SS Llewellyn.
. Neighbouring islands in the Cumberland Group are accessible by private boat. The nearest developed neighbouring island is Brampton Island some 7 km to the north.
Keswick Island is separated from its nearest neighbour, St Bees Island by only a few hundred meters by the Egremont Passage. The eucalypt
woodlands of St Bees Island are occupied by a healthy koala
colony currently being researched by Queensland universities to examine their equilibrium with their environment.
The island is located 360 km north of the Tropic of Capricorn
. Temperatures vary from 17°C to 24°C in winter (water temperature is a steady 20°C), and 24°C to 30°C in summer (water temperature is a steady 26°C).
Located in a World Heritage Site
and being within the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park requires that building and construction is governed by environmental guidelines, detailed architectural and design codes to facilitate an eco-friendly development.
Development in the Whitsunday Islands
is limited. Keswick Islands still remains relatively undeveloped. The island is inhabited by a small number of private residents and visitors. With more than 100 sub-leased land lots already established on ninety-nine year leasehold (through to the year 2096), the numbers of residents and tourism should be expected to grow significantly with any planned development. Nearly two dozen private houses have already been built with an additional number of homes under construction after having their designs passed by the Architectural Review Committee.
, diving
, fishing
, beachcombing
and bushwalking. Narrow walking tracks in the National Park
wind through pockets of tropical rainforest
to its beaches. Day trips are available to visit some of the neighbouring islands, although no day trippers are currently allowed at Brampton Island’s Resort.
The island is fringed by colourful coral reefs and abundant marine life which provides favourable conditions for diving or snorkeling at mid-low tide. Three wrecks sites, including the protected historic wreck sites of The Singapore (a two master sail and steam vessel) and The Llewellyn (a former coastal steamer) are accessible from the island within a few minutes by boat.
Whales can be frequently seen around the island during their annual migration through the Whitsundays between July and September.
. The island has its own sealed airstrip and is accessible from Mackay Airport via a short 10 minute flight or is accessible from Mackay Harbour by chartered or private boat. Approval to access to the island may need to be prior arranged. Private moorings are also available.
Transport around the island is restricted to petrol powered golf buggies.
called Keswick Island Guest House and the self-catering Keswick Island Resorts.
In mid 2010 as a major part of the developers commitment to offering the best possible service to new purchasers and existing owners, a real estate agency named Keswick Island Real Estate was formed to represent all stakeholders in the purchasing and selling of individual titles of all product offerings. Along with this, a holiday letting agency was also established to provide dedicated and consistent service to house owners who want to let out their homes and those that want to take advantage of Keswick Island as a true eco-tourism destination.
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
. Located 34 kilometres north-east of the Queensland
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...
city of Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
, Keswick Island is part of the Cumberland Islands of islands that lay protected inside the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park protects a large part of Australia's Great Barrier Reef from damaging activities. Fishing and the removal of artefacts or...
.
The island is inhabited by a small number of residents. It is a semi-popular tourist destination set to expand with planned development. Visitors can stay in a small number of catered and self catered accommodation. The island has its own airstrip and is accessible from Mackay Airport
Mackay Airport
Mackay Airport located in Mackay, Queensland, Australia is a major Australian regional airport that services the city of Mackay, with flights to the cities of Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Gladstone, Rockhampton, Townsville and Cairns...
by a short plane flight or by private boat.
Origin of the name
Identified as part of the Cumberland Isles Group by Captain James CookJames Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
in 1770. Keswick Island and neighbouring St Bees Island were first designated together as ‘L1 Island’ by Lieutenant Matthew Flinders
Matthew Flinders
Captain Matthew Flinders RN was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age. In a career that spanned just over twenty years, he sailed with Captain William Bligh, circumnavigated Australia and encouraged the use of that name for the continent, which had previously been...
, RN, in HMS Investigator
HMS Investigator
Nine ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Investigator. Another was planned, but renamed before being launched: was a 22-gun armed ship purchased in 1798 and taken into service as HMS Xenophon. She was renamed HMS Investigator in 1801 and used as a survey ship. Under the command of...
in 1802.
Keswick Island was later individually named in 1879 after the town of Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
Keswick is a market town and civil parish within the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It had a population of 4,984, according to the 2001 census, and is situated just north of Derwent Water, and a short distance from Bassenthwaite Lake, both in the Lake District National Park...
in England's Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
by Staff Commander E. P. Bedwell, RN, in SS Llewellyn.
Environs
Keswick Island is approximately 530 hectares (1300 acres) in area, with the majority being national park. It is part of the pristine Cumberland Group of islands that consists of St Bees Island, Keswick Island, Aspatria Island, Scawfell Island, Calder Island, Wigton Island and Cockermouth Island. The island is near to the South Cumberland Islands National ParkSouth Cumberland Islands National Park
South Cumberland Islands is a national park in Queensland, Australia, 831 km northwest of Brisbane. Marine stingers are found in the waters of the park between October and May.-Islands:...
. Neighbouring islands in the Cumberland Group are accessible by private boat. The nearest developed neighbouring island is Brampton Island some 7 km to the north.
Keswick Island is separated from its nearest neighbour, St Bees Island by only a few hundred meters by the Egremont Passage. The eucalypt
Eucalypt
Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera:Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora.In 1995 new evidence, largely genetic, indicated that some prominent Eucalyptus species were actually more closely related to Angophora than to the other eucalypts; they were split off into the...
woodlands of St Bees Island are occupied by a healthy koala
Koala
The koala is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia, and the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae....
colony currently being researched by Queensland universities to examine their equilibrium with their environment.
Tropic of Capricorn
The Tropic of Capricorn, or Southern tropic, marks the most southerly latitude on the Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This event occurs at the December solstice, when the southern hemisphere is tilted towards the Sun to its maximum extent.Tropic of Capricorn is one of the five...
. Temperatures vary from 17°C to 24°C in winter (water temperature is a steady 20°C), and 24°C to 30°C in summer (water temperature is a steady 26°C).
Development
The overall land development lease area, which is situated in the north-eastern and eastern area of the Island, totals around 117 hectares and occupies over 4½ km of ocean front land. The terms of the lease require development of a public access boat ramp and jetty by 2011 and marina by 2017. Resort complexes and residential housing capable of supporting a tourist and residential community are also expected to be developed at some stage although no development application has yet been lodged. The island already has some existing infrastructure such as an airstrip, sealed roads, communications services, and various utilities. The development company changed hands in 2002, and again in March 2008 to Keswick Developments Pty Ltd.Located in a World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
and being within the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park requires that building and construction is governed by environmental guidelines, detailed architectural and design codes to facilitate an eco-friendly development.
Development in the Whitsunday Islands
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
is limited. Keswick Islands still remains relatively undeveloped. The island is inhabited by a small number of private residents and visitors. With more than 100 sub-leased land lots already established on ninety-nine year leasehold (through to the year 2096), the numbers of residents and tourism should be expected to grow significantly with any planned development. Nearly two dozen private houses have already been built with an additional number of homes under construction after having their designs passed by the Architectural Review Committee.
Activities
Visitors can enjoy the islands natural beauty with activities such as swimming, snorkelingSnorkeling
Snorkeling is the practice of swimming on or through a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swimfins. In cooler waters, a wetsuit may also be worn...
, diving
Underwater diving
Underwater diving is the practice of going underwater, either with breathing apparatus or by breath-holding .Recreational diving is a popular activity...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, beachcombing
Beachcombing
Beachcombing and beachcomber are words with multiple, but related, meanings that have evolved over time.A beachcomber is someone who "combs" the beach, and the intertidal zone in general, looking for things of value, interest or utility....
and bushwalking. Narrow walking tracks in the National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
wind through pockets of tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
to its beaches. Day trips are available to visit some of the neighbouring islands, although no day trippers are currently allowed at Brampton Island’s Resort.
The island is fringed by colourful coral reefs and abundant marine life which provides favourable conditions for diving or snorkeling at mid-low tide. Three wrecks sites, including the protected historic wreck sites of The Singapore (a two master sail and steam vessel) and The Llewellyn (a former coastal steamer) are accessible from the island within a few minutes by boat.
Whales can be frequently seen around the island during their annual migration through the Whitsundays between July and September.
Transport
The closest transport hub is the city of MackayMackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
. The island has its own sealed airstrip and is accessible from Mackay Airport via a short 10 minute flight or is accessible from Mackay Harbour by chartered or private boat. Approval to access to the island may need to be prior arranged. Private moorings are also available.
Transport around the island is restricted to petrol powered golf buggies.
Accommodation
Accommodation for visitors is provided at a Bed and BreakfastBed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
called Keswick Island Guest House and the self-catering Keswick Island Resorts.
Sale
While most of the island is designated as National Park, the islands head-lease (117 hectares) was sold to a Sydney property consortium in January 2008. Planned developments are said to include villas, condominiums, cafes and shops. Work on a deep-water jetty and improved barge ramps is expected to commence in the future to improve access to the island. The new owners plan to develop the islands residential and eco-tourism potential in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.In mid 2010 as a major part of the developers commitment to offering the best possible service to new purchasers and existing owners, a real estate agency named Keswick Island Real Estate was formed to represent all stakeholders in the purchasing and selling of individual titles of all product offerings. Along with this, a holiday letting agency was also established to provide dedicated and consistent service to house owners who want to let out their homes and those that want to take advantage of Keswick Island as a true eco-tourism destination.