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A SECRET ISLAND PARADISE
Kimberley guide and author of 100 Things To
See In The Kimberley (Exploring Eden Media,
$29.95) Scotty Connell has tipped us off that
one of the region’s best-kept secrets is set to
reopen for tourism. Cockatoo Island, a dramatic
swathe of silica beaches and bays off Australia’s
west coast, has seen many incarnations.
Traditionally the home of the Dambimangari
people, it became a mining town in the 1950s
then a resort owned by Alan and Eileen Bond.
Mining took hold again in the early 2000s and
now a revival is on the horizon. “Once marketed
as ‘the least known island paradise in the world’
Cockatoo Island’s resort has been used by miners
for years but is set to reopen again soon,” Scotty
says. “Their infinity pool has glorious views over
the neighbouring Buccaneer Archipelago and
the sunsets were supposedly the inspiration for
Eileen Bond to paint all of the bungalows pink.”
Check cockatoois.com for updates.WE MIGHT JUST
HAVE THE BEST BEACH HOUSES
IN THE WORLD
As a country of coast-huggers, Australia knows a thing or
two about great beach houses. Whether that’s the rustic-
chic Little Black Shack perched on the water’s edge at
Pittwater in Sydney or a private retreat in the shape
of Tasmania’s Satellite Island, the tropical mansion of
Queensland’s Airlie Beach Villa, or one of our perennial
favourites, the slick and sexy Roozen Residence
in Margaret River (pictured) – the five-star property
of local surfer and artist Ron Roozen that dishes up
180-degree ocean views from every room – there’s a
property to suit every mood and season. Check out
listings on Airbnb, HomeAway and Contemporary
Hotels to see the whole gamut of options.BY THE WATER
FROM RUGGED and wind-swept to perfectly PARADISIACAL, Australia’s
diverse ISLANDS and COASTAL SPOTS offer up a PLETHORA of experiences.
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PHOTOGRAPHY: DONNA WOLTER, ECHOE IMAGES (ROOZEN RESIDENCE)