Willis Island is a tiny island located in the Coral Sea, around 450 kilometers east of Cairns, Australia. It is a popular destination for bird watchers, marine enthusiasts, and adventure seekers. The island is home to a weather station and is owned by the Australian Government. Visitors can take a guided tour of the station or simply enjoy the stunning natural beauty of the island. Scuba diving and snorkeling are popular activities here, thanks to the island’s crystal-clear waters and diverse marine life. Overall, Willis Island is a must-visit destination.
Welcome to Willis Island: population four! The tiny atoll is a speck in the Coral Sea — a two-day, 450-kilometre boat journey from Cairns. For the island’s only residents, who work as weather observers for the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM), isolation comes with the territory.
This tiny island measures just 1,600 feet long by 490 feet wide, though it is the only permanently inhabited island in the Coral Sea Islands Territory. You won’t find any neighborhoods, schools, or homes here, however. The only structures on Willis Island comprise a weather monitoring station hosted by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, where just a handful of weather observers reside at any given time.
Willis Island is one of several tropical islands sitting beyond the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea Islands Territory, and is surrounded by thriving reefs where many creatures make their homes. Numbering into the thousands, Willis Island itself caters to many species of seabirds, including Masked, Brown and Red-footed Boobies that cry out nearly 24 hours a day. It is also an important nesting ground for turtles.
Willis Island is one of the world’s most remote weather stations. It was built in the 1920s to serve as an early warning beacon for cyclones and storms, and has been providing continuous weather observations ever since.
Note: Willis Island is a scenic cruising site. Ships will slowly travel past while a knowledgeable port lecturer points out significant sites you’ll be able to see from onboard.
