Low Isles, Queensland

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Low Isles
Queensland
Low Isles Lighthouse, Coral Sea, Queensland - panoramio.jpg
Low Island with the lighthouse with Woody Island beyond, 2013
Australia Queensland location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Low Isles
Coordinates 16°23′20″S145°33′48″E / 16.3888°S 145.5633°E / -16.3888; 145.5633 (Low Isles (centre of locality))
Population0 (2021 census) [1]
 • Density0.00/km2 (0.0/sq mi)
Postcode(s) 4873
Area2.0 km2 (0.8 sq mi)
Time zone AEST (UTC+10:00)
LGA(s) Shire of Douglas
State electorate(s) Cook
Mean max tempMean min tempAnnual rainfall
29.4 °C
85 °F		23.4 °C
74 °F		2,100.7 mm
82.7 in
Suburbs around Low Isles:
Coral Sea Coral Sea Coral Sea
Coral Sea Low Isles Coral Sea
Coral Sea Coral Sea Coral Sea

Low Isles is an offshore locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia. [2] Located in the Coral Sea, the islands are due east of Rocky Point and approximately 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) north-east of Port Douglas on the Queensland mainland coast. [3] In the 2021 census, Low Isles had "no people or a very low population". [1]

Contents

Geography

The locality consists of a pair of islands: [4]

with the Low Islands Reef between them. [3]

The islands are due east of Rocky Point and approximately 14.5 kilometres (9.0 mi) north-east of Port Douglas on the Queensland mainland coast. [3]

Climate

The Low Isles have a tropical monsoon (Köppen: Am, with sultry, very rainy summers and very warm, relatively dry winters.

Climate data for Low Isles Lighthouse (16º23'S, 145º33'E, 3 m AMSL) (1967-2024 normals and extremes, rainfall 1887-2024)
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °C (°F)38.6
(101.5)		38.8
(101.8)		37.7
(99.9)		35.8
(96.4)		31.9
(89.4)		32.0
(89.6)		30.0
(86.0)		32.7
(90.9)		33.2
(91.8)		35.7
(96.3)		38.9
(102.0)		38.7
(101.7)		38.9
(102.0)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)32.2
(90.0)		31.8
(89.2)		30.8
(87.4)		29.4
(84.9)		27.5
(81.5)		25.9
(78.6)		25.4
(77.7)		26.6
(79.9)		28.6
(83.5)		30.4
(86.7)		31.8
(89.2)		32.4
(90.3)		29.4
(84.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)25.6
(78.1)		25.5
(77.9)		25.2
(77.4)		24.2
(75.6)		22.9
(73.2)		21.3
(70.3)		20.5
(68.9)		20.8
(69.4)		21.9
(71.4)		23.3
(73.9)		24.6
(76.3)		25.4
(77.7)		23.4
(74.2)
Record low °C (°F)21.3
(70.3)		20.7
(69.3)		21.6
(70.9)		20.8
(69.4)		17.6
(63.7)		15.0
(59.0)		15.1
(59.2)		15.9
(60.6)		16.7
(62.1)		19.6
(67.3)		20.1
(68.2)		21.1
(70.0)		15.0
(59.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)402.4
(15.84)		414.1
(16.30)		435.5
(17.15)		229.3
(9.03)		98.4
(3.87)		61.8
(2.43)		36.8
(1.45)		36.7
(1.44)		36.3
(1.43)		46.0
(1.81)		86.5
(3.41)		210.7
(8.30)		2,100.7
(82.70)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)15.515.916.814.911.37.65.96.15.65.16.910.9122.5
Average afternoon relative humidity (%)71747474747170676363646769
Average dew point °C (°F)24.6
(76.3)		25.0
(77.0)		24.2
(75.6)		23.0
(73.4)		21.3
(70.3)		19.2
(66.6)		18.4
(65.1)		18.5
(65.3)		19.4
(66.9)		20.9
(69.6)		22.5
(72.5)		23.9
(75.0)		21.7
(71.1)
Source: Bureau of Meteorology [7]

History

The name comes from Lieutenant James Cook of HMS Endeavour, who wrote in his log on 10 June 1770, "...we hauld off north to get without a small, low island...". [2]

The Low Isles Light station was established in 1874 with the first permanent lighthouse completed in 1878, it was the first lighthouse in Far North Queensland and the first to light the Inner Passage of the Great Barrier Reef. [8]

In 1954, a scientific expedition to Low Isles to monitor water quality was organised by the Geology Department, University of Queensland and led by Dr Fred Whitehouse. [9]

Staff operating the lighthouse lived on the island until it was upgraded to use solar power in 1993, after which it operated automatically. [8]

On 4 September 2006, Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray on Batt Reef to the east of Low Isles. He was rushed to Low Island where he was pronounced dead. [10] [11] [12]

Demographics

In the 2016 census, Low Isles had "no people or a very low population". [13]

In the 2021 census, Low Isles had "no people or a very low population". [1]

Heritage listings

The Low Island Lighthouse ( 16°23′03″S145°33′35″E / 16.3841°S 145.5598°E / -16.3841; 145.5598 (Low Isles Lighthouse) ) is listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List. [8]

Education

There are no schools on the islands. Distance education and boarding school would be options. [14]

Attractions

The islands are popular for snorkelling over the reef to see coral, fish and sea turtles. Birdwatching is popular on Woody Island where white heron and migrating species are seen. [15]

Low Island has the Low Isles Lighthouse and a museum. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Douglas</span> Town in Queensland, Australia

Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woody Island (Queensland)</span> Island in Queensland

Woody Island is about 25 km (16 mi) northeast of Port Douglas in Trinity Bay, Far North Queensland, Australia.

Low Island is an island lying about 25 km (16 mi) north-east of Port Douglas in Trinity Bay, North Queensland. It is around 2 hectares or 0.02 square km in size. It is part of the Low Isles, along with Woody Island, an uninhabited coral and mangrove island. The isles are surrounded by 55 acres (220,000 m2) of reef. The Low Islets are a Marine National Park Zone. Day visitors come to the island on a daily basis via a number of commercial operators. There is a lagoon where private vessel can moor or anchor outside the reef protection markers overnight, but there is no overnight accommodation on the island. There is a weather station and an active lighthouse. No fishing is allowed in the lagoon or within a buffer zone around the islands. Motorised water sports are not permitted in the locality. There is a 6 knot limit. No open fires of any sort or dogs permitted on either island. No island access between sunset and sunrise.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low Isles Light</span> Lighthouse

Low Isles Light, also known as Low Islets Light or Low Island Light, is an active lighthouse located on Low Island, a coral cay which together with Woody Island forms the Low Isles group, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia. The island is situated on the western edge of the main shipping channel into the harbour of Port Douglas, and it marks the entrance to the channel. Built in 1878, it was the first lighthouse in Far North Queensland and more specifically the first to light the Inner Passage of the Great Barrier Reef. Its construction is typical to Queensland lighthouses of the time, timber frame clad with galvanized iron, and it is the fourth lighthouse of this type constructed in Queensland, though it is the first of them to use portholes.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Low Isles (SAL)". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 28 February 2023. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  2. 1 2 "Low Isles – locality in Shire of Douglas (entry 48733)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 24 May 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Queensland Globe". State of Queensland . Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Marine islands - Queensland". Queensland Open Data. Queensland Government. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  5. ↑ "Low Island – island (entry 20159)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  6. ↑ "Woody Island – island in Douglas Shire (entry 38013)". Queensland Place Names. Queensland Government . Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  7. ↑ "Low Isles Lighthouse Climate Statistics". Bureau of Meteorology . Retrieved 7 April 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 "Low Island and Low Islets Lightstation (Place ID 105367)". Australian Heritage Database . Australian Government . Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  9. ↑ CC BY icon-80x15.png This Wikipedia article incorporates CC-BY-4.0 licensed text from: "Science on the Great Barrier Reef". Blog. State Library of Queensland. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  10. ↑ "Croc Hunter Irwin killed by stingray". The Age. Australia. 4 September 2006. Archived from the original on 22 October 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
  11. ↑ "Farewell to a larrikin adventurer, killed in his prime". The Sydney Morning Herald. 5 September 2006. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2011.
  12. ↑ Rory Callinan (4 September 2006). "Death of a Crocodile Hunter". Time. Archived from the original on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
  13. ↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Low Isles (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 20 October 2018. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  14. ↑ "Layers: Locality; Schools and school catchments". Queensland Globe. Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Low Isles". Tourism Port Douglas Daintree. Archived from the original on 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
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