Whitsunday Accommodation & Tours

The Eco Certification Program is a world first. It has been developed by industry for industry, addressing the need to identify genuine ecotourism and nature tourism operators in Australia. the Eco Certification Program is now being exported to the rest of the world as the International Ecotourism Standard.

What is Ecotourism? Ecotourism and nature tourism certification provide industry, protected area managers, local communities and travellers with an assurance that a certified product is backed by a commitment to best practice ecological sustainability, natural area management and the provision of quality ecotourism experiences. Both eco and advanced eco certification make sure to help preserve the spectacular Whitsunday Islands and marine park.

Whitsunday Facts
Hamilton Island
Commander G. S. Nares, RN, in HMS Salamander carried out extensive surveys of the Whitsunday Passage in 1866 prior to which Admiralty charts showed Dent Island and Hamilton Island as one island, crudely outlined, under the name 'Passage Island'.

Nares charted the channel between the two islands, defined the outline of Dent Island and gave it its name. He also defined the western coast of the today's Hamilton Island and named Passage Peak thereon, following on from Passage Island. Nares survey chart gave no name to today's Hamilton Island though sailing directions handed to the Port Denison Times by Salamander's sailing master, Thomas Hayman, ( Port Denison Times 13 October 1866) referred to it as 'Passage Island'.

The survey did not cover the eastern side of the island and when BA347 was amended in 1866 to include the survey, it gave Nares' refined outline to the western shore and showed the name 'Passage Peak' for the first time but retained for the eastern side the same crude outline which had appeared previously for Passage Island. No name was shown for the island on that chart.

In 1868 Commander H. M. Bingham, RN, in HMS Virago carried out a more detailed survey of the eastern side of the island, giving it its modern shape and putting adjacent Perseverance and Young Islands on the map. His survey chart shows the name 'Hamilton Island' for the first time.

As to the origin of the name 'Hamilton', the Port Denison Times of 30 March 1867 reports a cricket match between the crew of Salamander and a Bowen side on 27 March 1867. The surnames of the two sides are given and include a 'Hamilton' on Salamander' s team (he scored a total of 3 runs during the match which was won by the ship's team, 69 to 62).

This may have been Sub-Lieutenant Sydney A. R. Hamilton whose name appears in navy lists of 1866- 67 for HMS Curacoa which was on the Australia station at the time. There was some interchange of crew between the two ships as witness Duke D. Yonge of Curacoa who temporarily commanded Salamander before Nares' arrival. Hamilton's name does not appear on navy lists for Salamander but temporary inter-changes often were not recorded in the lists. This was the case with Yonge whose time on Salamander was revealed by sources other than the lists.

It is a feature of Nares' survey that the names given originally on his chart and in sailing directions were not all adopted and obviously there were some changes of mind between first and final namings. Thus it is possible the naming of Hamilton Island, though appearing first on Virago' s survey chart may have in fact originated from Salamander. It is significant also that Nares gave names of his crew to many islands in the area and as there obviously was a 'Hamilton' among his crew it is a not unreasonable assumption that is where the name originated.

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