Region

Christmas Island

Christmas Island is a dot in the Indian Ocean 2,600 km north west of Perth. The cultural background is diverse, settlers having come from Malaysian, Chinese, Indonesian and European backgrounds. The society works as an harmonious blend of cultures, accepting and inclusive of each others beliefs and practices.

The island is the peak of a submarine mountain, its 80 km coastline of mostly sheer cliff broken by occasional small bays or inlets. 63% of the island is comprised national park, populated by many species unique to the island.

Cocos Island

This tiny horseshoe shaped island is 2750klm north-west of Perth and 900km west south-west of Christmas Island. Cocos Island also represents a melding of the cultural backgrounds of the settlers arriving on the island from all points of the globe. However, the culture and religion practiced here now is predominantly Muslim and the prevalent language a dialect of Malaysian called Cocos-Malay.

The island comprises two coral atolls and is home to a stunning diversity of bird and marine life.

The climate in this region is equatorial, with temperatures reaching a maximum of around 28% year round, but high rainfall in the wet season of December to April and prone to occasional cyclonic activity.