Direction Island (Exmouth Gulf) facts for kids

Direction Island is a cool island located about 10 kilometres (6 miles) off the coast of Onslow in a part of Western Australia called the Pilbara region. It's a special place where you can have an amazing holiday!

Exploring Direction Island

Direction Island is the second biggest island in a group of ten islands and coral rings (called atolls) known as the Mackerel Islands. Two of these islands, Thevenard Island and Direction Island, have places for tourists to stay. What's really unique is that Direction Island is one of the few spots in the world where you can actually rent your very own island for a vacation!

You can get to Direction Island by taking a ferry from Onslow on the mainland. If you have a small boat (under 6 metres or 20 feet), there's even a private spot to park your boat at the island.

The island itself is about 1 kilometre (0.6 miles) long and is surrounded by a beautiful coral reef. The island has areas with deep sandy soil where you can find plants like Acacia trees and Triodia grasses, along with other coastal bushes.

Your Stay on Direction Island

When you visit Direction Island, you'll find a single, self-contained beach shack. It's built like an A-frame cabin and is the only building on the island! This shack uses solar power for electricity, with a backup generator just in case. It also has its own fresh water supply.

There are lots of fun things to do on the island. You can go fishing, diving, or snorkelling to explore the amazing underwater world.

Amazing Animals of Direction Island

Direction Island is a very important place for many animals. It's a breeding and resting spot for sea turtles, different kinds of wader birds (birds that walk in shallow water), and seabirds.

The ocean around the island is full of incredible marine life! You might see playful dolphins, huge whales, gentle dugongs, flat stingrays, and different kinds of reef sharks and wobbegong sharks. There are also many crabs, crayfish, squid, octopus, and starfish. Look out for sea snakes, moray eels, colourful nudibranchs (sea slugs), giant groper fish, and lots of bright tropical fish and coral reef fish like fusiliers, lionfish, and butterfly fish.

More than 70 types of fish live in the waters around the island. These include big fish like spanish mackerel, billfish, sailfish, and marlin, as well as many others like golden trevally, queenfish, and different kinds of snapper and cod.

The coral reefs are also home to many types of corals, including hard corals, soft corals, and gorgonians (which look like sea fans). You can also find sponges and black coral trees.

History of the Island's Tourism

Back in 1964, two local people from Onslow, Ian Blair and Adrian Day, were given permission by the government to use Thevenard Island and Direction Island. Later, in 1973, a group of local farmers bought the business.

Over time, the simple beach shacks used by fishermen slowly grew into a full tourism business. In 1982, the cabin on Direction Island was made bigger to welcome tourists, and it has been updated since then. The same group of farmers also built the Onslow Mackerel Motel on the mainland in 1997. This motel helps people get ready for their trips to the Mackerel Islands.

Images for kids

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  Direction Island in August 2021