Amazing Australian island that has been classified as the third most remote and beautiful place in the world.
- Pristine Macquarie Island number three on the travel list
- Rugged island located between Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica
A little-known Australian island has been named one of the most beautiful and remote places on Earth by a popular travel site.
Macquarie Island, located in the southwestern part of the Pacific Ocean at the midpoint between Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica, was placed at number three on the Big 7 Travel list.
Home to large colonies of penguins and seals, the island has been politically part of Tasmania since 1900 and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.
The entire world population of king penguins descends on Macquarie Island during the nesting season.
Dog trainer Steve Austin (left) and a colleague walk on Macquarie Island with two working Springer Spaniels trained to find rabbits as part of conservation efforts.
The island is a pristine paradise for penguins, seals, and seabirds.
The Australian Antarctic Division has maintained a base on the island since 1948 which is inhabited by between 20 and 40 people at any given time, the only humans on the island including scientists, researchers, cooks, cleaners and doctors.
No planes visit the island and the only way to get there is by sea, although there is a helipad that is used strictly for short trips between the island and the big ships docked off the coast.
Visitors are allowed on the rugged 34km by 5km island, but places are very limited, with only a few educational tour trips venturing there a year, and only in the summer.
But the remoteness and the absence of other people is one of the main attractions that those who venture to the island love.
It is also the only place on the planet where the Earth’s mantle is visible above the ocean waters.
The island is located halfway between Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.
The Australian Antarctic Division has a permanent base on the island staffed by some 20 to 40 people.
The island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the only place where the Earth’s mantle is visible above the ocean.
In recent years, successful conservation efforts have focused on eradicating invasive rabbits, rodents, and cats that were introduced by explorers and wiped out local flora and fauna.
The conservation drive is a far cry from its early human history in which Tasmania and New Zealand fought over who would own the island so they could hunt the penguin population for oil.
This stopped when the island was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1933 under Tasmanian law.
Other remote havens making the Big 7 list include Blue Eye in Albania, White Desert Whichaway Camp in Antarctica, and Anegada in the British Virgin Islands.
An elephant seal relaxes in front of a group of king penguins
GREAT LIST OF 7 TRIPS OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND REMOTE PLACES ON THE PLANET
1. Blue Eye, Albania
Blue Eye in Albania was named the number one most remote and beautiful place in the world by travel site
2. Whichaway Camp in the White Desert, Antarctica
3. Macquarie Island, Australia
4. Laya, Bhutan
Laya in Bhutan made number 4, the neighboring country of Nepal
5. Gunung Pinnacles, Mulu National Park, Borneo
6. Sandibe Okavango, Botswana
7. Pitcairn Island, British Overseas Territory
8. Anegada, British Virgin Islands
9. Ivvavik National Park, Canada
10. Marble Caves, Patagonia, Chile
The rest of the list can be seen here.