Double Island, Queensland

Double Island is an island approximately off Ellis Beach, inside the Great Barrier Reef on the coast of Queensland, Australia.

Geography

The island lies approximately 1.5 km north-east of Palm Cove, Queensland, and about 30 km north of Cairns.

History

The island was known to, and used by, the local Aboriginal Australians for many tens of thousands of years. The Djabugay people believe it is the resting place of Gudju Gudju, a Rainbow Serpent.
The discovery of gold on the mainland west of the area made Double Island well-known in the 1880s and 1890s; allegedly, a mining company at Irvinebank used the island around that time as a resort for employees. Also around that time, some local graziers started using the island to graze cattle.
Double Island was the location of an exclusive resort. Hollywood stars Jennifer Aniston, Brad Pitt and Keanu Reeves have been among the celebrities who stayed on the island.
In 2012, Benny Wu from Hong Kong bought the lease of the island and planned a $10 million upgrade to the island's resort for wealthy tourists. However, by 2023, no maintenance or upgrades had been performed. With the resort having fallen into disrepair, this prompted calls for the lease to be cancelled. In June 2024, Wu's lease was revoked and the island was returned to the state of Queensland.