Double Island, Queensland
Island in Queensland, Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Double Island is an island approximately 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) off Ellis Beach, inside the Great Barrier Reef on the coast of Queensland, Australia.[2][1]
View of Double Island from shore, 2005 | |
 Interactive map of Double Island | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Ellis Beach, Queensland[1] |
| Coordinates | 16.7258°S 145.6836°E |
| Administration | |
Australia | |
Geography
The island lies approximately 1.5 km north-east of Palm Cove, Queensland, and about 30 km north of Cairns.[citation needed]
History
The discovery of gold on the mainland west of the area made Double Island well-known in the 1880s and 1890s. Supposedly, a mining company at Irvinebank used the island around that time as a resort for its employees.[3]
In 1956, bushman Michael 'Tarzan' Fomenko (c.1930–2018) anchored his dugout canoe off the south side of the island on his intended journey from Deeral to Cooktown.[4]
Double Island is the site of a now-derelict exclusive resort. Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves were among the celebrities who stayed on there.[when?][5][6]
In 2012, Benny Wu from Hong Kong bought the lease of the island and planned a $10 million upgrade to the resort to attract wealthy tourists.[7] However, by 2023, no maintenance or upgrades had been performed. With the resort having fallen into disrepair, there were calls for the lease to be cancelled.[8] In June 2024, Wu's lease was revoked and the island was returned to the state of Queensland.[9]