Eagle Island (Queensland) facts for kids

Eagle Island is in a national park in Queensland, Australia, 692 km north-west of Brisbane. The island is part of the Lizard Island Group and is south of Lizard Island situated 270 km north of Cairns, Queensland.

The only settlements on the island are the Research Station, the Lizard Island Resort operated by Voyages Hotels & Resorts and a basic camping area operated by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

Geography

Lizard Island is a high granite island about seven square kilometres in size, with three smaller islands nearby (Palfrey, South and Bird). Together these islands form the Lizard Island Group and their well-developed fringing reef encircles the ten-metre deep Blue Lagoon.

The Lizard Island Group is a mid-shelf reef, situated 30 kilometres from the Australian mainland. Most reef and island types characteristic of the Great Barrier Reef are accessible from the Research Station.

Protected area

All islands in the Lizard Island Group are part of the Lizard Island National Park, administered by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. Lizard Island is situated in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, administered jointly by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency. Permits are required for all manipulative research in the Lizard Island Group and the waters surrounding it.

History

During his epic voyage of 1770, Captain James Cook climbed the peak on Lizard Island to chart a course out to sea through the maze of reefs which confronted him.