Goold Island is a national park in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia, northwest of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. The island is close to the northern tip of

Hinchinbrook Island Hinchinbrook Island (or Pouandai to the Biyaygiri people) is an island in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies east of Cardwell and north of Lucinda, separated from the north-eastern coast of Queensland by the narrow H ...

off the coast from Cardwell in Rockingham Bay and is part of the

Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

. Covering the island is located from shore. It is covered mostly with open

eucalypt Eucalypt is a descriptive name for woody plants with capsule fruiting bodies belonging to seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australasia: ''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', '' Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...

forest, rainforested gullies and semi permanent creek water.

History

For many thousands of years before non-indigenous peoples arrived into the region, Goold Island, neighbouring islands and surrounding seas were occupied, used and enjoyed by generations of the Bandjin peoples ancestors, leaving behind an array of stone

fish trap A fish trap is a trap used for fishing. Fish traps include fishing weirs, lobster traps, and some fishing nets such as fyke nets. Traps are culturally almost universal and seem to have been independently invented many times. There are two ma ...

s and shell middens still to be found on and around the island to this day. Bandjin survivors of an often violent non-indigenous 'occupation' of the region continue to value and consider Goold Island as part of their sea country and, in December 2005, they included Goold Island within Australia's and

's first accredited 'Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreement'''Sustainable traditional use of marine resources'' Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority webpage
Accessed 28 June 2009.

Camping

Campers are required to bring their own water and all camping equipment. Camping is by permit only and is limited numbers so it is best to book in advance. Access to the islands is by ferry, private

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

or charter or

sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the man ...

. Marine stingers are present during the warmer months.Goold Island camping
Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

Neighbouring Islands

The nearby Brook Islands are smaller and made up of North, Tween, Middle and South islands, the first three of which comprise the

Brook Islands National Park The Brook Islands National Park is a national park in Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia, 1246 km northwest of Brisbane, with an area of 0.9 km2. It was established in 1994 and comprises three islands (North, Tween and Mid ...

. These islands are used mainly by nesting birds. It is important not to disturb the birds during breeding seasons. Birds found here include the Torresian imperial-pigeon (estimated at over 40,000),

bridled tern The bridled tern (''Onychoprion anaethetus'') is a seabird of the family Laridae. It is a bird of the tropical oceans. The scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus comes from ' meaning "claw" or "nail", and , meaning "saw". The specific ...

black-naped tern The black-naped tern (''Sterna sumatrana'') is an oceanic tern mostly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is rarely found inland. Description The tern is about 30 cm long with a wing length of 21� ...

s, roseate terns and

little tern The little tern (''Sternula albifrons'') is a seabird of the family Laridae. It was formerly placed into the genus ''Sterna'', which now is restricted to the large white terns. The genus name is a diminutive of '' Sterna'', "tern". The specific ' ...

s. The

beach stone-curlew The beach stone-curlew (''Esacus magnirostris'') also known as beach thick-knee is a large, ground-dwelling bird that occurs in Australasia, the islands of South-east Asia. At and , it is one of the world's largest shorebirds. At a mean of in ...

also makes North Brook Island its home.

References

{{National Parks of Queensland National parks of Far North Queensland Islands of Far North Queensland Uninhabited islands of Australia Great Barrier Reef Marine Park

History

Camping

Neighbouring Islands

See also

References