Brampton Island facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brampton Island Queensland
Brampton Island Location in Queensland
Area	4.6 km2 (1.8 sq mi)

Brampton Island is a beautiful island located off the coast of Mackay in Queensland, Australia. It's part of the Cumberland Group and is famous for being inside the amazing Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Most of the island is a protected area called the Brampton Islands National Park. The highest point on the island is Brampton Peak, which stands 214 meters (about 702 feet) above the sea.

Island History: A Journey Through Time

First People and Early Explorers

Long ago, the Aboriginal Ngaro people were the traditional owners of Brampton Island. They didn't live there permanently, but they visited the island. When Captain James Cook sailed past in 1770, he noted the island, but it was just called "M" on naval maps. Later, in 1879, a British naval officer named Staff Commander Bedwell gave the island its European name, Brampton. He named it after a town in England.

In 1860, an expedition led by George Elphinstone Dalrymple landed on the island. They met about 14 Aboriginal people. These people had cool bark canoes with paddles decorated in red. They also had special harpoons made from palm fiber and sharpened bone, which they used to hunt dugongs (sea cows).

Modern Times and the Island Resort

View of Brampton Island from a plane

The first European family to settle on Brampton Island was the Busuttin family in 1916. They started a small resort in December 1933. Their two sons welcomed the first guests from a large ship called the SS Canberra. The Busuttin family ran the resort until 1959.

Over the next few years, the resort had a couple of different owners. Then, in 1961, the McLean family bought the island for 80,000 pounds. They already ran boat tours from Mackay called Roylen Cruises. Tom McLean's son, Fitzroy, became the manager of the island resort.

The McLean family helped the resort grow quickly. They offered "Cruise n Stay" packages, where people could enjoy boat trips and then stay at the island. To make things easier, a small railway was built on the island. It carried supplies from a "Deep Water Jetty" to the resort. This was important because the tides around the island could be very big, up to 6 meters (about 20 feet)! The "Deep Water Jetty" could be used all the time, even at low tide.

In 1965, an airstrip was built on the island. This was a big engineering achievement for its time! Small planes, like the De Havilland Twin Otters, used to fly guests to the island. Even though it was a short airstrip, and some planes had minor accidents there, no one was ever seriously hurt.

Over the years, the island faced several cyclones, which caused some damage to the resort. In the late 1980s, the owners started building new, fancier rooms. In 1985, an airline company bought the island, upgraded the resort, and then sold it to P&O Resorts in 1997. After that, Voyages Hotels & Resorts bought it and spent three million dollars making it even better.

Plane Incident

On April 3, 2008, a small plane crashed into the ocean shortly after taking off from Brampton Island. Luckily, the pilot and all four passengers survived and were rescued by a helicopter.

What to Do on Brampton Island

Brampton Islands National Park

Most of Brampton Island is a beautiful national park. This park is a home for many different kinds of wildlife and plants. If you love walking, there are 17.8 kilometers (about 11 miles) of walking tracks to explore. There's also a campsite if you want to stay overnight, but you need a permit first.

The Resort (Past and Present)

The Brampton Island Resort used to be a popular place for up to 220 guests. It had 106 rooms and was especially liked by couples. Guests could enjoy many activities, some free and some with a cost, like fishing trips, snorkeling, and scenic flights.

Voyages Hotels & Resorts operated the resort until 2010. Then, a company called Brampton Enterprises bought it. In November 2010, they announced big plans to redevelop the resort. It closed in January 2011, with plans to reopen later that year. However, the resort never reopened.

Today, the resort buildings are no longer used and have fallen into disrepair. But don't worry, you can still walk along the beach and use a walking track that leads to a lookout point!

Images for kids

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  View of Brampton Island from a plane