Situated 15 kilometres north-east of Port Douglas, Low Isles is a four acre coral cay surrounded by 55 acres of reef. The corals are very close to the island, which makes snorkelling an enjoyable experience. The two small islands are separate with one common reef. The larger of the two, Woody Island, is uninhabited except for a large bird population. It is a vital habitat for many species.
The smaller of the Low Isles, is a coral cay with a lighthouse that has been operating since 1878. Weather data has been gathered from the island since 1887 and scientific associations date back to 1928 when it was the base for a year-long scientific survey that examined the structure and ecology of the surrounding reef. This was the first scientific study of a coral reef anywhere in the world and many current theories of coral reef ecology are based on the findings of the expedition.
There are 150 different species of hard corals in the waters surrounding Low Isles, although these are dominated by 15 species of soft corals. If you look closely, the feathery tentacles of soft corals can often be seen collecting tiny food particles from the water around them. Living amongst the corals is a large variety of fish, molluscs, sea cucumbers and other animals. Colourful blue, green and purple parrotfish are a common sight as well as angelfish, damselfish, anenomefish or clownfish, trevally, rabbitfish, sweetlip, moon wrasse and fusilleers, just to name a few!
The lightstation (controlled by Queensland Parks and Wildlife) on the flat low lying western island, was completed and exhibited in 1878. The 18 metre tower was constructed on a timber frame with a galvanised sheath in the typical Queensland fashion, however Low Isles was the first to have porthole windows. Attached to the top was a 1.5 metre diameter lantern manufactured by Chance Bros of Birmingham, England. A timber staircase gives access to the lantern room. The tower was painted white with a red dome. All the buildings were prefabricated elsewhere and transported and assembled on site.
