Dent Island (Queensland) facts for kids
Map showing the Whitsunday Islands
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| Geography | |
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| Location | Coral Sea |
| Coordinates | 20°21′S 148°56′E / 20.350°S 148.933°E |
| Archipelago | Whitsunday Islands |
| Administration | |
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Australia
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Dent Island is a small, beautiful island located off the coast of Queensland, Australia. It's part of the famous Whitsunday Islands, a group of many islands in the Coral Sea. Dent Island sits right next to Hamilton Island, which is a popular holiday spot.
Island History
The first maps of the Whitsunday area only showed one large island where Dent Island and Hamilton Island are today. This island was called 'Passage Island'.
In 1866, Commander G. S. Nares from the Royal Navy explored the northern parts of the Whitsunday Passage. He was on a ship called HMS Salamander. After his detailed survey, the maps were updated to show two separate islands.
Dent Island was then named after Lieutenant Albert Dent, who was also on HMS Salamander.
There is another small island in Queensland that people sometimes call "Dent Island". This island is covered in mangrove trees and is located in the Proserpine River. It got its name from a steamer ship called Ada Dent. This ship sank in 1907 near Lady Elliot Island.
Golfing Paradise
Dent Island is home to the amazing Hamilton Island Golf Club. This golf course was finished in 2009 and opened for players in August of that year. It has 18 holes and is managed by Hamilton Island.
The course was designed by Peter Thomson, a famous golfer who won the British Open five times. It's a championship course, meaning it's designed for professional-level play. It measures about 6,133 meters (6,715 yards) long.
To get to the golf course, you take a boat from Hamilton Island. It's known as the only championship island golf course in Australia, making it a very special place to play golf.
The Lighthouse
In 1879, a lighthouse was built on Dent Island. This was part of a plan by the government to improve navigation for ships along the Queensland coast. It was the very first lighthouse in the Whitsunday area.
The lighthouse helped guide ships safely through the waters. In 1981, it was updated to run on solar power, using energy from the sun. By 1987, the lighthouse no longer needed people to live and work there, as it could operate automatically.
