Остров Данк: История и природа австралийского рая.

Dunk Island, known as Coonanglebah in the Warrgamay and Dyirbal languages, is an island within the locality of Dunk in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies off the Australian east coast, opposite the town of Mission Beach. The island forms part of the Family Islands National Park and is in the larger Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The island is surrounded by reefs and has a diverse population of birds. The Bandjin and Djiru peoples once used the island as a source for food. Europeans first settled on the island in 1897. Dunk Island was used by the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. In recent years the island and its resort facilities have been adversely affected by both Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi.

Dunk Island is by far the largest island in the Family Islands National Park, all of which consist of granite rock. All of the islands were part of the mainland before the last sea level rise began 8,000 years ago. Dunk Island covers 970ha, of which 730 ha is national park and the rest is freehold. Its topography varies, with sandy beaches and rocky shores, slightly undulating slopes, foothills and steeper semi rugged terrain. Mount Kootaloo is the island's highest point, at 271 m above sea level. There are over 100 species of birds on Dunk Island, including rare and vulnerable seabirds. Europeans settled the nearby mainland during the 19th century, seeking gold, timber and grazing land. He subsequently wrote of its natural features in the Narrative of the Voyage of HMS Rattlesnake, published in England in 1852. The book became a celebrated text for romantics and escapists and established Dunk Island's reputation as an exotic island paradise. In the ensuing years, Banfield wrote several other books about Dunk including My Tropical Isle (1911) and Tropic Days (1918). In these he shared the secrets of nature that he had uncovered and described the customs and legends of the Aboriginal people on the island. E. J. Banfield died on 2 June 1923 and his final book Last Leaves from Dunk Island was published posthumously in 1925. His widow remained on the island for another year before moving to Brisbane where she died, ten years after her husband. Today both are buried on the trail to Mt Kootaloo.

The island was bought in 1934 by Captain Brassey and Banfield's bungalow provided the basis for the beginnings of a resort. The Royal Australian Air Force occupied Dunk Island during World War II, building its airstrip in 1941. In September 2009, both Dunk and Bedarra island resorts were purchased by Hideaway Resorts, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pamoja Capital.

Dunk Island was also home to a small community of artists who lived, worked and showcased their work to many international and local visitors on a property on the southern side of the island. The Colony was established in 1974 by former Olympic wrestler Bruce Arthur, who died at his home on Island in March 1998. The community continued to operate under resident metalsmith Susi Kirk until Cyclone BBC Jordan damaged much of the colony. Kirk continued to live at the colony until Cyclone BArk destroyed her home in 2011, and has subsequently continued to live and work on Dunk Island as the last member of the artist colony.

After Cyclone Yasi, Dunk Island was bought by Australian entrepreneur Peter Bond and redevelopment of the resort commenced in 2014. This redevelopment never took place. In September 2019 Mayfair 101, an Australian family owned investment conglomerate led by James Mawhinney, purchased Dunk Island. Mayfair 101 also secured over 250 properties on mainland Mission Beach as part of its estimated AUD1.6 billion 10 15 year plan to restore the region. Mayfair 101 was awarded the Dunk Island Spit tender on 14 November 2019 by the Cassowary Coast Regional Council, providing the opportunity for Mayfair 101 to negotiate a 30 year lease over the iconic Dunk Island Spit. The island's redevelopment is being undertaken by Mayfair 101's property division, Mayfair Iconic Properties, which has established a team based at Mission Beach to undertake the significant rejuvenation of the region.

In July 2022, Annie Cannon Brookes, wife of Atlassian founder and billionaire, Mike Cannon Brookes, made a deal to buy Dunk Island. Reportedly, the transaction was between A$20 25m. The stated reason was to create a sanctuary for the natural features of the island, while also developing the resort.

Dunk Island has thirteen kilometres of walking tracks spread over five main routes, ranging from a short walk to Edmund James Banfield's grave to a 4 hour island circuit hike. Commercial operators offer guided tours around the island, as does the Dunk Island resort.

The Mission Beach Dunk Island Water Taxi and Mission Beach Charters run transfers between Mission Beach and Dunk Island, and Bedarra Island guest transfers.

A resort on Dunk Island was first established in 1936, and it was especially popular among wealthy visitors in the 1960s. It was refurbished from the mid 1970s, and comprised 160 rooms popular with families and couples. The resort was devastated by Cyclone Yasi in 2011 and has been closed since that time. In September 2019 international investment conglomerate Mayfair 101 purchased the freehold of the island, including Dunk Island Resort, for AUD$31.5 million. The group has plans to redevelop the resort and improve facilities on the Dunk Island Spit. until the resort was destroyed in 2011.

Dunk Island has a jetty which the ferry docks at to pick up and drop off passengers. This jetty can also be used for fishing and provides a view of the surrounding waters around the island.

Dunk Island is located in the tropics and has an average maximum temperature of approximately 29 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit). The island is subject to tropical cyclones, and a history of cyclones affecting Dunk Island is included in Climatic Events below.

On 20 March 2006, Cyclone Larry's eye crossed the coast of Queensland at Innisfail as the Category 4. Around 160 staff members and 280 guests from Dunk Island had been evacuated to Cairns, but 20 Voyages staff stayed behind on the island. The resort suffered structural and water damage, but reopened on 1 July 2006 after an estimated $20 million of refurbishment and rebuilding. Dunk Island Resort guests and some staff were flown to safety on 1 February 2011.

The 69 Dunk Island Resort staff and the General Manager David Henry Staff reported that they were not given the option to evacuate despite police asking the island's management to do so a week prior. Staff stated that the resort island's management told staff that they were required to stay and help with the clean up, some were in fact required to return to work from the mainland as the cyclone approached including an employee who, reportedly, had sliced off part of their thumb in a boat accident. Staff reported that resort managers told them not to speak to the media. Hideaway Resorts Director Andrew Menzies denied staff were forced to stay, but could not be evacuated because the cyclone tracked south late on 2 February 2011. Menzies was quoted as saying, "We followed cyclone procedures, there was never a forced evacuation communicated to anyone We have cyclone rated buildings to a category 5, so this was actually the safest place to be". Rupert Greenhough from Hideaway Resorts said the island followed "established cyclone procedures", which did not include provision for mass evacuation of staff. On 4 February 2011, staff, other than a skeleton team, were stood down until the resort was to be rebuilt, evacuated from the island by helicopters and water taxis, and offered counselling. The Herald Sun reported that when management became aware that journalists were on the island, they were ushered away from staff and directed to speak to the island's Melbourne based co owner and the manager of the resort.

The damage to the resort was described as being very severe, with much of the resort needing to be completely rebuilt. The usually cyclone hardy palm trees were stripped. The resort's pool was filled with sand from the storm surge, the function hall was gutted, and the health centre was unroofed. Almost all of the beachfront apartments had their walls torn off. The gardens of the resort were stripped bare. In July 2012, the general manager of the island, David Henry, advised that restoration work was proceeding slowly, and the re opening of the resort was not expected for at least eighteen months. The campsites and associated amenities blocks were expected to re open in September 2012. In the event, restoration was continually delayed. In late 2019, it was announced that international investment conglomerate Mayfair 101, headed by James Mawhinney, had purchased Dunk Island for a reported $31.5m, and said it would rebuild the resort with significantly expanded facilities.

Dunk Island was the location for the 1969 film Age of Consent, which was based on a story by the artist and writer Norman Lindsay.