Haggerstone Island

Haggerstone Island is only accessible by air to a neighbouring island, it is an incredibly remote and unspoilt Robinson Crusoe retreat approximately 600 kilometres north from Cairns, and a few miles from a wild stretch of the northern Great Barrier Reef mainland coast.

Haggerstone is a truly unique and wonderful place – a small complex of tropical timber buildings, gardens, orchard and dams; set amidst true wilderness country, teeming with fish and bird life and surrounded by some of the most magnificent pristine coral gardens in the world.

Catering for a small numbers of guests (6-8) you will live well, eat well and as one guest put it “survive in style”, Haggerstone provides a unique base from which to ramble or explore, or… just to be.

The marine life on Haggerstone is simply unbelievable…. shipwrecks, beach combing for WW2 artifacts, snorkelling, and the fishing… and complemented by a superb yet simple mouth watering cuisine featuring all fresh natural foods. The incredible remoteness of Haggerstone ensures an experience very rare on this planet. If you value absolute simplicity above all else – no maids, TV, mobile phones, computers, mirrors or egos, this is it.

Anna and Roy Turner came to Haggerstone in April 1985 with a 70 ton barge loaded with poles, timber, fruit trees, chickens and an old tractor. The island was jungle covered, uninhabited and hundreds of miles from what we know as civilisation. They were not to know they were to spend nearly six years alone on the island, as they set out to create a Robinson Crusoe style abode in the wild. Haggerstone Island is their home and an Island Guesthouse, and they welcome you to their home and hope you enjoy your stay

Haggerstone Island has three hand crafted private guest houses look out upon the sea. Each includes a bathroom, kitchenette and sundeck.

Two of the huts are self contained and one is a more rustic hut with outside shower and toilet. Each guest house can accommodate up to four people.

We cater for just 6-8 guests at any one time. There is daily room and laundry service.

The whole island can be hired for $4800AUD per day. This means that apart from us and our usual staff of four, you have the island to yourselves. Otherwise our rates are as follows.

[ 2 pax 7 nights ($935 per person per night) ]

[ 4 pax 7 nights ($870 per person per night) ]

[ 6 pax 7 nights ($800 per person per night) ]

Please email or phone us for Special Group and Function Deals.

Children under 14 years of age sharing accommodation with parents are half the adult price. Children 14 years and over are full price.

All meals, fishing, snorkeling, and excursions are included in this price. (drinks are additional)

A few terms and conditions as well as things you may find useful for your trip:

Bookings: A 50% deposit must be paid within 7 days to confirm bookings. The balance must be paid prior to arrival.

Cancellation: 90 days prior to arrival: Full refund less $250 administration fee; 13-89 days prior to arrival 50% penalty.Less than 14 days; no refund.

Fitness: Haggerstone Island operates in remote and often rugged locations. Guests must be in good health and have a reasonable degree of fitness.

Liability: Although all precautions will be taken, Haggerstone Island will accept no responsibility for personal injury, loss or damage to personal effects, or expenses incurred as a result of any delay cancellation or alteration of any services due to circumstances beyond our control.

Insurance: We strongly recommend that all guests obtain travel insurance including a cancellation policy.

You will be traveling from Cairns in a fairly small plane. Luggage allowance is 15kg per person. Please telephone us the night before you departure, to Haggerstone, incase of any last minute changes to the schedule.

You really don’t need much gear; long sleeved cotton shirt for sun protection, hat, reef boots, sarong, sun screen are all well worth bringing and if you feel inclined something to change into for evening time

FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES

The main building is a spacious, native style open house. Its design is raw but functional. Sunbleached poles and open sides take advantage of cooling island breezes. Drift wood, collected on nearby shores, is used to support heavy polished benches and an array of relics, from the husk of a canoe from Papua New Guinea to an ancient wooden dinner gong and Balinese bed adds to the atmosphere.

There is a main kitchen, two bathrooms, dining area and open fire on the front decks. There is no television, just relaxation, and the pleasure of reading in our library.

The beach hut is a rustic driftwood construction with outside shower and toilet. The two round hand-crafted huts, similar in style to the main building feature a sundeck. All have a kitchenette equipped with a solar fridge.

A nine metre diesel jet boat allows access to shallow reef areas and mangrove rivers. Fresh cooked meals of seafood can be prepared in minutes on the boat. A six and seven metre long boat each powered by fifty horsepower Yamaha engines, are ideal for exploration. Our fishing equipment includes a complete range of rods, reels and handlines to suit both river and open sea. Masks, snorkels, and assorted diving gear are also available.

DINING

When we arrived on the island 15 years ago we were little concerned with what we would eat. The sea was bountiful and we would grow vegetables aplenty. We struck at the jungle with enthusiasm and planted our seeds. Very little grew.

Most of what we had brought was not suitable for the island. I had little trouble capturing lobsters and fish but without fresh herbs and vegetables our diet became monotonous. Today the garden is a pleasure to walk through.

Passionfruit compete with guado and snake beans. The vines of tropical butternut and squashes have to be coaxed away from beds of rocket salad and bokchoy. Basil, coriander and parsley compete for space with lemongrass and ginger. Kaffir lime, mango and curry trees grow randomly along the paths.

For breakfast, papaya or banana are picked fresh of a tree and served with lime juice. The home made muesli has the dominant flavour of fresh toasted coconut. The rich yellow yolks of our eggs are from free roaming fowls fed largely on coconut, fish and garden surplus.

A lunch of oysters steamed in the shell with sliced ginger and lemon grass, squid, simmered quickly in sea water and then placed on a bed of rocket and drizzled with lime juice, olive oil and crushed garlic.

A whole lobster thrown in the coals and served with lime and crushed pepper follows. For dinner, fresh slices of coral trout, marinated in lime and then cast into a bowl of freshly squeezed coconut cream; a red emperor is steamed with sesame oil, soy, ginger and garlic.

The meal wouldn’t be complete without suitable wine. We pride ourselves in our small but careful selection. Our love of food and a commitment to freshness and simplicity have guided our cuisine.

The sand cay is the ultimate dining area…..Candle lit table, setting sun and the calming swish of a darkening sea.

ACTIVITIES

Fishing and Spear Fishing

Fishing and Spear Fishing are good at all levels – rod, reel, or fly fishing, reef, ocean or river.

As there is no human habitation for nearly one hundred miles, the grounds around us are rarely disturbed. Bait is caught off the island beach. Spear fishing is an every day method of food gathering. Reef fish and tropical crayfish are easily caught on nearby reefs.

Skin Diving – Snorkeling

Skin Diving and Snorkeling are at their best and safe all year round. Two clear water lagoons just off Haggerstone’s beach put beautiful coral gardens right on your doorstep. Vast surrounding reef areas are easily accessible from Haggerstone for skin diving and snorkeling. Also close by we have discovered an 1840s shipwreck in a shallow reef garden. Its giant anchors, winching blocks and bronze keel bolts are all visible from surface snorkeling.

Bird Watching

Haggerstone Island harbors a dense and varied bird population. Sunbirds, honeyeaters, coloured pigeons, eagles, kingfishers, finches, jungle fowls, pittas and many others have made it their home.

Dawn is a kaleidoscope of sounds dominated by the soft coos of the bar shouldered doves.

Beach Combing

The adjacent mainland beaches provide miles of adventurous beachcombing.

What to bring:
- Sun hat
- Suntan oil or sunscreen
- Sandshoes for reef walking
- Comfortable trousers for bush walking
- Film
- Long sleeved cotton shirts
- Casual wear and bare feet are the norm for the island.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 12:04 am and is filed under Island. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.