Orpheus Island National Park, Marine national park in Queensland, Australia
Orpheus Island National Park covers Orpheus Island and Albino Rock in the Palm Islands group, 1,189 km northwest of Brisbane and 45 km east of Ingham. Orpheus Island is a continental island about 12 km long and 1 to 2.5 km wide, with rocky headlands, sandy beaches and surrounding coral reefs. The park also includes Albino Rock, 2.6 km east of Great Palm Island.
The island was named in 1887 by Lieutenant G.E. Richards after a British Navy vessel that sank in the 1800s. European settlers arrived later and changed how the land was used in the region.
The island's Aboriginal name, Goolboddi, is recorded for Orpheus Island, whose inhabitants before European arrival were probably the Nyawigi (Nyawaygi). The name Orpheus was given in 1887 by Lieutenant G. E. Richards, recalling HMS Orpheus, wrecked off New Zealand in 1863. Today the island holds a James Cook University research station and a luxury resort.
There are no roads or formed walking tracks on the island, and access is by private or charter boat only. Camping is permitted at Yanks Jetty, South Beach and Pioneer Bay; Yanks Jetty and Pioneer Bay have toilets, and Yanks Jetty also has gas barbecues.
James Cook University runs a research station on the island, and since 2000 St Michael's Grammar School has held a marine biology project there each June. Since 2018 Reef Ecologic has run an annual reef restoration and leadership workshop at the station, and in 2021 the group published a paper on citizen-scientist findings from a rare, large coral bommie.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,050 contributors worldwide.