One Tree Island (Queensland) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids One Tree Island Queensland
IUCN Category Ia (Strict Nature Reserve)
One Tree Island Location in Queensland
Nearest town or city	Gladstone
Area	7.5 ha (18.5 acres)
Managing authorities	Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Website	One Tree Island
See also	Protected areas of Queensland

One Tree Island is a small coral cay. It is found near the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. The island is about 96 km east of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia. It is also 450 km north of Brisbane, the state capital.

One Tree Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef's chain of islands. It belongs to the Capricorn and Bunker Group of islands. It is also part of the Capricornia Cays National Park. This area is also known as an Important Bird Area because many birds live there.

About One Tree Island

One Tree Island is a cay made of rubble or shingle. It sits at the eastern edge of a large coral reef. This reef is about 5.5 km long and 3.5 km wide.

The island has scattered plants like velvet soldierbush and Scaevola taccada. You can also find small groups of Pisonia grandis trees. There is a small pond of salty water near the middle of the island. A special research station run by the University of Sydney is located here.

How the Island Formed

The Capricorn and Bunker Cays are a special group of islands. They are at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. These islands and their reefs are on the western edge of the continental shelf. They are separated from the mainland by a channel called Curtis Channel. You usually cannot see these islands from the mainland.

These islands are quite young in terms of geological time. They formed during the Holocene period, which started about 10,000 years ago. Most of them are around 5,000 years old. During the last Ice Age, the sea level was much lower. The land where today's reefs are was completely dry.

Around 10,000 years ago, the sea level started to rise. It became stable about 6,000 years ago. Once the sea level stopped changing, reef flats could grow. These flats then became places where islands like One Tree Island could form. One Tree Island is a shingle cay. It is part of a reef that has a lagoon in the middle.

Island History

Who Discovered the Island?

In 1803, Captain Eber Bunker was sailing his whaling ship, the Albion. He was the first European to find this area. He gave his name to the southern group of islands.

Captain Bunker discovered the Bunker Islands during his second whaling trip from England. The Albion was a ship weighing 362 tons. It had 10 guns and a crew of 26 people.

Later, between 1819 and 1821, Lieutenant Phillip Parker King charted these southern islands and reefs. He used ships called the Mermaid and later the Bathurst. The main mapping of all the islands happened in 1843. This was done by Captain Francis Blackwood on HMS Fly. The ship was joined by the Bramble. A scientist named Professor J. Beete Jukes was on the Fly. His notes give us important information about some of the islands.

What the Island is Used For Now

The island and its reef are set aside for scientific research. This is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act, 1975.

Research Station

The One Tree Island Research Station was built in 1976. It can host up to 20 scientists at a time. This station is very important for studying reefs and islands. It is a great place for research because there is very little human impact. This helps scientists get accurate information.

The University of Sydney runs the research station. It is located on a special leased part of One Tree Island. The station offers basic places to stay. In 1987, three new buildings were built. These replaced older buildings for scientists, staff, and labs. The main lab and office building was built in 1983. It is strong enough to resist cyclones.

The new buildings are comfortable. They have timber windows, coral rubble floors, and ceiling fans. Solar panels provide electricity. A diesel generator helps out if needed. Cooking uses LPG gas. The only fresh water comes from rainwater. It is collected and stored in tanks. In 1994, the station faced some funding cuts.

Island Wildlife

Natural Habitat

Green turtle nesting sites are found at Wreck Island, West Fairfax, and West Hoskyn Islands. These areas are kept natural and free from human disturbance. Up to eight types of seabirds breed on Masthead, One Tree, and Wreck Islands. Seven types of birds are found on Tryon, Erskine, and West Fairfax Islands.

The Capricorn silvereye is a small bird. It lives only in the southern Great Barrier Reef. You can find it on One Tree Island. There are also brown booby breeding groups at East and West Fairfax and East Hoskyn Islands.

Shipwrecks Near the Reef

Several ships have been lost near One Tree Island.

Wisteria This ship sank on September 14, 1887. It was a barque, originally named Look At Home. It could not be saved. The Wisteria was carrying flour, bran, chaff, and cement. It broke apart on One Tree Island. An investigation found that the ship was lost because the captain and mate were not skilled enough. The captain's license was taken away.

Jane Lockhart This schooner sank between December 11 and 17, 1868. It was lost near Lady Musgrave Island, Heron Island, Masthead Reef, or One Tree Island. The ship left Sydney with general cargo for Broadsound. It ran aground on a reef. The crew got into a boat and safely reached the Pilot station at Keppel Island.

Early reports said it was lost on Lady Musgrave reef. Later news said it was on Heron Island. Some reports also mentioned One Tree Island or Mast Head. The Jane Lockhart was built in 1861 in New South Wales.

Original reports said: "One of the boats sent to the wreck of the Jane Lockhart, schooner, has returned. It brought back the sails and some of the ropes. The ship did not hit Bunker's Group, as reported. It hit what is known as Heron Island, about ninety miles north of Bunker's Group. When the boat reached the ship, it was resting in a hollow in one of the reefs. The outer part of the hollow protected it from the waves. One side of the ship was visible. The new copper covering seemed unharmed. Captain Norris, who was in charge of the boat, took down the sails. This was so the ship's position would not change. He left the yards and masts standing."

Six months later, it was reported: "The Rose, schooner, has returned from the wreck of the Jane Lockhart, on Masthead Reef. She went there on June 15. Captain Dwyer tells us that the Jane Lockhart is still in a very safe spot. He believes he and Mr Norris, who bought the wreck, can raise the ship. They hope to bring her safely to Rockhampton.

Most of the time they were at the reef, the weather was very bad. This stopped them from getting the cargo. But luckily, the strong southeast winds calmed down for about three days. Captain Dwyer used this chance. He set up a platform between the masts of the Lockhart. Using a rope and a diver from the South Sea Islands, he brought up eighty to ninety large iron pulley wheels. He also got a lot of machinery and other items. These included Ale, porter, liqueur brandy, cutlery, and iron tools. Sadly, the Rose ran out of water. This upset the crew. They would have gotten much more, but they had to go to port for supplies."