The islands were given their collective name and also English names by Captain Cook when he sailed through the area in 1770. They were part of the mainland until roughly 8,000 years ago when the sea level rose.[1]
The Islands
The largest of the Family Islands, their Aboriginal names, and their position in the "family" are:
Kumboola, which is connected to Dunk Island on particularly low tides
Mound Island (Purtaboi), which is protected as a sea bird nesting habitat
Woln Garin, a small island off Dunk Island's south east corner, known locally as "40ft Rock"
Battleship Rock (Pee-Rahm-Ah), named because of its distinctive shape when seen from the north
Thorpe Island(Ti mana), which is privately owned with one residence. This is the only Australian island which is owned freehold.
The European names of the islands reflect the names of the officers on board the survey ship HMS Paluma: Lieutenant G. Richards, commander; Lieutenants Wheeler, Combe and Bowden-Smith; Dr. Thorpe, surgeon; and Mr. Hudson, engineer.[2]
Facilities
Camp grounds are available on Dunk, Coombe and Wheeler Islands, with permits available from Queensland Parks and Wildlife.[3] Resorts operate on Dunk and Bedarra Islands.