Mudjimba Island is an uninhabited island in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, located about 2.5 km south-east of Batchelor Island and about 4 km south-west of Fraser Island. It is about 3 km long and 1 km wide, and rises to a height of about 20 m above sea level.
Contents
Mudjimba Island History
Mudjimba Island was first sighted by Europeans in 1770, when the French explorer Louis Antoine de Bougainville named it Île des Demoiselles (Island of the Girls), after a group of young women he had seen on Fraser Island. In 1840, Captain FitzRoy charted and named it Mudjimba after an indigenous Australian tribe living on nearby Fraser Island.
The island was not permanently settled until 1898, when it was leased from the Crown by George Weston Inglefield. The lease covered an area of.
Climate
The climate is tropical, with an average temperature of 26°C. The island experiences a monsoon season from October to February, and a hot dry season from March to June. The average annual rainfall is 950 mm . The highest humidity associated with the monsoon season is recorded in March.
Rainfall mainly occurs from November to May during most of Australia’s wetter months, and temperature extremes are greatest between December and January – when daily maximum temperatures average above 30°C for 16 days at a stretch – and June, which has had only two days over 32°C.
Culture
The Mudjimba people are a traditional Aboriginal tribe who live on the island. They are largely subsistence hunters and gatherers, growing yams, sweet potatoes and other vegetables in small gardens. There is no electricity or running water on the island, but there is a small radio station operated by Inglefield’s descendants.
Swimming, diving and camping is prohibited. Drinking of alcoholic beverages is not allowed on the island; however, other laws are relaxed. A few construction related activities such as base building for a jetty exist on Mudjimba Island but do not involve permanent settlements.
Politics
Mudjimba is a remote, privately owned island. There are no permanent inhabitants other than the Mudjimba tribal group and their visitors. The only connection with the outside world is via monthly flights to Port Douglas on neighbouring Fraser Island by Vintage Air Charter (now Southern Cross Airlines).
Until December 2008, the island was owned by 2 grade-school teachers Fred and Kerry Inglefield. MELT is currently working with a German couple to improve access for scheduled flights from Cockatoo Island Airport in Sydney which will see residents or visitors travelling between both islands using Manly Jetwing Boats/Jettys.
Government services
Mudjimba Island is not part of any Australian state or territory and there are no official facilities on the island. There is a small radio station operated by Inglefield’s descendants, but access to other services (eg healthcare) is limited. Residents must rely on flights to Port Douglas for essential supplies and medical care. Situated one-and-a-quarter hours by boat from the mainland, Mudjimba Island is an idyllic haven of natural beauty.
The island’s landscape encompasses tropical rainforest and granite cliffs with sandy beaches secluded deep in amongst ancient trees (where Inglefield was declared Australias first Country Music artiste), fringing lagoons which are brackish water pools surrounded by mallee scrubs after a fire that swept across the island in 1957.
Tourism
Mudjimba Island has been slowly but steadily developing as a tourist destination in recent years. The main visitor attraction is the Inglefield Gallery which showcases Fred’s original paintings and photographs as well as artefacts from the Mudjimba tribe. There are also accommodation options available on the island, some of which offer meals.
Lodging is not the only way to access future developments on Mudjimba Island; there have been proposals in place for a luxury boutique lodge and progressive ecological resort which Transport Minister GrantNationals wants to see brought into fruition.
Transport
Mudjimba Island is accessed by boat from the mainland. There are no airstrips or harbors on the island and there is no public transport. Visitors must rely on flights to Port Douglas for essential supplies and medical care. As a half-caste, prospector and entrepreneur with considerable wealth Fred was exceptionally well travelled.
He had first visited Australia in 1887 when 15 years old – living as a ward of his uncle John Swampey who was administrator for the Queen’s Northern Territory Colony outpost at Bathurst Island. At that time there were only two other European settlement sites on the continent; Adelaide (South Australia) and Port Augusta (Western Australia).
Cuisine
Mudjimba Island has a long and varied culinary heritage. Fred was passionate about eating seasonally, locally sourced produce and he was an early advocate for ecology in food production. Some of his favourite dishes include barbecued meats (especially lamb), chicken curry, vegetables stir-fry’s and fruit pies. He is also said to have been a pioneer in the use of native rather than imported spices such as chillies. Following his death, one oft-repeated quote expressed Fred’s passion for food and life
“I like eating; I love cooking: everything has its time.”
Wildlife
Mudjimba Island is home to a variety of endemic and rare plants and animals. Some of the most well-known include the Mudgee wattle, legume podbird and striped wallaby. The island’s fauna includes cassowaries, quolls, foxes, owls as well as eucalypts such as grey box (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) which are unique to Queensland. Healing
The area has an abundance of naturally occurring plant medicine, known as ‘wet’ bush medicines. At least 70% of the island is covered in eucalypts and manna gums (Acacia sp.) which are considered indigenous to Australia but were nearly wiped out due to farming systems such as cattle grazing early European settlers introduced and continued into modern-day times through slash burning methods. The local flora helps combat a number of maladies.
As Mudjimba Island is home to some rare and endemic animals the local community has a responsibility for their well-being as much as that of fauna currently in existence today.
Conclusion
Mudjimba Island is an uninhabited island located in the Indian Ocean, near the city of Mombasa. It has an area of 7.5 km2 and was gazetted as a nature reserve in 1984. The island is part of a larger marine protected area that covers an area of about 220,000 km2.
FAQ
1.What Is The Population Of Mudjimba Island?
Ans: There is no current population of Mudjimba Island.
2.How Many People Live On Mudjimba Island?
Ans: There is no current population of Mudjimba Island.
3.Which Administrative Divisions Exist On Mudjimba Island?
Ans: The landing area where visitors disembark is administered as a village census territory or VCT while the two main settlement areas – Ujuu farm hamlet and Didda Hilli Town Council – are administered as towns. In total there are 12 villages, 19 VCTs, three business districts (heliport amongst them), four settlement areas and two illegal settlements covering the entire island of 865 km2.
4.Mudjimba Is Located In Where?
Ans: Mudjminba Island is situated on the east coast of Lake Victoria with Kenya in the south, Tanzania in east and Somalia in west. The island is approximately 865km2 ( about the size of Sardinia).
5.What Languages/ Dialects Are Spoken On The Island?
Ans: There is no one language and a number of local Kiswahili dialects. According to census data in 2012, 13% spoke Spanish – mainly along Korora river.
Leave a Reply