Fitzroy Island is small but has a lot to offer for a visitor, like bush walking, relaxing, snorkelling, beaches, ... The most of the island is a national park and a small area of the island is given to a resort. Fitzroy Island was once part of the mainland, but after the last ice age (6000 years ago) the sea took possession of the area between the mainland and the island.
For the Gunghandji Aboriginal people who live on the mainland has the island a spiritual meaning. During the Dreamtime there was a person named Gulnyjarubay who came to the area and named the island Gabara ('the fist'). It was their way of saying that the arm and the wrist are beneath the water and that only 'the fist' is coming out of the water. The Gunghandji Aboriginal people have used Fitzroy Island for thousands of years as place for hunting and fishing.
In 1770 it gots his name from Captain Cook who was the first European to see Fitzroy Island. He named the island after the Duke of Grafton.
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The walk to the lighthouse is an excellent bush walk, the views along the track are very great and you have a steep road that is leading towards a modern build lighthouse. It?s a 3.6 km return walk and if you take time to enjoy the scenery you have to take an 2 hours. And there are some sidetracks that you can go into so that you can find some hidden places and nice viewpoints. But have enough water with you and keep it safe.
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When I look back to our time on the Island, well the thing that will gets always on my mind is this: Can you imagine that you have to make a 3-daypack in 5 minutes, well if you can then you know that you can forget some things like a toothbrush or earplugs. And if you have then a guy there who is snoring the whole night and keeps the other 3 of us awake. Then you can imagine the curses that we made the next morning under the shower. That was a sight to hear, I can tell you. But my earplugs that could have give me a good nights rest were in my big backpack in the hostel. But you can do some good short hikes and you have Nudey beach.
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Nudey Beach
Well Nudey beach ... The name says it all, but don't be surprised if you don't find nude people over there. There are no nude beaches in Queensland, but this is the only beach that gets away with it. But the most people who visit Nudey beach keep there clothes on.
The beach can be reached after a 1.8 km walk through dense rainforest, but it's worth it, because Nudey beach is the nicest beach on this island. It's mostly a sandy beach where the other beaches are covered with dead coral and that is not so nice for the feet.
I don't have a photo of Nudey Beach but as I said it's nice and sandy and if you don't believe me about the naked people you shall have to see for yourself.
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A bunkhouse in the Fitzroy Island Resort
There is one resort on the island that is suited for every need, to host the day tourists or for the backpacker that wants to stay for the night. We were in a bunkhouse with separate rooms that host 4 people.
The rooms are nice and clean and the beds are great and that should give you a good nights rest if you don't have a room mate who is snoring
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In the resort you have a bar where we hanged out and met the some guys who worked in the resort. We where telling jokes and this Tasmanian (he worked there) was telling Tasmaninan jokes and some of them 4 times or more. He was the living joke -lol- but he was very drunk and funny. It was a great evening in that open air pub.
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There is a restaurant where you can enjoy a good meal, but we didn't eat there, we ordered something in the take away place next door. Backpackers are all alike.
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Like I said before, some nice short hiking tracks on that Island waiting to be discovered.
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Published on Monday April 19th, 2004
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6 votes
