North Stradbroke Island

North Stradbroke Iceland is a large sand island on the east coast of Australia. It lies in the south of the state of Queensland and separates the Moreton Bay from the Coral Sea ( a marginal sea of ​​the Pacific Ocean ). The island is about 38 kilometers long and up to 11 kilometers wide. It is the larger of the Stradbroke Islands and the geographically largest island in Moreton Bay.

History

Until 1896, South Stradbroke Iceland was part of the large sand island Stradbroke Iceland. Stradbroke Iceland was passed in 1770 by James Cook, but remained nameless. 1803 landed the explorers Matthew Flinders on the island to replenish drinking water supplies of his ship. Flinders charted large parts of the island and the Moreton Bay. He also took over the Aboriginesnamen the island Minjerribah.

Only in 1827 the island was named Stradbroke Iceland. This was done by Henry John Rous. This named the island after the title of his father, the Earl of Stradbroke. Rous himself bore the title of Viscount Dunwich, after which he named the capital of the island.

In the early 1890 years stranded on the sea side of the island, a cargo ship, which had rum loaded. To transport the rum carried the inhabitants of the region, the sand dunes on the island from to make it easier to transport the rum on the island at this point quite narrow and transported on small boats through the Moreton Bay to the mainland. 1896 there was a big storm, which stranded at a large steamship in the same place. This had invited, among others, several tons of dynamite, which exploded after the stranding of the ship. The strong surge during the storm led to the washed over this rather narrow and shallow part of the island and soon a permanent channel was born. This channel, which was given the name Jumpinpin Channel, the island shared henceforth in North Stradbroke South Stradbroke Iceland and Iceland.

In the 1960s began on North Stradbroke Iceland with the commercial mining of sand. First, the large sand dunes were dredged along the east coast of the island before the mining began in the island's interior. During this dismantling work the ecosystem of the island was substantially damaged when destroyed several historic shipwrecks along the coast and places of worship of the Aborigines.

In addition, there was the Queensland government plans to open up the island for tourism on a large scale. These should be the east coast of the island are completely developed and a great bridge between the mainland and the island will be built. These plans were never realized.

When at the beginning of the 1990s, environmental awareness grew, plans were developed to limit the sand mining on the island and to make large parts of the island in a national park under protection. In return, the unhindered removal of sand in the remaining areas should be guaranteed. The agreement has been designed to be signed by either the mining companies or the government.

Presence

North Stradbroke Iceland is the better -developed of the two Stradbroke Islands. On it there are three permanent settlements. These are Dunwich, Amity Point and Point Lookout. Dunwich is the largest of the three settlements. This has the Ferry for car and passenger ferries to Cleveland on mainland Queensland. Amity Point is the oldest of the three settlements. Today it is a small fishing port, which enjoys particularly in sports and hobby anglers great popularity. Point Lookout is the tourist center of the island. All three sites offer a sufficient infrastructure with accommodations, restaurants and shops. The villages are connected by a network of paved roads.

Tourism

North Stradbroke Iceland is very well developed for tourism, offering visitors a variety of ways. Recreation seekers will find peace and relaxation on the white sandy beaches of the island, water sports enthusiasts will find a wide range, in the interior of the island, there are many hiking, trekking and cycling routes. Along the northern coast there are several viewing platforms from which you can observe from passing whales.

Flora and Fauna

Despite the destruction caused by the sand mining on North Stradbroke Iceland, there are still large areas of unspoiled nature in which many animal and plant species are endemic. So you can find in the subtropical forests on the island a wide variety of rare wild orchids. Inland, there are also many freshwater lakes of which the best known of the Blue Lake Blue Lake National Park, as well as extensive wetlands.

Also worth mentioning are the many passing whales which can be seen from the island. These use the protection of coastal waters and the Moreton Bay for a short break on their way north to Hervey Bay and the Whitsundays where they bring their young into the world.

• Island (Queensland )
• Island (Australia and Oceania)
• Island ( Coral Sea )