Dent Island (Whitsunday Islands)
Encyclopedia
Dent Island is an island
just off the coast of Queensland
, Australia
. Dent Island is located at 20°21′S 148°56′E. Dent Island is part of the Whitsunday Group and lies immediately west of Hamilton Island. The Whitsunday Group is one of the Island Groups that together comprise the Whitsunday Islands
(also known as the Greater Whitsunday Islands or Greater Whitsundays). Dent Island is mostly known as Hamilton West.
The earliest charts of the Whitsunday area showed only one island, named ‘Passage Island’ where Dent Island and Hamilton Island currently lie. It was not until 1866, when Commander G. S. Nares, Royal Navy
, on HMS Salamander
, carried out a detailed survey of the northern waters of the Whitsunday Passage that the charts were amended to show two separate islands. Dent Island was named after Lieutenant Albert Dent of the HMS Salamander.
Another small mangrove
island in Queensland is known locally as "Dent Island", It is located in the Proserpine River just downstream of the mouth of Saltwater Creek. It was given the name after the 33 tons steamer Ada Dent shipwrecked and sank in deep water off Lady Elliot Island
on 21 June 1907.
Construction of the Hamilton Island Golf Club
was completed on Dent Island and is was open to play from August 2009. This 18 hole golf course is operated by Hamilton Island. Designed by five times British Open winner Peter Thomson, the championship Par 71 course measures 6,715 yards/6,140 metres. Accessed by boat transfer from Hamilton Island it is billed the as the only championship island golf course in Australia.
coast, a lighthouse
was erected on the island, the first in the area. The lighthouse was converted to solar power in 1981 and destaffed in 1987.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
just off the coast of 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...
, 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...
. Dent Island is located at 20°21′S 148°56′E. Dent Island is part of the Whitsunday Group and lies immediately west of Hamilton Island. The Whitsunday Group is one of the Island Groups that together comprise the Whitsunday Islands
Whitsunday Islands
The Whitsunday Islands are a collection of continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, situated between just south of Bowen and to the north of Mackay, some north of Brisbane. The island group is centred on Whitsunday Island, while the group's commercial...
(also known as the Greater Whitsunday Islands or Greater Whitsundays). Dent Island is mostly known as Hamilton West.
The earliest charts of the Whitsunday area showed only one island, named ‘Passage Island’ where Dent Island and Hamilton Island currently lie. It was not until 1866, when Commander G. S. Nares, Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, on HMS Salamander
HMS Salamander
Ships bearing the name HMS Salamander include:*HMS Salamander was an 818 ton, 4-gun paddle sloop launched in 1832 and broken up in 1883....
, carried out a detailed survey of the northern waters of the Whitsunday Passage that the charts were amended to show two separate islands. Dent Island was named after Lieutenant Albert Dent of the HMS Salamander.
Another small mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
island in Queensland is known locally as "Dent Island", It is located in the Proserpine River just downstream of the mouth of Saltwater Creek. It was given the name after the 33 tons steamer Ada Dent shipwrecked and sank in deep water off Lady Elliot Island
Lady Elliot Island
Lady Elliot Island is the southern-most coral cay of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The island lies north-east of Bundaberg and covers an area of approximately . The island is home to a small eco resort and an airstrip, which is serviced daily by flights from Bundaberg, Hervey Bay,...
on 21 June 1907.
Construction of the Hamilton Island Golf Club
Hamilton Island Golf Club
Hamilton Island Golf Club is a golf course located in near the Island Resort Town of Hamilton Island in Queensland's Whitsunday Islands. Despite its name, the Hamilton Island Golf Club is actually located on neighbouring Dent Island - but is named as such because the course is owned and operated by...
was completed on Dent Island and is was open to play from August 2009. This 18 hole golf course is operated by Hamilton Island. Designed by five times British Open winner Peter Thomson, the championship Par 71 course measures 6,715 yards/6,140 metres. Accessed by boat transfer from Hamilton Island it is billed the as the only championship island golf course in Australia.
Lighthouse
In 1879 as part of a Government programme of improving navigational aids along the QueenslandQueensland
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, a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
was erected on the island, the first in the area. The lighthouse was converted to solar power in 1981 and destaffed in 1987.