Daydream Island is one of seven islands of the Molle Group, a sub-group of the

Whitsunday Islands The Whitsunday Islands are 74 continental islands of various sizes off the central coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Brisbane. The northernmost of the islands are off the coast by the town of Bowen, while the southernmost islands are ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. The island is small, measuring 1 km in length and 400 m at its widest point. The highest point on the island is 51 metres above sea level. There are two tourist resorts on the island: the original resort at the southern end and a newer resort at the north-eastern end. The original resort caters to day visitors and the newer resort, which opened in 1990, caters to overnight guests. Tourists from the mainland port of Abel Point Marina regularly visit the island. It is owned by China Capital Investment Group as of March 2015.

History

Named West Molle Island in 1881, the present name "Daydream" came into use during the 1930s when Lee (Paddy) Murray, his wife Connie Murray and their best friend Charlie Hird established the first tourist resort on the island. ''Day Dream'' was the name of a yacht owned by the Murrays. Ownership of the resort has transferred to a number of individuals or groups since the 1930s. Notable owners include

Reg Ansett Sir Reginald Myles Ansett KBE (13 February 1909 – 23 December 1981) was an Australian businessman and aviator. He was best known for founding Ansett Transport Industries, which owned one of Australia's two leading domestic airlines between 1 ...

, who dismantled the resort in 1953 and shipped the buildings to his new resort on

Hayman Island Hayman Island is the most northerly of the Whitsunday Islands, off the coast of Central Queensland in the locality of Whitsundays in the Whitsunday Region, Queensland, Australia. The island is . It is a private island open to the public, most ...

; and

Bernie Elsey Bernie Elsey Snr (190625 August 1986) was a property developer and entrepreneur, associated with early developments on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Biography Elsey was born in England in 1906, and migrated to Australia at the age of n ...

, whose massive redevelopment of the island in 1967 was destroyed by

Cyclone Ada Severe Tropical Cyclone Ada was a small but intense tropical cyclone that severely impacted the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia, in January 1970. It has been described as a defining event in the history of the Whitsunday Islands, an ...

three years later. The resort was previously owned by

Vaughan Bullivant Vaughan () (2021 population 323,103) is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Regional Municipality of York, just north of Toronto. Vaughan was the fastest-growing municipality in Canada between 1996 and 2006 with its population increas ...

. The name West Molle Island was officially discontinued in 1989.

Attractions

Daydream Island is a popular destination for sailing enthusiasts. It has an outdoor aquarium, with sea life from the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

. The aquarium has about 80 different types of sea life and about 50 different corals. Wallabies roam around outside the resort by the beach. It is a short ferry ride from Great Barrier Reef airport on Hamilton Island to Daydream Island, and also just minutes away by boat to

Airlie Beach Airlie Beach is a coastal locality in the Whitsunday Region of Queensland, Australia. In the , Airlie Beach had a population of 1,208 people. Geography Airlie Beach is one of many departure points for the Great Barrier Reef. Cruise ships visi ...

. Activities like snorkeling, sail-boarding, jet-skiing, parasailing, coral viewing, scuba diving, volleyball, tennis, and badminton are popular.

Redevelopment

On 25 January 2017 Daydream Island announced a $50 million renovation. The island closed in February 2018 with the Fish Bowl, Bake House and Shops on the southern end closing in February 2017 for renovations to the lagoon outside the Fish Bowl. The island reopened after renovations were completed in June 2019.

Cyclone Debbie

Daydream island was significantly damaged by

Cyclone Debbie Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie in 2017 was the strongest tropical cyclone to strike Queensland since Marcia in 2015, and was the costliest tropical cyclone in Australia since Yasi in 2011. Forming as a tropical low on 23 March, the low gradu ...

in 2017, with the main jetty being washed away, Lovers Cove deck destroyed, the roof of the day spa ripped off, and power, water and telecommunications lost. Evacuation was completed with the assistance of Cruise Whitsundays and the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. The schedule for previously-planned renovations was accelerated as a result, with most repairs being completed as of 2019.

Notes

References

* Wheeler, T. and Armstrong, M. (1994). ''Islands of Australia's Great Barrier Reef'' (2nd edition). Melbourne. Lonely Planet Publications. (pp. 138–141). * Travelscene. (2009). Daydream Island and Spa, Great Barrier Reef, Australia: Hotel & Resorts: Vacations & Holidays *
Whitsunday Islands, Australia
'. Travelscene. Retrieved 29 September 2009.

External links

* Daydream Island, Queensland is at coordinates {{coord, -20.2567, 148.814, display=inline,title
Daydream Island Resort & Spa
Whitsunday Islands Ansett Australia Leasehold islands of Australia