page_title: Palm Island, Queensland
section_title: Geography and governance
hierarchical_section_title: Palm Island, Queensland / Geography and governance
context_page_description: Palm Island is a locality consisting of an island group of 16 islands, split between the Shire of Hinchinbrook and the Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island, in Queensland, Australia. The locality consists of the Palm Island group, also known as the Greater Palm group, which was originally named the Palm Isles.
  Great Palm Island is the largest island in the group, and is most often referred to as just "Palm Island". An Aboriginal community is located on this island, which is also called by the Aboriginal name "Bwgcolman". The term "Palm Island" is sometimes used to refer to the island group, sometimes the Aboriginal Shire, and sometimes Great Palm Island, but as most of the other islands are uninhabited, the majority of sources are actually referring to Great Palm only, sometimes along with governance issues relating to the Shire Council.
  There are 16 islands in the group. Only Great Palm has a significant population of permanent residents; the rest, apart from Orpheus Island, which has a tourist resort and research facility, are uninhabited.
context_section_description: There are 16 islands that make up the Greater Palm group; of the 12 named islands, the two most northerly ones (Pelorus and Orpheus) are in the Shire of Hinchinbrook, and the other ten are in the Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island.
  The islands listed from north to south, are:
  Pelorus Island (North Palm Island, Yanooa, Guyroogarrie) – uninhabited and privately owned
  Orpheus Island (Goolboddi – contains national park, research facility and tourist resort, privately owned)
  Albino Rock is part of Orpheus Island National Park.
  Curacoa Island (Noogoo)
  Fantome Island (Eumilli)
  Great Palm Island (Bwgcolman)
  Esk Island (Soopun)
  Falcon Island (Carbooroo)
  Eclipse Island (Garoogubbee)
  Brisk Island (Culgarul)
  Barber Island (Boodthean)
  Fly Island
  Havannah Island
  The group was originally named the "Palm Isles".  The majority of the islands are micro-islands; the most notable are Great Palm Island (the largest and most populated), Fantome Island, and Orpheus Island. Neighbouring islands outside the Palm group include Rattlesnake Island, which is used for Air Force bombing practice, and Magnetic Island, an island suburb of Townsville. The nearest island to the group is Pandora Reef.
  Other names for the island group are the Palm Island group and the Greater Palm group.
  The ocean surrounding the islands is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, where extraction and fishing are regulated.
  Local government of the islands is split between the Shire of Hinchinbrook and the Aboriginal Shire of Palm Island.
  Palm Island falls in the federal Division of Herbert and the Electoral district of Townsville.
  In Table 1 are the ten islands of the group in the jurisdiction of the Palm Island Aboriginal Shire Council. The remaining rocks owned by the Commonwealth are in the jurisdiction of the GBRMPA.  Table 2 lists additional micro-islands.
caption: Fantome Island and Orpheus Islands seen from Palm Island
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