History
Heron Island was discovered on 12 January 1843 by the corvette HMS Fly. The ship was surveying the eastern edge of the Great Barrier Reef together with the cutter Bramble. The expedition was commanded by Captain Francis Blackwood and the reason for the expedition was mainly to map out detailed plans for safe passages within the reef. The island was named by Lieutenant Charles Bampfield Yule RN of the Bramble.
The island did not become inhabited until the early 20th century when a turtle cannery was established. The aim was to profit from the seasonal influx of green turtles, but the venture soon found it difficult to keep the business afloat. Other attempts at establishing fisheries were abandoned.
In 1932 Captain Christian Poulsen, engaged in bringing fishing parties to the reef, realised the potential of the island as a tourist attraction. In 1936 he bought the lease of the island for £290. On 11 September 1943 the entire island was declared a National Park.
Read more about this topic: Heron Island (Queensland)
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“They are a sort of post-house,where the Fates
Change horses, making history change its tune,
Then spur away o’er empires and o’er states,
Leaving at last not much besides chronology,
Excepting the post-obits of theology.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more, it is the history of earth and of heaven.”
—Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)
“... in America ... children are instructed in the virtues of the system they live under, as though history had achieved a happy ending in American civics.”
—Mary McCarthy (1912–1989)