Dunk Island dining began with the resort. The island's hospitality grew from Edmund Banfield's old bungalow, and it has been shaped ever since by owners, celebrities and cyclones.
Here is how that story runs, what the island offers now, and how to plan a visit from the mainland at Mission Beach.
Dunk Island dining and the resort story
Captain Brassey bought the island in 1934, and Banfield's bungalow provided the basis for the beginnings of a resort. The resort was commenced in 1936.
In 1956 Gordon and Kathleen Stynes bought the island, moved their family up from Victoria and redeveloped the resort's facilities. Dunk Island became a popular destination for celebrities, including Sean Connery, Henry Ford II and the prime ministers Harold Holt and Gough Whitlam. The Stynes family ran it until 1964, when it was sold to Eric McIlree, founder of Avis Car Rental.
Who has owned the resort since
Ownership changed many times. In 1976 P&O and Trans Australia Airlines bought the island, each holding 50%, and TAA took full ownership in July 1978. It passed to Qantas in 1992, returned to P&O in December 1997, and was sold to Voyages Hotels & Resorts in July 2004. Hideaway Resorts bought it in September 2009.
Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi both hit the island and its resort facilities hard. After Yasi, entrepreneur Peter Bond bought the island and redevelopment was due to begin in 2014, but it never took place. Mayfair 101 purchased the island in September 2019, and in August 2020 the previous owners, Family Islands Operations, repossessed it after payments were not met. By 2021 many abandoned resort buildings were visible from the shoreline, with serious cyclone damage still showing.
The island's food story before the resort
Food has always shaped life here. The Bandjin and Djiru peoples used the island as a source of food, paddling over in bark canoes after the sea level rose. The Warrgamay and Dyirbal name, Coonanglebah, means "The Island of Peace and Plenty".
In 1897 the writer Edmund Banfield and his wife Bertha became the first white settlers. They cleared four acres for a plantation of fruit and vegetables, kept chickens, cows and goats, and relied on seafood and mangrove vegetation. Banfield wrote about it in Confessions of a Beachcomber (1908), which built the island's reputation as an exotic paradise. He lived there until his death in 1923, and he and Bertha are buried on the trail to Mt Kootaloo.
What the island offers now
Most of Dunk Island lies within the Family Islands National Park and the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The island covers 970 ha, of which 730 ha is national park, and Mount Kootaloo rises to 271 m.
Wildlife is the main draw. There are over 100 bird species, and in summer the island is a breeding site for terns and noddies. Purtaboi Island, directly out from Dunk, is closed to guests from October to April each year because crested terns nest there. The surrounding waters hold sea turtles, dugongs, sharks, corals and fish.
Dunk Island also had an artists' colony, founded in 1974 by former Olympic wrestler Bruce Arthur. Metalsmith Susi Kirk is its last member and continues to live and work on the island.
Planning from the mainland
The island lies 4 km off the coast, opposite Mission Beach, so meals and beds are best planned on the mainland. For boat options, see our page on Dunk Island cruises. Another island nearby is covered in our Bedarra Island destination guide.
For a mainland base, BIG4 Kurrimine Beach Holiday Park has powered sites and cabins. Contact the park for current rates and availability before booking. For state-wide visitor information, try Tourism and Events Queensland, and for the island's full background see Wikipedia: Dunk Island.
Weather for a day out
These figures are for the Bedarra Island area, about 7 km from Dunk Island (1991-2020 averages). The drier months from June to October suit outdoor eating and boat trips best.
| Month | Max C | Min C | Rain mm | Rain days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 29.3 | 25.8 | 265.6 | 21.6 |
| February | 28.9 | 25.9 | 352.3 | 21.8 |
| March | 28.0 | 25.2 | 261.6 | 20.9 |
| April | 26.8 | 23.9 | 146.8 | 18.6 |
| May | 25.1 | 22.1 | 86.0 | 14.8 |
| June | 23.6 | 20.2 | 49.7 | 10.9 |
| July | 23.2 | 19.3 | 44.9 | 9.2 |
| August | 24.0 | 19.7 | 37.2 | 7.6 |
| September | 25.9 | 21.2 | 27.9 | 5.4 |
| October | 27.4 | 22.7 | 42.9 | 7.5 |
| November | 28.6 | 24.1 | 79.2 | 10.5 |
| December | 29.5 | 25.3 | 138.5 | 15.5 |
Frequently asked questions
What happened to the Dunk Island resort?
Cyclone Larry and Cyclone Yasi damaged it, and in 2021 abandoned buildings with heavy cyclone damage were still visible from the shore.
Who owns Dunk Island now?
Family Islands Operations, owned by the family of Peter Bond, repossessed the island in August 2020 after Mayfair 101 failed to meet its payment obligations.
How far is Dunk Island from the mainland?
It lies 4 km off the east coast, opposite the town of Mission Beach.