by The children walked excitedly near the landing strip as our plane touched down on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands: a tiny piece of territory in a remote area of the Indian Ocean between Australia and Sri Lanka, consisting of two atolls in there were 27 coral islands. Only two of these islands are inhabited – Home Island and West Island – and the latter has the only nine-hole golf course in the world that plays over an active international runway. Golfers stretch out between the arrivals of the fortnightly flights, when planes bring government workers, returning residents, and – very often – a visitor or two.
The history of the islands is like the plot of a Netflix miniseries. British sea captain William Keeling discovered them in 1609, but there was no permanent settlement here until Alexander Hare established one in 1826. The Scottish trader John Clunies-Ross took over the copper industry shortly afterwards, at the islands turned into a family-run fiefdom for more than a century, until Australia took control in 1955. Today’s population consists of about 600 Cocos Malay residents on Home Island, alongside expats and workers of Australia in the West Island, with a unique local culture that combines Australian, Malaysian and Malaysian. Indonesian influences.
The archipelago’s dual name is the result of a moniker in constant flux over the centuries – although it has been officially named the Cocos (Keeling) Islands since 1955 – and like many of its Indian Ocean counterparts, it is characterized by waters jade and beautiful white sand. beaches fringed with dense palm groves.
From the airport, I took the 30-minute ferry across the lagoon to Home Island, where I checked into Oceania House – the former Clunies-Ross estate, now a living museum and hotel run by Greg and Paula Carnell, former cellar master and beekeeper. respectively at Somerset’s the Newt. Paula took me on a walking adventure south of Home Island – from Pulo Ampang Major to Pulu Kumbang at low tide – and I asked her what draws people here.
“Cocos is about connecting,” she told me. “With the people, ocean, land, trees, birds, fish; everything here is unique – and the experience of being here changes you forever. It leaves its mark.”
Intrigued, I set out to test his theory.
Despite the archipelago’s reduced footprint, there is much on offer for the few tourists who visit (a total of just under 4,000 in 2023). Various companies offer fishing, surfing, canoe safaris, e-bike tours (led by Johnny, a sixth-generation Clunies-Ross descendant) and kite surfing, and there are also cultural tours, as well as local attractions such as The Big. Barge Art Center and the Wild Coconut Discovery Center, where visitors learn how coconut chips and coconut ice cream are produced.
But the lagoon’s 500 species of resident fish tend to be the main action – so I signed myself up for a snorkelling trip on the eastern atoll. The waters were delivered almost immediately. At our first stop, the Nursery near the island of Pulu Jabang, I was no sooner under water than a reef shark swam by, just a yard away; then we explored the wreck of the Coal Barge (also known as the Phaeton), a ship that went down in shallow waters in 1889, which is now a haven for bluegills, yellow goatfish and sergeant majors. We finished the day with a picnic on Cossies Island Direction Beach – one of the best stretches of sand in Australia.
The next day, keen to see more of the lagoon, I went on a guided boat trip with skipper Pete and first mate Amy, going to the “rip off” at Guide Island, where a fast current rushes from outer reef into the lagoon. It was an exciting snorkelling experience amongst vibrant reef fish, with white reef sharks splashing around healthy corals and isolated “bommies” – an Aussie name for where waves break over a shallow reef. I was under a spell.
On my last day, I jumped in a hire car and headed to Scout Park – at the southern end of the West Island – and crossed a waterway to the secluded Pulu Maraya Island. Despite the strong current pulling on my reef shoes, I soon reached the famous snorkel stream, where thousands of coral fish were swimming calmly between the faces and the bottom of the trench below the surface. And then, suddenly, there were two huge turtles beside me – shimmering along in companionable silence; unfazed. One of them turned and looked me straight in the eyes, then both of them left as calmly as they had come. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands left their mark.
Fundamentals
Rebecca Foreman was a guest of Tourism Australia (tourism.australia.com)
How to get there
Flights depart daily from London to Perth, connecting via Middle Eastern (Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad), Asian (Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines) or Australian (Qantas) hubs.
Virgin Australia (virginaustralia.com) flies to the Cocos (Keeling) Islands from Perth international airport twice weekly from £582 return. Ferries run regularly and tickets cost £1.30 one way.
Where to stay
Oceania House (cocoskeelingislands.com.au) has double rooms from £122 a night.
What to do
Cocosday (cocosislandsboatandfishing.com) has half-day trips from £156 per person, and motorized canoe safaris from £88 per person; Cocos Blue Charters (cocosblue.com.au) has boat trips from £104 per person; Phat Tours Cocos (facebook.com) has e-bike tours from £26 per person.
Need to know
• Women are asked to cover their shoulders and knees when visiting Home Island, out of respect for local Islamic customs
• Connectivity is available via Wi-Fi only, which usually provides most of the settings
• Daily temperatures are between 23 and 33 degrees throughout the year. Tropical climate with a wet season from December to April, and a dry season from May to November
