GALLERY: Lizard Island’s Anchor Bay

For just over a year I lived and worked on a tropical island in Far North Queensland, usually reserved for the rich or famous. Lizard Island is one of the most extraordinary and beautiful islands in Australia and I am going to share with you some photo galleries in several parts to showcase the beauty of this island.

Lizard Island recently was devastated by category 5 Tropical Cyclone Ita, the island is currently shut down so it can be re-built to its former glory and some small improvements will also be made to enhance the guest experience.

While Lizard Island is on the mend, I thought I would share some images from my time on the island, in part one of this series we take a look at Anchor Bay which is directly in front of the island resort.

Anchor Bay is a nice calm part of the island, winds on the island usually some from the south of the island so with this beach on the northern side of the island it experiences minimal activity from weather. It’s not until December when the winds switch just before the wet season that things can get a little rough on this side of the island.

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One of the great aspects of Anchor Bay as a guest of the resort is that it is reserved for resort guests only. So you won’t have any pesky island staff disturbing you while they are on their day off. Staff are allowed on a small part of the beach down the end near the Marlin Bar where they can sit and noise is kept to a minimum, but you will not see anyone else on beach areas in front of the resort.

From this side of the island you will also experience some of the best sunset views that will rival any location in the world. Usually around 6:00pm all year round the sunsets vary month to month from a full glowing round orange sun disappearing behind the horizon, to mystical purple skye, a new show is on display each and every time.

Of course it’s not always a tropical paradise and the wet season hits the island hard in summer time. On one day alone the island can receive a year’s worth of rain that an average capital city in Australia will receive. When this happens the beaches are washed away and temporary rivers are formed through the centre of the island, one of which formed right through the centre of the staff accommodation.

In part two of this series we will take a look at the next beach over the ridge Watsons Bay. This bay is the playground of the general public where people come and moor their boats and live for a few months of the year. It is also where many of the staff hang out during their time off and where you can access the walking track up to Cooks Look, the highest point on Lizard Island.