Bedarra Island
Encyclopedia
Bedarra Island is a privately owned island in the middle of the Family Islands National Park
, located off the Queensland
coast in Australia
. The island is made from granite
and was part of the mainland before the last sea level rise began 8,000 years ago. Noel Wood
, an Australian landscape artist, purchased East Bedarra in the late 1930s and over time it was developed into a popular luxury tourist destination.
Bedarra Beach House along with the Bedarra Resort and Dunk Island operations, operated by Hideaway Resorts, remain out of action.
In July 2011 Hideaway Resorts, announced that despite engaging in a major clean-up, its two resorts would not be reopening on 1 April 2012 as originally planned.
The extent of the damage was greater than originally thought. Discussions are underway as to whether redevelopment will continue or the properties will be sold.
However, on the eastern side of the horseshoe-shaped island where the private buildings were sturdier in design a major transformation has taken place.
After millions of dollars invested in clean up, rebuilding, refurbishment and landscaping, East Bedarra Island Retreat, Bedarra Hideaway and Bedarra Island Villa luxury resorts were back in business by late 2011.
. A number of the luxury resorts were devastated with buildings left in splinters, facilities in ruins and gardens stripped bare.
Damage assessment meant all future bookings were cancelled for several resorts including Dunk Island
(Salvestrin) and his wife Sharon Salvestrin who’s reinvestment has ensured the property is fully self sufficient with solar power and fully environmentally friendly and sustainable.
To the south on East Bedbarra Island are the hexagonal building of Bedarra Hideaway, nestled in the tropical forest, set among huge granite boulders and facing a pure white sand beach. It is owned by world renowned Australian landscape photographer Peter Lik
and provides 180 degree views out across the Coral Sea
.
Further around the island is Bedarra Island Villa at the edge of another white sand beach on a private two acre estate surrounded by palm trees. The comfortable interiors have been made over by award winning designer Robert Davidov, principle of Davidov and Partners.
Bedarra Beach Villa is one of the 30 or so hotel and retreat properties owned by Sydney socialite and former fashion editor of Cosmopolitan magazine Terry Kaljo, now proprietor of Contemporary Hotels with director Matthew Fleming.
All three luxury escapes on East Bedarra suffered severe damage during tropical cyclone Yasi but have since been restored and refurbished and are under the management of Sharon Salvestrin of Romantic Retreats.
The next largest island he called “The Mother Isle” which became known as Bedarra Island. The other islands he referred to as “The Children”.
Initially marine charts referred to Bedarra island as Richards Island then Allason Island after the first European settler, Captain Henry Allason. Early in the 20th century author Edmund James Banfield
(E.J Banfield) who lived as a beachcomber on Dunk Island began using the name Bedarra, a misspelling of the Aboriginal term Biagurra which roughly translates to “the place of endless water”.
Captain Henry Allason, inspired by Banfields book ‘Confessions of A Beachcomber’, purchased Bedarra from the Queensland Lands Department in 1913 for the paltry sum of 20 pounds. He and his wife settled there until he was forced to return to Europe when World War 1 broke out.
When Allason on-sold the property to the Harris syndicate of London in 1934 it looked for a time like it might become a home for underprivileged boys.
(1912-2001) visited the island in 1936 and negotiated the purchase of a site near the mangroves on one side of the peninsula.
The fact he couldn’t swim at low tide caused frustration so he acquired Doorila Bay (previously known as Wedgerock Bay and Coconut Bay) on the opposite side at what is today known as East Bedarra Island.
Wood a colourful modernist, landscape artist and early conservationist, who often hosted 'Bohemian parties' managed the property and painted at East Bedarra for close to 60-years.
He named many of its picturesque locations including Melaleuca Beach, The Mangroves, Calophyllum Beach, Casurina Beach, Valley Beach, Orchid Beach, Tiki Beach and Hernandia Bay. This is confirmed by author James Porter and Wood's direct descendants.
Wood also named the Coral Gardens as a reference to Banfield’s memories of Dunk Island in Confessions of a Beachcomber.
Public collections of Wood's works are held throughout Australia and form part of private collections in the UK and US. Although he worked in Ireland, Britain and Europe in the late 1940s and was in the US in the 1950s he always returned to his East Bedarra studio and gardens. He was a permanent resident from 1936-1947 and from 1957-2001.
Wood lived on the island until 1993 when his parcel of land was subdivided. Eight privately owned houses are located on this section of Bedarra Island.
In 1940, artist John Busst leased the south-eastern corner for ten shillings a week before the Coleman’s sold to former island guests Dick Greatrix and Pierre Huret who had fallen in love with the place.
The two men lived on the island for seven years creating an area of landscaped gardens and introducing exotic plants to the rainforest before selling to long time tenant John Busst and his sister Phyllis.
Portions of the island were sub-divided and sold off over the years until in 1857 Ken and Cynthia Druitt took over and developed a small tourist resort. That year John Busst sold his remaining holding at Bedarra Bay, to Colin Scott, a grazier from Victoria. who ran the property as a private retreat. In 1979, Tor Hulten, from Sweden converted the property into the Toranna Plantation tourist resort.
In 1980, Australian Airlines, owners of neighbouring Dunk Island Resort, purchased Ken and Cynthia Druitt’s holding, ultimately creating Bedarra Hideaway Resort and running day trips for Dunk Island guests.
The airline also acquired Toranna Plantation which in 1988 was transformed into the exclusive Bedarra Bay Resort. Bedarra Hideaway Resort was closed in October 1991 after Qantas took over Australian Airlines.
P&O Australian Resorts purchased the properties in March 1998 and after extensive refurbishment over several years sold to Voyages Hotels & Resorts in August 2004. An affiliate of the McCall MacBain Foundation took over portions of Bedarra and neighbouring Dunk Island in September 2009.
Both Bedarra Island Resort and Dunk Island resort are closed indefinitely following the Cyclone Yasi.
Family Islands National Park
The Family Islands are a group of continental islands lying a short distance off the coast, about mid-way between Cairns and Townsville, in Queensland, Australia. Most of the area has been designated as a national park...
, located off the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
coast in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The island is made from granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and was part of the mainland before the last sea level rise began 8,000 years ago. Noel Wood
Noel Wood
Noel Herbert Wood was an Australian painter.-Biography:Born in Strathalbyn, South Australia, Wood attended art school in Adelaide where his tutor was the painter, Marie Tuck...
, an Australian landscape artist, purchased East Bedarra in the late 1930s and over time it was developed into a popular luxury tourist destination.
Weather
Bedarra Island is located in the tropics and has an average year-round temperature of approximately 29 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit).Access
Bedarra Island is located approximately 7 kilometres off the Tropical North Queensland coast, midway between Townsville and Cairns. Access to Bedarra is a leisurely two hour scenic drive from Cairns and then 15 minutes water transfer from South Mission Beach or via Dunk Island..Storm casualties
Cyclone Yasi dealt Bedarra Island a harsh blow in February 2011, leaving the future of some popular luxury resorts in significant doubt while others on the eastern side have now fully recovered after a major clean up and re-investment.Bedarra Beach House along with the Bedarra Resort and Dunk Island operations, operated by Hideaway Resorts, remain out of action.
In July 2011 Hideaway Resorts, announced that despite engaging in a major clean-up, its two resorts would not be reopening on 1 April 2012 as originally planned.
The extent of the damage was greater than originally thought. Discussions are underway as to whether redevelopment will continue or the properties will be sold.
However, on the eastern side of the horseshoe-shaped island where the private buildings were sturdier in design a major transformation has taken place.
After millions of dollars invested in clean up, rebuilding, refurbishment and landscaping, East Bedarra Island Retreat, Bedarra Hideaway and Bedarra Island Villa luxury resorts were back in business by late 2011.
Cyclone Yasi
Between AEST 23:57, 2 February 2011, and 00:27, 3 February 2011, the eye of Cyclone Yasi passed directly over Bedarra Island as a Category 5 tropical cycloneTropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
. A number of the luxury resorts were devastated with buildings left in splinters, facilities in ruins and gardens stripped bare.
Damage assessment meant all future bookings were cancelled for several resorts including Dunk Island
Resorts restored
East Bedarra Retreat is owned by music industry personality Gene PiersonGene Pierson
Gene Pierson is an Australian record producer, music publisher, label owner, entrepreneur and former recording artist and entertainment manager....
(Salvestrin) and his wife Sharon Salvestrin who’s reinvestment has ensured the property is fully self sufficient with solar power and fully environmentally friendly and sustainable.
To the south on East Bedbarra Island are the hexagonal building of Bedarra Hideaway, nestled in the tropical forest, set among huge granite boulders and facing a pure white sand beach. It is owned by world renowned Australian landscape photographer Peter Lik
Peter Lik
Peter Lik is a self-taught Australian landscape photographer. While traveling in Alaska in 1984, Lik began to experiment with panoramic cameras. He is known for his limited editions and his work has been compared to that of legendary photographer Ansel Adams...
and provides 180 degree views out across the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
.
Further around the island is Bedarra Island Villa at the edge of another white sand beach on a private two acre estate surrounded by palm trees. The comfortable interiors have been made over by award winning designer Robert Davidov, principle of Davidov and Partners.
Bedarra Beach Villa is one of the 30 or so hotel and retreat properties owned by Sydney socialite and former fashion editor of Cosmopolitan magazine Terry Kaljo, now proprietor of Contemporary Hotels with director Matthew Fleming.
All three luxury escapes on East Bedarra suffered severe damage during tropical cyclone Yasi but have since been restored and refurbished and are under the management of Sharon Salvestrin of Romantic Retreats.
Founding history
Captain James Cook first placed the ‘Family Isles’ on the map when exploring the coast of Australia in the Endeavour in June 1770. He named the larger “The Father Isle” or Dunk Island, after the First Lord of the Admiralty, Montagu Dunk, the Earl of Sandwich.The next largest island he called “The Mother Isle” which became known as Bedarra Island. The other islands he referred to as “The Children”.
Initially marine charts referred to Bedarra island as Richards Island then Allason Island after the first European settler, Captain Henry Allason. Early in the 20th century author Edmund James Banfield
Edmund James Banfield
Edmund James "Ted" Banfield was an author and naturalist, best known for his book Confessions of a Beachcomber.-Early life:...
(E.J Banfield) who lived as a beachcomber on Dunk Island began using the name Bedarra, a misspelling of the Aboriginal term Biagurra which roughly translates to “the place of endless water”.
Captain Henry Allason, inspired by Banfields book ‘Confessions of A Beachcomber’, purchased Bedarra from the Queensland Lands Department in 1913 for the paltry sum of 20 pounds. He and his wife settled there until he was forced to return to Europe when World War 1 broke out.
When Allason on-sold the property to the Harris syndicate of London in 1934 it looked for a time like it might become a home for underprivileged boys.
Noel Wood
However, Australian artist Noel WoodNoel Wood
Noel Herbert Wood was an Australian painter.-Biography:Born in Strathalbyn, South Australia, Wood attended art school in Adelaide where his tutor was the painter, Marie Tuck...
(1912-2001) visited the island in 1936 and negotiated the purchase of a site near the mangroves on one side of the peninsula.
The fact he couldn’t swim at low tide caused frustration so he acquired Doorila Bay (previously known as Wedgerock Bay and Coconut Bay) on the opposite side at what is today known as East Bedarra Island.
Wood a colourful modernist, landscape artist and early conservationist, who often hosted 'Bohemian parties' managed the property and painted at East Bedarra for close to 60-years.
He named many of its picturesque locations including Melaleuca Beach, The Mangroves, Calophyllum Beach, Casurina Beach, Valley Beach, Orchid Beach, Tiki Beach and Hernandia Bay. This is confirmed by author James Porter and Wood's direct descendants.
Wood also named the Coral Gardens as a reference to Banfield’s memories of Dunk Island in Confessions of a Beachcomber.
Public collections of Wood's works are held throughout Australia and form part of private collections in the UK and US. Although he worked in Ireland, Britain and Europe in the late 1940s and was in the US in the 1950s he always returned to his East Bedarra studio and gardens. He was a permanent resident from 1936-1947 and from 1957-2001.
Wood lived on the island until 1993 when his parcel of land was subdivided. Eight privately owned houses are located on this section of Bedarra Island.
Ownership changes
In 1938 after artist Noel Wood was established in his island paradise, Frank Coleman and his family from the Atherton Tableland, arrived after negotiating a purchase price for the rest of the island.In 1940, artist John Busst leased the south-eastern corner for ten shillings a week before the Coleman’s sold to former island guests Dick Greatrix and Pierre Huret who had fallen in love with the place.
The two men lived on the island for seven years creating an area of landscaped gardens and introducing exotic plants to the rainforest before selling to long time tenant John Busst and his sister Phyllis.
Portions of the island were sub-divided and sold off over the years until in 1857 Ken and Cynthia Druitt took over and developed a small tourist resort. That year John Busst sold his remaining holding at Bedarra Bay, to Colin Scott, a grazier from Victoria. who ran the property as a private retreat. In 1979, Tor Hulten, from Sweden converted the property into the Toranna Plantation tourist resort.
In 1980, Australian Airlines, owners of neighbouring Dunk Island Resort, purchased Ken and Cynthia Druitt’s holding, ultimately creating Bedarra Hideaway Resort and running day trips for Dunk Island guests.
The airline also acquired Toranna Plantation which in 1988 was transformed into the exclusive Bedarra Bay Resort. Bedarra Hideaway Resort was closed in October 1991 after Qantas took over Australian Airlines.
P&O Australian Resorts purchased the properties in March 1998 and after extensive refurbishment over several years sold to Voyages Hotels & Resorts in August 2004. An affiliate of the McCall MacBain Foundation took over portions of Bedarra and neighbouring Dunk Island in September 2009.
Both Bedarra Island Resort and Dunk Island resort are closed indefinitely following the Cyclone Yasi.
External links
- Bedarra Island resources from the National Library of Australia
- Bedarra Placenames
- A History of Bedarra
- Dictionary of Australian Artists:
- Sydney Morning Herald Traveller section http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-factsheet/bedarra-island-20081113-5z3o.html
- Daily Telegraph, Drunken Drongos and Suntanned Soap Stars (March 27, 2004)
- ‘Confessions of A Beachcomber’, Banfield, Project Guttenberg: