Hayman Island

Hayman Island

Hayman Island, 1973
Geography
Location	Coral Sea
Coordinates	20°03′S 148°53′E / 20.050°S 148.883°E / -20.050; 148.883.
Archipelago	Whitsunday Islands
Total islands	74
Area	4 km2 (1.5 sq mi)
Length	4 km (2.5 mi)
Width	3 km (1.9 mi)
Administration
Australia
State	Queensland
LGA	Whitsunday Regional Council

Hayman Island is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands, part of the Cumberland Islands, which are located off the coast of Central Queensland, Australia at 20°03′S 148°53′E / 20.050°S 148.883°E / -20.050; 148.883. Hayman is a private island open to the public, most famous for its luxury resort which was built in the 1950s by millionaire Reg Ansett, who also founded Ansett Australia. The island is a significant drawing point for tourism in Queensland.

The island is small at just 400 hectares (988 acres) in area.

Captain James Cook first charted these waters in 1770.

Commander George Nares gave Hayman its name in honour of Thomas Hayman, his navigator. The two carried out many exploits together, becoming the first to pass through the Suez Canal and completing a dangerous navigation around Antarctica.

Edwin Embury, a schoolteacher, dreamer, and amateur scientist established a biological research laboratory on the island in 1933. The abundant wildlife and proximity to the Great Barrier Reef made Hayman an ideal base for scientific discovery.

Whitsundays’ fishermen Bob and Bert Hallam established the Great Barrier Reef Game Fish Angling Club in 1935, attracting local and international game fishing enthusiasts who arrived by coastal steamer. One of them was Zane Grey, American novelist, filmmaker and big game fisherman. Grey planted the first coconut palm on the island and, in 1936, Hayman became the idyllic tropical backdrop for his comedy drama, ‘White Death’.