Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is quite simply one of my greatest childhood memories.
A Brief History
British and Dutch navigators first included the island on their charts in the early seventeenth century, and Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company vessel, the Royal Mary, named the island when he arrived on Christmas Day, 25 December 1643. Located approximately 2600kms NW of Perth in Western Australia and 300Kms from Indonesia, it is officially an Australian Territory, with a population of approximately 1493 people (as of 2006). But this was not always the case. At Australia’s request, the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty to Australia; in 1957, when the Australian government paid the government of Singapore £2.9 million in compensation, a figure based mainly on an estimated value of the phosphate forgone by Singapore. Phosphate was the islands predominant income and was regularly sold to the Asian markets, when trade began back in the early 1890s. The mine was later closed by the Australian Government in 1987 and the island lost it’s primary source of income. Since then, several ventures have been made and proposed . In 1993 a prestigious Casino was built to lure in clients from all over the world, but was later closed in 1998 and never re-opened. There was later talks of a Spaceport being built, which luckily never eventuated and it now finds itself a springboard to some of the Immigration issues between Asia and Australia.
An Island Playground
I was fortunate enough to have spent 3 years of my childhood there from 1980 to 1983 and can remember vividly the true spirit of this beautiful place. The smooth pebble beach at Flying Fish Cove and the Satay Sticks at the Boat Club. Following my Dad around the Golf Course and going exploring through the jungle on the weekends. But the most vivid part of the whole 3 years would have to be the Red Crabs. They were absolutely everywhere during the migration season. On the roads, in the parks, in your classroom and in your house. The roads were literally RED from the millions of crabs that were trying to get to the beach for the annual migration. It was simply impossible to avoid them and playing golf was always a laugh because we would often have to move the ball to play it. Here’s a great video that I recently found that gives a funny outlook of the annual migration that has been called one of the wonders of the natural world[7]
Because the island was uninhabited until the late 19th Century and the fact that 63% is now National Park, Christmas Island is considered to be of immense scientific value. The dense tropical jungles provide a home to many rare and endangered species of animals and of the 135 plant species found in the world, sixteen are only found on Christmas Island. The Island wildlife is simply incredible. I remember spending nights on the beach, watching the Green Turtles lay their eggs in the sand and later when they hatched, we would see them all scrambling down to the water for safety. We would explore the jagged limestone cliffs, looking for bird life and aquatic animals to satisfy our curiosity. We were always out exploring somewhere. Camping on remote beaches and running through the jungle playing games. As children, we were free to express ourselves in a safe and exotic environment. It was a place of family fun, sports and lifestyle and they are memories that I will never forget.
To travel to Christmas Island, I believe there are still two flights per week. These leave from either Perth in Western Australia or from Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Airlines. The tourism industry is really starting to grow, as people discover the many different activities available on the island. Diving, fishing and surfing are all becoming popular island sports and the camping, 4×4 and hiking environments are simply incredible. It is a brilliant place with a lot of character and one that I would recommend to anyone.
Yours truly,
Stuart Ginbey
Tags: 4x4, casino, christmas island, coconut palms, diving, flying fish cove, golf club, hiking, indean ocean, migration, mining, perth, photography, red crab, robber crabs, silver city, surfing, western australia, whale sharks
