What Is the Capital of Christmas Island?
Christmas Island is an external territory of Australia, which is located on the Indian Ocean. It is a natural wonder that is popular for being home to the red crab. This species of red crab usually has a late-fall migration into the sea, which is an attractive event to watch. The official language spoken in Christmas Island is English and the first human settlement in Christmas Island was established by British explorers in 1887. Interestingly, almost half of the island’s unique plant life is found nowhere else in Australia. The capital city of Christmas Island is Flying Fish Cove. It is the main habitable part of the island and has a population of about 1,600. Flying Fish Cove was named after a British survey-ship known as the Flying Fish.
What Is Unique About Flying Fish Cove?
Flying Fish Cove has the best shore dive spots in the Indian Ocean. Diving into the clear and warm Indian Ocean is a relishing experience for most swimmers and divers. In fact, a dive into the ocean allows one to see so many fish that they may have never seen before. The ocean has shallow coral gardens and several types of fish and marine life, such as the reef fish, longnose butterflyfish, racoon butterflyfish, the freckled hawkfish, rockcod, dory, dolphins, whale sharks, and tropical fish. While at Flying Fish Cove, it is important to wear reef shoes in order to keep feet protected from stone fish and sharp coral. Apart from swimming, visitors and locals also enjoy snorkelling and picnics. Picnic facilities, BBQs, showers, and public toilets are always available. Flying Fish Cove is also a great site to watch the sunset.
Major Tourist Destinations
Christmas Island National Park covers 63% of Christmas Island. It is home to varied species of fauna and flora such as red crabs, coconut crabs, giant gecko, black blind snake, flying fox, black rat, and estuarine mangrove species. There’s usually an annual migration of the red crabs, whereby an enormous number of red crabs, about 100 million, move to the sea for the purpose of spawning. In addition, Christmas Island is the native nesting place for the Christmas frigatebird and Abbott’s booby, which are both endangered species on the IUCN Red List. Christmas Island National Park also hosts the largest coconut crab population in the world.
Hotels and Restaurants at Flying Fish Cove
The best places to stay while in Flying Fish Cove include the Cocos Padang Lodge, Hibiscus House, VQ3 Lodge, and the Sunset. These hotels have a rating of 4.5 out of 5 and the services are guaranteed to be excellent. Moreover, the employees are very warm, hospitable, and ready to go an extra mile to ensure their visitors are comfortable. The Christmas Island Wet ‘n’ Dry Adventures is a great shopping spot at Flying Fish Cove for both locals and tourists. Visitors can access the Christmas Island and Flying Fish Cove through the Christmas Island Airport.
