15 Things You Didn’t Know About Christmas Island

Located 2600 km north-west of Perth and closer to Asia than to mainland Australia, Christmas Island is unlike anywhere you’ve ever visited before.

Christmas Island, unfairly, is no stranger to bad headlines. So if the only thing you know about this tropical island in the middle of the Indian Ocean is what you’ve read in the news, read on to find out why – between its luxury eco-retreat, unique wildlife encounters and secret swimming spots – it might just be Australia’s best-kept secret, and one of the most unforgettable places you’ll ever visit.

1. It’s a tropical jungle paradise

With a tropical climate that enjoys balmy temperatures in the mid-20s year-round and a landscape characterised by lush jungle and an emerald-green coastline, Christmas Island is a true island paradise. It’s home to a dazzling array of rare and unusual birds and a crazy numbers of crabs, not to mention secret swimming spots and jungle waterfalls – and 63 per cent of its footprint is designated national park.

Tropical reefs teeming with life lie beyond the shoreline; with water temperatures bobbing around a clement 28°C, they make for some of the best diving and snorkelling spots you’ll find anywhere.

Christmas Island is a true paradise.

2. It’s home to one of Australia’s most remote and exclusive eco-lodges

Swell Lodge is Christmas Island’s first luxury eco-retreat, set deep within the jungle of Christmas Island National Park on the edge of a cliff-side that drops away into the Indian Ocean. Its two solar-powered eco chalets are completely secluded from each other and thoughtfully designed in suitably natural and oceanic tones.

The pièce de résistance in each eco-chalet is an expansive private deck that provides your very own audience with the Indian Ocean – with its mighty swell and mesmerising sunsets. A stay at Swell Lodge is an all-inclusive experience, and includes dinner prepared on your deck each night by your very own chef, who works creatively and expertly with ingredients foraged straight from the jungle.

By day, guided activities include everything from nature trails to waterfalls, hidden beaches, swimming holes and the magical wetland area known as the Dales (a popular crab hangout), to boat trips out to some of the island’s best snorkelling spots. In-chalet yoga sessions and massages are also on hand for when you need a little downtime after all that adventuring.

Swell Lodge is Christmas Island’s first luxury eco-retreat.

You can find more Christmas Island accommodation here.

3. It’s closer to Asia than mainland Australia

A trip to Christmas Island lets you feel like you’re leaving the country without having to think about visa requirements or plug adaptors: a speck in the Indian Ocean 2600 kilometres north-west of Perth, this Australian territory is closer to Asia than to mainland Australia; its nearest neighbour is Java, just 360 kilometres away. A direct flight from the WA capital takes just under four hours (and departs from the international terminal – all part of the adventure).

Virgin Australia runs flights twice a week from Perth.

Christmas Island is a wild destination in the Indian Ocean that’s closer to Asia than Perth. (Image: Christmas Island Tourism Association)

4. It has some of Australia’s best – and most hidden – beaches

Secluded, fringed by coconut palms and only accessible via a forest boardwalk, Dolly Beach on Christmas Island’s east coast was voted seventh best beach in Australia by Tourism Australia beach ambassador Brad Farmer in 2017. And it’s just one of many similarly hidden gems on the island.

While its 80-kilometre coastline is dominated by an almost continuous sea cliff, it gives way to some shallow bays and a series of small and impossibly pretty sand and coral shingle beaches. There’s even one so petite, Merrial Beach (only accessible at low tide), that it comfortably accommodates a couple of people at a time; local ‘law’ dictates that if you already see a car parked at the trail’s entrance, drive on.

Explore Australia’s best – and most hidden – beaches. (Photo: Chris Bray)

5. There are secret swimming spots to discover

One of the joys of a trip to Christmas Island is getting to experience its myriad secret swimming holes, from a grotto associated with Chinese legend to Hughs Dale Waterfall (which makes not so much for a swimming spot as it does a rainforest shower spot).

Indulge in a rainforest shower at Hughs Dale Waterfall.

Take the mostly easy 1.5-kilometre walk through the rainforest along a boardwalk to get to the Hughs Dale Waterfall. This waterfall is set within the Dales, a unique wetland ecosystem that is fed from streams that bubble up from underground caves that flow into the ocean and have resulted in pooling water that has hewn a series of gorges into the landscape over time.

The Grotto, a sandy-floored hidden pool drenched with streaks of sunlight flowing in from the entrance of the cave, is equally magical and just a 10-minute drive from the Settlement. Then there are the island’s many beaches to explore; put Lily Beach at the top of your list, it is surrounded by cliffs on both sides and the at low tide the ocean recedes to reveal a collection of pretty rock pools to explore.

6. Christmas Island has some of the world’s best snorkelling and diving

Ringed by tropical reef, Christmas Island erupts dramatically from the edge of the Java Trench, the Indian Ocean’s deepest point – and with practically no coastal shelf, this means the water plummets to a depth of about 500 metres not far offshore, which means you don’t have to sail (or swim) very far to find some spectacular diving walls. All this combines to make for some of the best snorkelling and diving conditions in the world.

Take a day trip out with Christmas Island Wet ‘n’ Dry Adventures (an option when you stay at Swell Lodge) to explore untouched corals and shipwrecks and meet all manner of tropical fish including surgeon fish, wrasse, butterfly fish and giant trevally. You might even spot dolphins, sea turtles, and, between November and April, the majestic whale shark.

Christmas Island has some of the world’s best snorkelling and diving.

7. You can see crabs all year round. Lots of ’em.

You might have heard of the annual red crab migration that takes place on Christmas Island and was made famous by Sir David Attenborough; the naturalist has described witnessing this phenomenon while shooting a documentary in 1990 as one of his greatest TV moments.

An estimated 40 to 50 million bright red land crabs live in shady spots all over the island and every year, with the first rainfall of the wet season, they start their merry march across the island to the ocean to breed – swarming across roads, streams, rocks and beaches and turning them all into blankets of red. The migration (which can happen anytime between October and January) is the island’s biggest tourist attraction but if your visit doesn’t coincide, rest assured you’ll still see crabs. Lots of ’em.

In fact, their proliferation contributes to a sense of ‘island time’ – the time it takes you to drive anywhere is dependent on how many crabs you must carefully navigate around and gently sweep off the road (your Swell Lodge hosts will show you how). In fact, you get so used to this idiosyncratic island ritual that it makes going to home to crab-free roads a rather strange sensation at first.

The annual crab migration is a sight to behold.

8. But it’s not all about the red crabs

The red crab is just one of 14 species of land crab that lives on Christmas Island. There’s also the endemic Christmas Island blue crab – with its beautiful sky-blue hues – and the coconut crab, the largest land-living arthropod in the world that’s also known as the robber crab on account of its thieving tendencies. Christmas Island hosts the largest and best-protected population of these magnificent creatures in the world.

Keep your eyes peeled for a blue crab.

9. It’s a birdwatcher’s paradise

People flock (pun intended) from around the world to catch sight of Christmas Island frigatebird patrolling the sky, the rarest of its kind in the world, and the Abbott’s booby, a species of the seabird that only breeds here on the island. There are hundreds of bird species here, with seven of the 13 land birds endemic to the island. Watch out for the elegant golden bosun, the melodious Christmas Island thrush and the elusive Christmas Island hawk owl.

One place you’re all but guaranteed a sighting of an Abbott’s booby, or one of the island’s other feathered friends, is during feeding time at the volunteer-run bird rehabilitation centre at the Parks Australia headquarters.

There are hundreds of bird species on the island.

10. And a natural scientist’s dream, too

With so many endemic species, Christmas Island is considered the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean; you’ll meet plenty of PhD students out here researching its weird and wonderful fauna. Their efforts are focused on the Pink House, a research station in the middle of the rainforest that includes a reptile house and Lizard Lounge, which is open to tourists every Wednesday.

Here, Parks Australia is busy breeding the blue-tail lizard, which is extinct in the wild, and other endemic reptiles

11. Christmas Island is a melting pot of cultures

The island is home to a multicultural community that harmoniously blends Buddhist, Christian, Taoist and Muslim residents. The foundation of this melting pot was laid in the late 19^th century, when Britain annexed Christmas Island to claim its valuable phosphate deposits and migrant workers, including Chinese, Malays and Sikhs, arrived from overseas to staff the mine and its operations.

The island became an Australian territory in 1958 and today its 2000-strong population, focused largely on the settlement at Flying Fish Cove, is a mixture of Chinese and Malay Australians as well as people from mainland Australia. Watch out for the Taoist temples and shrines that overlook the ocean, and the gleaming mosque in Kampong, the island’s traditionally Malay neighbourhood.

You’ll find the melting pot of cultures reflected in the architecture on Christmas Island.

12. It’s got one of the world’s most unique golf courses

This one’s for those who like their nine-hole golf course with a view. Australia’s northernmost golf course is located among palm trees and tropical rainforest with a sweeping view of the Indian Ocean. Just watch out for robber crabs trying to pinch your golf ball. Established in 1955, the golf course hosts the Christmas Island Golf Open every year in May.

13. There’s even an open-air cinema

Cap off your unique island experience by watching a movie in the balmy open-air of Christmas Island Outdoor Cinema. Established in the ’80s, this community-based organisation is run by volunteers and screens new-release and cult-classic movies at 7.30pm every Saturday. Tickets are just $5 a pop for adults and $2 for children (up to 17 years), and there’s a kiosk, too, selling choc tops, popcorn and other snacks.

14. You can stopover in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Get two holidays for one when you visit Christmas Island by stopping over in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands – another external Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, about halfway between Perth and Sri Lanka.

Of the two return flights between Perth and Christmas Island a week, one leg of each goes via the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. This atoll of 27 islands, of which only two are inhabited (with a tiny community of about 600 Cocos Malay people), is a perfect complement to a stay on Christmas Island. Both fall into tropical paradise territory: whereas Christmas Island is all wild jungle and dramatic sea cliffs, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands are all long stretches of white-sand beaches fringed by lazily swaying palm trees.

The waters off the island are famously pristine.

15. Christmas Island is a freediver’s dream

A dreamy destination for both the professional freedivers and for those wanting to learn the skills to dive beneath the surface on one breath. Australian freediving champion and AIDA/Molchanovs instructor David Mulheron, has a passion for teaching others to freedive. Christmas Island is blessed with crystal clear water, incredible marine life and freedivers are blessed with the luxury of the reef dropping off only a short swim from shore. You won’t believe what you can see in just one breath.

Whether you are a complete newbie or are fine-tuning your skills, you will learn techniques in a short period of time that will leave you feeling confident and in awe of what your body is capable of. Our tip would be to schedule your freediving course for the first two days of your trip, that way you can continue to improve your skills every day for the rest of your visit to this remote slice of paradise.

Freediving with Dave Mulheron on Christmas Island

Learn to freedive to explore the underwater paradise of Christmas Island.

Read our guide to Christmas Island for more about this unique Indian Ocean destination.

The diversity of the language and culture on the island has influenced its identity and made for a beguiling mix of restaurants and a range of colourful cultural festivals each year.

While wildlife and adventure is the main goal of a trip to Christmas Island, you will find that food is the axis around which life in this unique Indian Ocean destination revolves. And if you’re going to fall into the rhythm of life here, the best way to do that is to roll your sleeves up and tuck into some of the local specialties.

Why was it named Christmas Island?

The reason Christmas Island, located 360 kilometres south of Java, was named after the yuletide is pretty simple: it’s because the English master of the East India Company, Captain William Mynors, sailed to the island on Christmas Day, 1643.

But it wasn’t until 139 years later, when phosphate was discovered on the island, that settlers and workers arrived, bringing with them a diverse range of cultural and religious traditions from Europe and Asia.

Above the beauty of Christmas Island.

How this history shapes the culture & food today

Fast forward to now and the island population is a multi-cultural, harmonious mix of Chinese, Malay and Australian culture where 63 per cent of households speak a language other than English at home.

This blended heritage is reflected on the menus at the pubs, cafes and restaurants dotted around CI, as the island is affectionately known. Dishes such as crispy spring rolls, deep-fried flavour-filled wontons, coconut-based seafood curry, stir-fries and nasi goreng lightly kissed with chilli, and, yes, even chicken parmigiana, all pull the threads of Christmas Island’s cultural heritage together like strands of colourful wool.

Visitors can experience the rich cultural heritage of Christmas Island year-round as, in addition to epic wildlife and nature experiences, the CI calendar is also packed with cultural festivals that nod to the Buddhist, Taoist and Muslim traditions linked to the religions practised within the community.

In between checking out some of the best snorkelling and diving sites for which Christmas Island is known, here are some of the must-do culture and foodie experiences on offer on Christmas Island.

Where to eat & drink on Christmas Island

Sample street food at the Flying Fish Café, Flying Fish Cove

This popular food truck divides its time between Flying Fish Cove and the Kampong. The cafe on wheels is owned and operated by a local Malay family who serves street-style food such as egg roti, samosas as well as Malaysian coffee and cake. Drench your delicious savoury breakfast stir-fry of rice noodles with chives and shrimp with hot, spicy sambal to kickstart and captivate your palette.

The popular Flying Fish food truck.

Order avo on toast at the Smash Espresso Bar, Poon Saan

Avocado on toast is now regarded as an Australian staple. And those partial to the mainland favourite, served with a dusting of salt, pepper, and sometimes feta, will enjoy the Smash Espresso Bar rendition, slathered onto a toasted slab of ciabatta. Bacon and egg wraps are another indulgent brekkie item on the menu and this cafe is known for its specialty coffee and juices, too.

Enjoy the Smash Espresso Bar renditions.

Enjoy a Malaysian breakfast at Idah’s Kitchen, at the Malay Club

Enjoy a traditional Malay breakfast of buttery soft roti canai with chicken curry, or nasi lemak at this popular restaurant overlooking Flying Fish Cove, the island’s main settlement. Here, you will find locals getting their fill on traditional Malaysian food and sweets. Meals at Idah’s Kitchen tend to be traditional, which brings together the community. Idah’s Kitchen is also a kopitiam (coffee shop) so you can sip on a strong black coffee to round out your feast.

Linger over lunch or dinner at Lucky Ho

Christmas Island locals wax enthusiastic about Chinese restaurant Lucky Ho, located in Poon Saan. Prawns, chillies, chives, garlic, coriander and shrimp paste are all used to flavour dishes such as wok-fried noodles and Singapore sambal yellow noodles, which are a quick introduction to Christmas Island’s pan-Asian palate. The restaurant has a homey atmosphere and serves a great rendition of Thai fried rice and fried wontons for both lunch and dinner. You can even book a room to do Karaoke here!

Dine on authentic noodle dishes at Le Cla Café

The Chinese Literary Association building is where you go to order an iced tea that starts out hot and is cooled down with loads of ice, a Le Cla speciality. Sit outside on the breezy verandah at this Malaysian-Chinese restaurant, which is renowned for its authentic noodle dishes such as char kway teow, bee hoon and kway teow. The slippery rice noodles arrive with a little bit of chilli sambal on the side. Alcohol is available here.

Foshan chicken from Le Cla Cafe & Restaurant.

Kick back at The Recreation Centre

The Kookai’z Café at the Recreation Centre up on the hill is a top spot for a burger that has been built from the ground up. The magic here lies in the old-school milk bun base, which is layered with quality ingredients, such as a home-made beef patty topped with rounds of pickled beetroot, sliced cucumber and tomato, squares of cheese and shredded lettuce glued together with a squiggle of mayonnaise.

Brew with a view at the Golden Bosun

The Golden Bosun is the name of a sub-species of bird that is unique to Christmas Island. It’s also the name of one of Christmas Island’s most popular watering holes, where a cold bevvie is best enjoyed on the verandah with ocean views. Eat your way methodically through the menu of pub classics with a CI twist such as sriracha chicken and pineapple pizza, locally caught fish (wahoo) and chicken parmigiana with salad. Beef and reef steaks are a local favourite.

Brew with a view at the Golden Bosun.

Visit Rumah Tinggi on Saturday night

The Rumah Tinggi tavern is as far west as you can go without leaving Australian territory. Rumah Tinggi means ‘tall house’ in Malay and this spot in the Settlement is a hit with locals who converge here on a Saturday arvo for bar food such as bruschetta, chips and steak sangas. The waterfront bar is a top spot to watch the sun set over the sea.

The Rumah Tinggi tavern is as far west as you can go.

Tracks Tavern

You will find this true Aussie gem tucked up in the suburb of Drumsite. Ice cold beverages, plenty of yarns and the place to keep you up to date with all things in the world of sports. Head along for Chase the Ace on Saturday evenings, or just call in for a tasty salad roll or beef pie for lunch. But be quick, it’s a local favourite and the rolls sell out fast!

The Pool Hall

If you feel like kicking on, The Pool Hall is popular with the younger crowd for drinks and dancing.

Stock up at local supermarkets

While all of the restaurants on Christmas Island have the option to dine in or takeaway, you can also stock up on everyday staples at one of the three main supermarkets on Christmas Island, all of which stock specialty Asian groceries as well as basic everyday staples.

The island’s Hidden Garden Sustainable Farm supplies the supermarkets with fresh bananas, papaya and soursop and a range of seasonal ingredients. CI Bakery supplies fresh baked goods. Keep your eye out on the Community Board for the latest fresh fish of the day from Shorefire, the local fish supplier.

The island’s Hidden Garden Sustainable Farm.

Fast food

For takeaway pizza, fish n’ chips and more check with CITA for the latest up-to-date information when it comes to tracking down current take-away options and menus.

Cultural must-dos on Christmas Island

Visitors to Christmas Island will also be satisfied with the many temples and mosques that offer a glimpse of the Australian territory’s rich cultural heritage. Each is as interesting as the next, so get your passport ready to take a step back in time along a self-guided trail or plan your stay around one of the festivals held at these places of worship.

Time your visit to coincide with a festival

There are many colourful cultural celebrations held year-round on Christmas Island, which everyone is welcome to enjoy. From Chinese New Year and the Hungry Ghost Festival, which honours the memories of the deceased, to the Malay celebrations involving Kompang drumming, traditional dance and Malay food that highlights the culture on Christmas Island.

Learn about the history of the island’s colourful visitor’s centre

Cast your gaze down Gaze Road, which is a laid-back commercial, tourism and residential hub on the island. You won’t miss the pastel blue visitor centre, which has had many incarnations as a Chinese club, Eurasian staff club, and youth club. Talk to the friendly team about historic places, relics and ruins to visit on the island.

Unlock your adventure at the Visitors Centre.

Scribble a note on the community blackboard

The roundabout on Christmas Island is said to be one of the most isolated in the world. All island traffic must, at some point, pass through the roundabout, which makes it the ideal spot for a community blackboard where locals and visitors blast out messages in chalk. Beloved by all Islanders to keep up to date with what’s on, who’s on island, and even significant birthdays.

View the mosque in the Kampong

The original houses in the Kampong were made of thatch and timber to accommodate Malays recruited from Indonesia and Malaysia to work in the port and marine services. There is the 1960s-built mosque and madrassa (Islamic school) located in the kampong, which has retained its village-like feel. The Kampong is the heart of the Malay community. Listen for the Call to Prayer, which can be heard reverberating across the Kampong and Flying Fish Cove.

Enjoy the views from the Tea Garden & Tai Jin House

The Tea Garden was once a focal point for the Chinese community. Look at the art in the Tea Garden, and enjoy a sunset picnic in the park, which is located on a former residential area known as ’40 houses’. Have a peep at the 1950s-style buildings at the shops in Temple Court. What was once the home of the British Administrator of Christmas Island, Tai Jin House, offers splendid views over Flying Fish Cove and is home to the Christmas Island Museum.

Tai Jin House offers splendid views over Flying Fish Cove.

Catch a film at the outdoor cinema

The Christmas Island Outdoor Cinema plays a pivotal role in island life. Built in the 1970s, the cinema was a key meeting point for the Union of Christmas Island Workers where key information was relayed. The outdoor cinema is a non-profit, community-based organisation that screens new release and cult classic movies under the stars every Saturday.

See local history at the Drumsite

Drumsite is named after the giant drum that held the cable for the gravity-based Incline of the site, which was established during the construction of the Incline and railway systems between 1910 and 1920. Take note of the private residence on Lam Lok Loh, built in 1930, which was officially known as Bungalow 702. Most other buildings in this area date from the 1950s and 1960s.

Visit a temple or two

There are Taoist and Buddhist temples dotted around Christmas Island. There are also many small hidden shrines set up in the island’s industrial, retail and residential areas and a few smaller shrines scattered throughout the forest.

Your visit to the temples will help as donations are invested back into the upkeep of the temples. The Guan Yin Monastery in the Settlement, Tai Pak Kong, Di Zang Pu Sa Dian and Si Mian Fo temples all have spiritual significance for locals.

South Point Temple. (Photo: Karenn Singer / Christmas Island Tourism Association)