IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOU GET TO visit your home country’s most remote territory—but “location, location, location” is my mantra for visiting a place as off-the-radar as Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Roughly halfway between Sri Lanka and the coast of Western Australia, this compact archipelago—two atolls and 27 coral islands—lies in balmy Indian Ocean waters 1300km south of Sumatra.
Those in the know visit these crystalline waters and quiet shores for world-class diving, though there are other activities here: fishing, kitesurfing, birdwatching—and simply getting away from it all in the most literal sense.
The deserted-island vibes are a big part of the appeal. Cocos (Keeling) has a population of just 600 and takes a maximum of 144-guests at any given time due to accommodation, infrastructure and food limitations. Despite falling under Australian governance, it feels like an exotic part of the world.
Only two islands are inhabited: West Island—the largest of the islands, and the hub for tourism—and Home Island. West Island’s population is only around 150, with most people working in tourism, government and small business. The island has a laid-back, small-community vibe that’s warm and welcoming to visitors, who rent holiday houses or stay in the self-contained bungalows of The Breakers.
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E-biking on Cocos Keeling Islands. Photo by Rachel Claire Photographer
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Diving. Photo by Karen Willshaw
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Cocos Keeling Islands. Photo by Karen Willshaw
One of the first things I do after arriving is join Johnny Clunies-Ross on lightning-fast e-bike tour around the island. Johnny is a sixth-generation descendant of the territory’s colonial founders, who arrived 200 years ago under Captain John Clunies-Ross. As we dodge chickens, coconuts, and fallen palm trees, he points out various environmental changes and challenges—rising waters and coastal erosion included—that have transformed this paradise over the years, many of which he’s witnessed firsthand.
His Clunies-Ross ancestors claimed possession of these uninhabited islands in the early 19th century, indenturing workers from across Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern Africa for their copra (coconut) plantation. After being annexed by the British into the Singapore colony, the islands were officially transferred to the Australian government in 1955. The Keeling part of the name derives from William Keeling, who charted the archipelago in the early 1600s.
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Home Island Cooking. Courtesy of Cocos Keeling Islands Tourism Association
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Cooking on Home Island. Photo by Maui Pando
Today, the islands’ ethnic makeup is predominantly Cocos Malay, descendants of the Clunies-Ross plantation workers. Most live on Home Island, a 30-minute ferry ride across the lagoon from West Island. As you bike around Home Island, past its school, shops, restaurants, mosques, and the Pulu Cocos Museum, the air is rich with the scents of curry and fish sauce, while the call to prayer echoes throughout the day.
Cocos (Keeling) Islands’ unique heritage has resulted in distinct traditions and cuisine. Visitors to Home Island might catch a glimpse of the Cocos Malays’ pulu races on traditional wooden boats, while locals cheer in a mix of Cocos Malay, Bahasa Indonesia and Aussie slang. Popular local fare includes vegetarian rice noodles, sweet-and-sour fish, and ayam payang (spicy chilli chicken). A traditional Cocos Malay buffet at Kampong Cafe & Restaurant takes place every Wednesday night for those keen to try local adaptations of Malay cuisine.
My accommodation in Bantam, the capital on Home Island, is distinctly British: Oceania House. A six-bedroom Federation-era homestead built in 1893, it was once the Clunies-Ross family home, and features tiles and bricks shipped from Scotland. Located a convenient walk from the ferry port, it’s now a guesthouse and living museum showcasing the island’s history.
As fascinating as that history is, the main reason to visit Cocos (Keeling) is its bounty of underwater treasures. The reefs are home to some 500 marine species and passers-through include sea turtles, mantas and dolphins. For snorkeling, I head to the brilliant aquamarine lagoons off the shores of Cossies Beach on Direction Island, just north of Home Island. Once named Australia’s most beautiful beach, it begs for immediate immersion—and never have I snorkeled alongside such an abundance of marine species as I do here.
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Red-footed booby. Courtesy of Wondrous World Images
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Eurasian Hobby. Photo by Richard Baxter
The islands are also a boon for birding, with endemic species like the monocled parrot and the Cocos Keeling Islands shearwater, and migratory visitors stopping over on their journey from the Arctic Circle through Southeast Asia and Australia. The native red-footed booby bird found on protected North Island is considered a delicacy by the Cocos Malay people.
On my final afternoon, I explore West Island in a rental car and stop for one last snorkel at the secluded Trannies Beach, named after the nearby comms (“transmission”) facility. Then I take a browse through The Big Barge Art Centre, whose gallery is housed in the hull of an old wooden barge, and where the islands’ brilliant hues have been captured in original prints, artisan jewellery and ceramics. The occasional passing government vehicle (prompting obligatory waves) and my own careful navigation around crabs and chickens on the way to the airport are my parting memories of this unique and beautiful territory.
FACT BOX
How to get there: The Cocos (Keeling) Islands receive two flights per week from Perth operated by Virgin Australia. The flight from Perth takes close to 6 hours with 1 stop at Learmonth Airport.
Climate: Tropical with a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October.
Local transportation: Boats and ferries run between islands regularly, car hire is also available on West Island through Cocos Autos (cocosautos.cc) and Happy Jacks Car Hire.
Things to do: Boat tours (cocosislandsboatandfishing.com) and motorised canoe safaris, fishing (cocosblue.com.au), diving (cocosdive.com), e-bike and picnic tour with Phat Tours Cocos & Cocos Picnic (facebook.com/cocospicnics), workshops at The Big Barge Art Centre (bigbargeartcentre.com.au)
Local information: The Visitors Centre
BOOK YOUR STAY AT OCEANIA HOUSE VIA BOOKING.COM
Rebecca Foreman was a guest of Cocos Keeling Islands Tourism Association (cocoskeelingislands.com.au) and Tourism Australia (tourism.australia.com).
Lede and hero image by Ryan Chatfield.
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
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