Christmas Island
is not part of WA but is worth mentioning as it is an Australian territory
2623Km north west of Perth. In fact it is only 360Km from Java.
The island is just 23.7Km long by 7Km wide. Average rainfall is high at 2000mm and
the average daily temperature is 27C. The population hovers around the 1500 mark
and the only way to visit is to fly in.
Christmas Island is not a typical tropical island with palms waving over sandy
beaches. Here the coastline is mostly cliffs plunging into deep water with the
thick vegetation growing right up to the drop offs. This is
due to the fact that the island is in fact the tip of a huge undersea (extinct)
volcano.
Christmas Island or CI is a 30 minute flight from Jakarta and three hours from
Perth. Because of the short runway, the CI strip was rated the sixth most
dangerous scheduled stop in the world.
The island was first annexed by Britain in 1888, then controlled by Singapore,
occupied by the Japanese during World War II and has been an Australian
territory since 1958.
CI is home to the land dwelling red crab which needs to get to the sea each
November to release eggs. At this time of year the island swarms with crabs that
invade every corner including homes, in their attempt to reach the sea.
There are 20 species of land and inter-tidal crabs on the
island but the most numerous are the red crabs that are said to number about 120
million.
Early visitors to the island did not bother to land. The lack of a safe
anchorage and the difficulty of climbing the cliffs put all but the most
determined off. Dampier was one of the few who did land and explore the island
but the absence of fresh water was another determining factor in the lack of
settlement.
George Clunes-Ross established the first settlement on the island in November
1888. Early life on the island was isolated and difficult but by 1900 there was
a population of 550.
The main attraction on the island was phosphate and mining was to continue to
expand along with the population which rose to its height of around 3000 in
1955. By the time mining finished in 1987 there were only about 1000 people left
on the island.
The early days were marked by a lust for profits above the well being of the
workers. Of the 2400 indentured (mostly) Chinese labourers on the island, 600
had died of disease by 1904.
The island was basically run by the phosphate company which – when Australia
(and New Zealand) took control in 1958 – had a mandate to supply the two
countries with super phosphate at the lowest possible price. This meant that
most workers were Asian and were paid a pittance compared to the handful of
Europeans who worked on the island.
This system was to continue virtually unchallenged until the 1970s when
Australia was made uncomfortably aware of the discrepancy of wages and
conditions between the Asian workers and the Europeans.
Today Christmas Island is becoming more
and more important as a tourist destination with a resort and casino being
established in 1993.
(Please help us get more information on this
location).
