Cocos Islands consist of two atol
ls in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Coconut trees, white sand beaches, clear blue water, and prospects of fish made the decision to stop an easy one. As a territory of Austrailia, the atoll is protected, resulting in an environment rich in wildlife. Spinner dolphins escorted us into the lagoon and several manta rays joined the welcome party.
We quickly made friends with the crew of Lady Amber, the other yacht who stopped for a diesel top-off during cyclone season. They collect deep ocean current data for the UN. We spent a couple days off the uninhabited Direction Island with crew and the captain, Peter Flannigan. Peter is one of the most wild men I ever encountered. His life story, including death row and lion attacks would humble the most imaginative adventure novels.
When our friends departed, we scoured the other islands for cold drinks and good company. The population of 600 is split 5:1 between the Malay and Aussies. The Malay inhabitants on “Home Island” are strict Muslims and generally kept to themselves. We found what we were looking for on “West Island.” We stumbled upon the Austrailian minority at tailgate next to a shack on the beach known as North Park. Bon fire on the beach and a rapidly declining cooler of beer, every story I heard in North Park involved at least one shark, a trophy fish, or a near death experience (occassionally all three). We were generously welcomed and even made an cameo appearance on the local radio station during our short stay. The area and locals has a rich history, orated at the bar by a descendant of the original Clunies Ross dynasty. The Clunies owned the islands from 1834 until Australia purchased the land in 1978.
Our stop in Cocos quenched our craving for an island fix. Activities included harvesting coconut trees, and exploring underwater via spearfishing. We like to consider ourselves top of the food chain, but find ourselves corrected after a large shark looks up from the depths. They maintain an unnatural ability to hover outside the border of visibility. For our week of spearfishing, we enjoyed the treasures of the reef and shot our share of fish. As a sig
n of gratitude (mostly curiosity) we tossed the carcasses overboard and emulating the shark divers in Fiji, dove after the fish entrails. Waiting under the boat with scuba gear, up to a dozen reef sharks approached. Reef sharks feature timid personalities, and several simply circled for a couple minutes before the first took a investigative bite. Each shark subsequentially consumed the carcass tearing off a small portion.
After a week of living off the land and a boatload of coconuts, it was time to move on. The trade winds summoned our sails with the promise of fair weather to Mauritius. We decided to sign the “island guest book” before our departure. On several uninhabited islands scattered around the globe, recreational yachtsmen keep various forms of records. On Direction Island, wooden signatures are nailed to coconut trees. Broken Compass left her mark a touch above the rest.
ls in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Coconut trees, white sand beaches, clear blue water, and prospects of fish made the decision to stop an easy one. As a territory of Austrailia, the atoll is protected, resulting in an environment rich in wildlife. Spinner dolphins escorted us into the lagoon and several manta rays joined the welcome party.We quickly made friends with the crew of Lady Amber, the other yacht who stopped for a diesel top-off during cyclone season. They collect deep ocean current data for the UN. We spent a couple days off the uninhabited Direction Island with crew and the captain, Peter Flannigan. Peter is one of the most wild men I ever encountered. His life story, including death row and lion attacks would humble the most imaginative adventure novels.
When our friends departed, we scoured the other islands for cold drinks and good company. The population of 600 is split 5:1 between the Malay and Aussies. The Malay inhabitants on “Home Island” are strict Muslims and generally kept to themselves. We found what we were looking for on “West Island.” We stumbled upon the Austrailian minority at tailgate next to a shack on the beach known as North Park. Bon fire on the beach and a rapidly declining cooler of beer, every story I heard in North Park involved at least one shark, a trophy fish, or a near death experience (occassionally all three). We were generously welcomed and even made an cameo appearance on the local radio station during our short stay. The area and locals has a rich history, orated at the bar by a descendant of the original Clunies Ross dynasty. The Clunies owned the islands from 1834 until Australia purchased the land in 1978.
Our stop in Cocos quenched our craving for an island fix. Activities included harvesting coconut trees, and exploring underwater via spearfishing. We like to consider ourselves top of the food chain, but find ourselves corrected after a large shark looks up from the depths. They maintain an unnatural ability to hover outside the border of visibility. For our week of spearfishing, we enjoyed the treasures of the reef and shot our share of fish. As a sig
n of gratitude (mostly curiosity) we tossed the carcasses overboard and emulating the shark divers in Fiji, dove after the fish entrails. Waiting under the boat with scuba gear, up to a dozen reef sharks approached. Reef sharks feature timid personalities, and several simply circled for a couple minutes before the first took a investigative bite. Each shark subsequentially consumed the carcass tearing off a small portion.After a week of living off the land and a boatload of coconuts, it was time to move on. The trade winds summoned our sails with the promise of fair weather to Mauritius. We decided to sign the “island guest book” before our departure. On several uninhabited islands scattered around the globe, recreational yachtsmen keep various forms of records. On Direction Island, wooden signatures are nailed to coconut trees. Broken Compass left her mark a touch above the rest.
Hey Chad! Shand Family checking in. Great pictures. your setting is a far cry from Lancaster....be safe. We'll keep reading!!
ReplyDeleteBrett,
ReplyDeleteYour cubicle misses you. Don't listen to it though.
Pete
MY Top tip for ‘cocos is’ The things you should Know but they don’t tell you about coconuts’?
ReplyDeleteHire a bike as this is the most practical way to get around. You will only be riding up to the ‘Yacht Club’ as this will be the only place to go (there are no boats or moorings here, the closes thing to a boat will be the sea cucumbers if they ever learn to float and grow sails)
Take your own lunch and breakfast packs. You will need some back up Nuts! (smuggle them of the plane)
There is 1 cafe ‘Dory cafe’ It open at 8.30am but 9.30am is better, it not open Saturdays or only when they come back from the surf, ‘they must of been out all day’! or they are racing sea cucumbers.
you will be glad you have those nuts or the mints you have from 2 trips ago!
The Cocos club-
If the government decides to takes over the pub at 2am, it’s to house refuges.
It is now ‘barren Island’ with no beer no pub and no cafe, so you will need to make sure you have pre-planned your duty free for the time you will be there.
(You would think someone would have a back yard distillery with all the coconuts that no one picks any more, just in case the pub is taken over by the A.F.P.)
So you end up at the Golf Club where you get to cross the tarmac to drive your balls around (it’s ok because your now drinking and hitting your little white frustration’s out) while the ‘toll’ flight tries to land with Bananas for the local shop.
The local shop opens when they have bananas come in. This is when the town comes to life! the fruit is barely off the plane before the Island people are swing from their cars and running around like it was the last time they had seen... bananas. Which have now all been sold to the ‘Dory cafe’? When did he get back?
So you decided the best things to buy in the shop was a bottle of ‘Johnny walker’ a ‘snickers’ and a can of guava juice! You have searched high and low but there is no ‘beer no ice and no coke’ in the shop ‘no chips, pies or crackers with cheese’, you don’t buy the cheese as it would be $10 more than the $12 whisky you just bought. Where is the yacht club again? Right!
Dinner- you have to plan this with precision as you will be told the pub only does food when the ‘cyclone food they have in storage’ is about to be replaced and that they have arrange a party. But this was eaten by the refo’s last week.
So you will be told to go to the “Tropicana” you will have to write your name on the black board and to do this before 4pm.
This is the key time to do it as you won’t have the chance to after. If you miss this time because you have decided to drive the bus to the ‘yacht club’ and spend your afternoon having drinks with the flight crew, Well don’t worry they will do takeaways!
But this you can only order after 7.30pm and there is no takeaway menu. What you will get for your $30.buck allowance is what you would find at probably any English school canteen. Now if you do decided to be early you will have the choice to be seated inside or out, but it will not matter the food will be as hot as both.
You will love the Malayans they run all the shops and when it’s time to go home they leave the Island by boat and go and live on ‘Home Island’.
Don’t take this the wrong way, I would go there again you just have to think you will be totally of the gird.
And how did ‘Tom Hanks’ live off coconuts? Let’s ask Wilson!
This website is actually a walk-through you discover the knowledge you desired relating to this and didn�t know who to inquire about. Glimpse here, and you�ll definitely discover it. check these guys out
ReplyDeleteThanks for this particular information I was basically checking all Bing in order to find it! web link
ReplyDelete