Raine Island

Welcome to Raine Island, a stunning vegetated coral cay located on the outer edges of the Great Barrier Reef in the north-eastern region of Australia.

Spread over a total land area of 32 hectares (79 acres), Raine Island is situated approximately 620 km (390 mi) north-northwest of Cairns in Queensland and is located 120 kilometres (75 mi) east-north-east of Cape Grenville on the Cape York Peninsula.

Raine Island is a unique coral cay, surrounded by extensive fringing reefs and is composed of a central core of phosphate rock and sand. The cay is a naturally occurring island, dominated by low herbaceous annual vegetation (Batianoff et al. 1993). The island lies adjacent to a significant shipping channel known as the Raine Island Entrance and Pandora entrance, creating a gateway to the waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Raine Island is a key environmental site, totally protected from public access. It is famous for harboring the world's largest remaining population of green turtles (Chelonia mydas), making it a vital location for research and conservation.

The island got its name from Captain Thomas Raine (1793–1860), the English mariner who first discovered it. It also falls within the traditional lands and waters of the Wuthathi Aboriginal people, who share their interests in the area with Torres Strait Islander peoples the Erubam Le (Darnley Island), the Ugarem Le (Stephen Island), and Meriam Le (Murray Island). In 1890, the island was utilized for mining guano, which is a valuable form of fertilizer.

Raine Island is home to the oldest European structure in tropical Australia, a stone beacon