Hamilton Island (Queensland)
| Hamilton Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Waters | Coral sea | |
| Archipelago | Whitsunday Islands | |
| Geographical location | 20 ° 21 ′ 0 ″ S , 148 ° 57 ′ 0 ″ E | |
|
||
| length | 5.1 km | |
| width | 3.6 km | |
| surface | 7.5 km² | |
| Highest elevation | 182 m | |
| Residents | 1208 161 inhabitants / km² |
|
Hamilton Island is the largest permanently inhabited island of 74 islands in the Whitsunday Islands . The island is located in northeastern Australia twelve kilometers off the coast of the Australian state of Queensland , as the crow flies about 890 km north of Brisbane and 500 km southeast of Cairns . In 2011 there were 1208 inhabitants.
reachability
The strongly indented island, only 7.5 square kilometers in size, is one of the most visited islands in Australia due to its good tourist development. It is one of the few islands on the east coast to have a small airport, the Great Barrier Reef Airport , formerly Hamilton Island Airport , which connects the island with the cities of Sydney , Melbourne , Cairns and Brisbane . From the mainland, the island can be reached in around 30 minutes by regular ferry service from Airlie Beach and Shute Harbor .
tourism
Hamilton Island is one of Australia's most popular tourist destinations. The island has a large resort and several hotels. In the second half of August, it hosts the annual Hamilton Island Race Week , a sailing race that attracts more than 250 Australian and New Zealand yachts. The whale watching season is from July to September . Other tourist activities include boat trips to Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island , diving trips to the atolls of the nearby Great Barrier Reef , sailing trips , multi-day sailing trips and golf. Motor vehicles are prohibited on the island; electric golf carts can be rented to serve as local means of transport.
Most of the hilly island is part of the Whitsunday Islands National Park , so no pets are allowed.
history
Hamilton Island is owned by the Australian government and leased in 1975 by Keith Williams and Bryan Bryt . In 1978, Keith Williams began construction on Hamilton Island Harbor and the vacation resort, which opened from 1982 to 1984. A fire in 1985 destroyed large parts of it, which were rebuilt in 1986. As a result, holiday apartments and the Reefview Hotel were built. From 1995 to 2003 the resort was leased by BT Australia and operated by the Holiday Inn hotel chain . In 2003, wine producer Bob Oatley bought the long-term lease of Hamilton Island and continued to expand the tourism structure.
In 2009, the expansion of the island was largely completed, the Hamilton Island Yacht Club was opened during the Hamilton Island Race Week. In the same year, the 18-hole golf course was opened on the immediately neighboring Dent Island .
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swell
- ↑ Australian Census 2011
- ↑ Hamilton Island Enterprises: Hamilton Island Yacht Club opens its doors to the public, December 1, 2009 [1]
- ↑ Hamilton Island Golf Club: Hamilton Island Great Barrier Reef Australia. About the designer
Web links
- Website of Hamilton Iceland (English)