Pelorus Private Island
Four hundred hectares of the Great Barrier Reef, one house on it, and a fringing reef off the sand.
Pelorus is the northernmost island of the Great Palm group off Townsville, in the World Heritage area of the Great Barrier Reef — around 400 hectares, or close to a thousand acres, of wilderness with a fringing reef you enter from the beach. Arrival is by helicopter, about thirty minutes from Townsville, or by private yacht. One party occupies the island. Orpheus Island Lodge lies 800 metres to the south under the same ownership, but it is a separate island with separate guests.
The island holds a single residence with five suites, one of them triple-share and usable for travelling staff, taking up to eleven guests. It opened in 2024, built by Chris Morris's Morris Group and run on what the owner describes as superyacht principles: all-inclusive, chef-cooked, with an activities manager, dive and snorkel gear, jet skis and access to the outer reef and to Hinchinbrook Island for hiking. Power is solar with battery storage.
A reef you swim to, not sail to. The Great Barrier Reef is usually a boat trip. Here it starts at the sand, which changes the shape of a day completely.
Australia's only luxury private-island residence in this region, and the newest entry among the exclusive-use islands in the register — the build standard and the solar plant reflect that.
Who it is not for
Eleven guests and five suites make this the wrong island for a large celebration. It is wrong for travellers who want a resort's variety, since there is one house, one kitchen and one beach. And it is wrong for anyone unwilling to fly in a helicopter, which is the practical way in. Parties wanting the reef at a resort's scale should look at Lizard Island; those wanting more beds should look at Haggerstone.
Sources
- pelorusprivateisland.au — single residence, five suites, 400 hectares, opened 2024
- queensland.com — CONFLICT: four suites and eight guests, against five suites and eleven guests on the property site and in qldbeach.com. Property site preferred; flag until confirmed.
- Forbes, March 2024 — 988 acres, acquired 2017, helicopter or yacht access only
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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