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Daydream Island
HISTORY
Daydream Island
As a part of the Molle group of islands (South
Molle, North Molle, Mid Molle, West Molle [Daydream], Planton, Denman) Daydream
Island had since 1881 been known officially as 'West Molle Island' but in May
1989, following representations from the then leaseholders, the Pivot Group, the
name was changed to 'Daydream Island', thus formalising local custom since the
1930s.
From the late 1800s the Molle group had been covered by the one lease and as that lease passed from hand to hand so did Daydream Island. In 1927 however the overall lease was bought by Henry G. Lamond who settled with his family on South Molle Island and in the following years sold separate leases over North Molle Island and Daydream Island. Because of its small size and the lack of water Daydream had not been put to any use whereas North and South Molle Islands had been grazed by a succession of owners. This however was to change.
Settlement
Lee Yates Kynaston (Paddy) Murray 1932- 1934
With his wife, Constance Grace Ewan (Connie) Murray, deck-hand Charles
(Chilla) Hird and Airedale dog Peter, Paddy Murray came to the Whitsundays from
Sydney in 1932 in his 15 metre yacht Day Dream. Charlie Hird was a
boat-builder from Sydney who had helped them in the preparation of the boat for
the voyage. They had left Sydney on 7 February 1932 with a plan to sail to the
Gulf of Carpentaria with the well known author and adventurer of the time,
Francis Birtles, in the belief that they might rescue a white girl whom they
believed, as a four year old, had survived the wreck of the Douglas Mawson in
March 1923 and had been taken into care of Aboriginals.
The Douglas Mawson was a small steamer operating a regular service between Cairns and Gulf ports but while on a voyage from Burketown to Cairns in late March 1923 with a complement of twenty people she disappeared without trace, it being assumed she was the victim of a severe cyclone which hit the Cape York area at that time.
In the event Birtles did not join the Murrays in the venture so they went on without him but travelled only as far as Dunk Island and from there came back to the Whitsundays with the idea of starting a tourist resort. On their way north through the Whitsundays they had called in at St Bees Island to see local identity Arthur Busuttin who sailed with them to Brampton Island with the thought they may be interested in a resort there but they were not, instead being interested in the northern end of Keswick Island (Arthur Busuttin). This liking for the St Bees/ Keswick complex was expressed in articles written at the time for the magazine New Idea by Mrs Murray under the pen-name Grace Conray.
They proceeded north to Townsville, where they arrived on 19 June 1932 to spend about a week. The Townsville Daily Bulletin of 20 June reported the visit, saying it was their intention to proceed on to the Gulf of Carpentaria for a holiday before returning to Sydney about Christmas time. However they went only as far as Dunk Island and from there returned to the Whitsundays and South Molle Island where an arrangement was made with Henry Lamond about West Molle Island which they named 'Day Dream Island' after their yacht. Over the years following, the spelling of the name of the yacht and the island has varied in writings about the island but newspaper reports and advertisements during the 1930s and Mrs Murray in her writings refer to both the boat and the island as 'Day Dream' and this definitely was the original name. The change to 'Daydream' occurred in later years when the resort was taken over by Ansett.
With the willing help of Charlie Hird they dismantled a banana shed on South Molle Island and re-erected it on Daydream Island behind the beach on the south-west corner and the Murrays took up residence in this while Charlie Hird lived on Day Dream. The shed later was to become a dining-room. They then proceeded to build a series of two-room corrugated-iron huts for tourists, this development reported in the Mackay Mercury of 9 January 1933 while the Bowen Independent of 24 May 1933 says they had completed six 2-room buildings 'with all facilities'. By then they were receiving tourists and the Proserpine Guardian of 13 May 1933 and 17 June 1933 talks of tourist vessels Karoola and Manunda calling there. Photographs of the time show the Katoomba and the Orungal also anchored off the island and the master of the latter, Sam Gilling, on the beach with Murray, Lamond and Eric Catherwood who later was to own the resort.
Day Dream was used to transfer guests to and from Cannonvale and
to ferry them between shore and passenger vessels, the latter arrangement
proving not very satisfactory due to the tall rig of Day Dream. In
May 1933 her main-mast fouled the superstructure of Orungal and she was
dismasted, necessitating a voyage to Bowen for repair (Bowen Independent 24
May 1933).
This deficiency led shortly after to the purchase of the 7.5 metre launch Day
Dawn and later still the 8.4 metre Irene from Eric Hall of Bowen, it
being re-named Pimpernel and used as a tender between the shore and Day
Dream and the coastal vessels.
At about this time Charlie Hird returned to Sydney to be married and a Mr and Mrs Ulrich were on the island as cook and general handy-persons.
During 1933 Murray apparently was looking for a partner and the Bowen Independent of 30 June 1933 mentions a visit to Bowen by 'Messrs Murray and Green of Day Dream Tours' though nothing is known of Green. However Murray in that same year took as a partner Eric Maxwell Catherwood who bought out Murray's interest, including Day Dream, at the end of 1933 and continued to develop the resort with his wife, Nell (Bowen Independent 7 February 1934). Newspaper reports in January and February 1934 report the island as owned and managed by the Catherwoods.
It is clear the Murrays did not stay on after the deal was done. On 5 May 1934 Thomas and Daisy Broom from England visited the island looking for an island home after being attracted to the idea by Edmund Banfield's books about Dunk Island and at that stage the island was operated by Catherwood and his wife, with Murray living on Day Dream and Mrs Murray not in evidence. The Brooms stayed for ten days but did not buy the island, finding the Catherwoods were interested only in having them live there to help out with the resort. Lamond offered them Mid-Molle Island but as there was no water there the Brooms were not interested. They later settled on Poole Island in Edgecumbe Bay (Bowen Independent 11 October 1937; Brisbane Sun March 1991; Daisy Broom).
Because there is no water naturally on Daydream Island (a problem which plagued it until mainland water was connected in the late 1980s), Murray and Catherwood had to supplement what could be caught from roofs from a spring on North Molle Island which was to serve successive owners of the island into the 1960s. Fresh meat, fruit, vegetables, milk and so forth were obtained from South Molle Island.
It is evident the Murrays also were interested in Olden Island because on 12 October 1932 Mrs Murray applied for an occupation licence over that island, her address then being PO Box 139, Bowen. She was granted OL548 but apparently did nothing with the island and the licence lapsed in 1933.
Lamond in his memoirs says he sold the lease of Daydream Island to Murray in 1933 for £200, £50 down and the balance over three years. In an article in the Proserpine Guardian of 26 January 1962 Mrs Connie Murray, writing under the pen-name of Grace Conray, says they rented the island from Lamond (extract from A Little Ship was Sailing) and other evidence is that they in fact had some kind of a sub-lease from Lamond pending final payment of the purchase price. (Bowen Independent 7 February 1934) A separate lease to the island did not emerge until 1 May 1934, passing from Lamond to the next owner, E. M. Catherwood (Queensland State Archives LAN/ U21). This special lease (8203) was for 17 1/ 4 years from 1 May 1934 (equivalent to a 20 year lease from 1 August 1931) and seems to indicate Lamond had already set about obtaining a new lease before the Murrays appeared on the scene.
Murray, who was born in 1889, had been a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps in
England during World War I, gaining a commission in 1917. He was discharged in
May 1919 with the rank of major (RAF Personnel Management Centre). He was a
consulting engineer by profession and was so employed before and after the
Daydream Island venture. (Charlie Hird; Townsville Daily Bulletin 20 June
1932) After leaving Daydream Island in 1934 he moved from Sydney to Melbourne
and then to Red Hill in Victoria where he was in December 1935 as shown in a
letter to Charlie Hird at that time. In July 1938 he was back in Sydney and was
appointed control fficer at the Kingsford Smith Airport (Sydney Morning
Herald 18 July 1938). In World War 2 he served in Townsville as a civilian
assistant with the PapuaŠ New Guinea Coastwatchers Service base.
Eric Maxwell Catherwood 1934- 1941
Catherwood and his wife, Nellie Maie Catherwood, continued the tourist
resort and as stated earlier, SL8203 passed direct to him from Lamond.
Catherwood was born in 1895 at Williamstown in Victoria where he also
spent his early years. He trained as an accountant and served with the AIF in
Egypt, Gallipoli and France during World War I, gaining a commission. After
discharge from the army in 1919 his movements are unknown but in July 1926 he
joined Burns Philp and Company Limited at Townsville as a salesman, being
attached to the Shell Company agency which in those days was conducted by Burns
Philp at many of their branches. Virtually he was a Shell employee and in August
1929 his status was formalised when he transferred to the Brisbane staff of the
Shell Company of Australia in an executive position (Bowen Independent 7
February 1934; Archives Burns Philp) and from there joined Murray on Daydream
Island.
The Day Dream passed to Catherwood from Murray and continued its role as ferry and day tripper (Proserpine Guardian 30 November 1935, 20 March 1937) and was itself serviced by the 8.4 metre tender Pimpernel which earlier had been used as an escape boat by convicts from New Caledonia. (Proserpine Guardian 30 November 1935) With the advent of World War 2 Catherwood was calledup for military service in Townsville, departing on 5 February 1941 (Proserpine Guardian 11 January 1941, 8 February 1941) whereupon he disposed of the island to P. H. Moody who took over on 1 August 1941 (Proserpine Guardian 26 July 1941, 2 August 1941).
Catherwood ultimately was attached to an Australian Army Headquarters Base Sub Area at Milne Bay in Papua with the rank of major. However on 2 February 1944 while travelling by air from Townsville to Milne Bay via Port Moresby the aircraft failed to arrive at Port Moresby and its crew and passengers, including Catherwood then aged 48, were presumed lost. His name is listed on the memorial to those with no known grave at the Bomana War Cemetery near Port Moresby (Office of Australian War Graves) and on the Roll of Honour on the Proserpine Cenotaph.
It seems Catherwood's father, Alfred Maxwell Catherwood, may have been on the island with his son as he is buried in the Proserpine Cemetery, the date of his death, at 79, being 19 May 1941 (Whitsunday Shire Council Register of Graves). Another resident of the island at this stage was Enda Lewis (later Mrs Molloy) who at the age of 13 went to the island as a companion to Mrs Catherwood and stayed on with the Moodys.
As to Day Dream, some time before 1939 it was disposed of by Catherwood via Matt Taylor & Co, boatbuilders of Townsville and it is believed ended its days in New Guinea. Meanwhile Catherwood purchased the launch Gleam as a much more suitable vessel for island work.
By this stage the resort comprised the six original cabins and the main building containing dining and recreation rooms, pantry and kitchen all aligned along the main beach on the western side. The cabins each had two separate twin-bed rooms with coral-rubble floors, separated by a breezeway in which were wash-stands constructed from kerosene crates, as was much of the furniture in the cabins. Windows were hinged shutters which could be propped open, with curtains for privacy. Behind the guest cabins and closer to the eastern shore-line were staff quarters. The owner's cabin was located at the northern end of the main beach but set back among trees behind the main line of guest cabins. This later was to become the manager's residence when Ansett took over.
Percy Harry (Skip) Moody 1941- 1948
Moody and his wife Helen came to the
island on 1 August 1941 from Rockhampton where Skip had been a part-owner of the
Rockhampton aerodrome from which he ran an aerial taxi and ambulance service
(Proserpine Guardian 26 July 1941, 2 August 1941). He had learnt to
fly during World War I when he became a test-pilot in England for the Royal
Flying Corps. This instilled in him a love of and an aptitude for flying and on
his return to Australia and discharge from the Corps he entered the aviation
field in various activities from joy-flights to commercial airline piloting. In
1924 he joined the infant Qantas as a pilot flying their planes on Western
Queensland services out of Charleville. There he met and married Helen Nantes,
daughter of a Charleville grazier.
He was keen on the land and in 1926 drew a ballot in a sheep property at Dillalah about 50 kilometres south of Charleville. Nevertheless he continued flying with Qantas until 1928 when he resigned to join with a friend, Howard Jolly, in a pioneering flight across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand but the Government of the day banned the flight. Skip then took the aircraft he had purchased for the venture to New Guinea and entered commercial flying between Lae and Wau but within several months an engine failure forced him to ditch his plane in the sea near Lae and that was the end of the project.
He returned tohis property at Dillalah but finding it a struggle, he rejoined Qantas and flew with them until 1930 when he resigned to return again to his property. For the following ten years he persevered with sheep-farming but became disenchanted because of low wool prices and sold out to go to Rockhampton and his aerial taxi service. However World War 2 intervened and in 1941 the aerodrome was taken over by the military and Skip decided to try an island life. He purchased the lease of Daydream Island but within a few months found it a losing proposition because of the war and lack of tourists so closed it down, leaving it in the hands of a caretaker, Sam White, and joined the RAAF in Townsville. Helen opened a millinery shop in Brisbane.
In the first half of 1945, when the war was near its end, Helen returned to Daydream Island to re-open it and Skip joined her shortly after, having been discharged from the RAAF. The Proserpine Guardian of 15 June 1945 and 5 October 1945 reports both the Moodys at Daydream Island. In April 1946 Moody purchased the 15 metre ex-navy work boat MV Jane as the island's shuttle and cruise boat which was to serve in the area until wrecked in Stonehaven in 1970 by cyclone Ada. (Proserpine Guardian 18 April 1946).
During his time on the island Skip tried unsuccessfully to have the name changed officially from 'West Molle' to 'Daydream Island'.
In early 1948, at which time the resort contained a large communal dining room and eighteen detached cottages, the lease was purchased by Barrier Reef Islands Pty Ltd, an Ansett subsidiary, and the Moodys moved to Brisbane though they were to return in 1950 in an unsuccessful bid to start a tourist resort on Hamilton Island (Mrs Jo Cook, niece of Skip Moody; Proserpine Guardian 8 September 1950, 7 December 1951).
Barrier Reef Islands Pty Ltd 1948- 1956
In January 1948 Barrier Reef Islands Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Ansett
Transport Industries, took over the lease with the idea of major re-development(Proserpine
Guardian 6 February 1948).
At the same time they took over Hayman Island also, assuming management
of both islands in early March, 1948 (Proserpine Guardian 12 March
1948). They added some more modern accommodation to the resort, including
for the first time septic-system toilets. More staff accommodation was added but
overall they did not change the set-up significantly which remained much the
same as it was during the Catherwood and Moody era.
The venture on Daydream Island however did not prove successful and while it was still open at the end of 1951 (Proserpine Guardian 9 November 1951) the company was having financial problems and by 1953 the resort was closed with an auction on 1 April 1953 of fittings, furniture and equipment at Mackay (Proserpine Guardian 10 April 1953). The buildings were demolished, leaving nothing but concrete slabs and thereafter the main effort by BRI was concentrated on Hayman Island and many of the staff from Daydream Island were transferred there. (Marion Eaton/ Hallam)
SL8203 expired on 31 July 1953 giving rise to talk of resuming the island for a national park but a new lease SL19524 was granted to BRI for a period of three years from 1 August 1953, presumably in the hope the resort may be resurrected. However this new lease expired and was not renewed (Land Administration Board letter to Proserpine Shire Council of 19 October 1959) and the island reverted to the Crown. It does seem however the lease must have remained alive and was resurrected in 1963 when a syndicate of Proserpine residents took it over.
Proserpine syndicate 1963- 1967
In June 1963 a syndicate comprising Proserpine cane-farmers Ormond Herbert
(Orm) Foxlee and Daly Rowland Thomas and a policeman, Douglas R. Virtue put
forward the idea of starting a caravan park on the island, caravans to be
transported there by barge. As a result of their approach the Lands
Department advertised for applications for a special lease requiring the
successful applicant to develop either a caravan park or a tourist resort on the
island (Proserpine Guardian 2 August 1963) though the idea of a caravan
park on an island brought forward some sceptical local comment (Proserpine Guardian
9 August 1963).
Despite objections from the Great Barrier Reef Promotional Council whose
membership included existing resort owners in the Whitsundays, the syndicate was
given a special lease over the island, and while details of this lease are vague
it seems SL19524 previously held by Barrier Reef Islands Pty Ltd was resurrected
as Part 2 to cover the occasion. The syndicate transported a drilling rig
to the island to search for water, a major problem which the previous owners,
BRI, had overcome by barging water in from the spring on the northern end of
North Molle Island or from Bowen. Despite an intensive search over two years, no
water could be found and Thomas and Virtue dropped out of the syndicate
leavingFoxlee as the sole owner of the lease. The proposal for a caravan park
was abandoned and the island lay idle until Bernard Elsey arrived on the scene
in 1967. For a short time he and Foxlee worked together on building a resort but
after a while Foxlee sold out his interest to Elsey who went on with the plan
(Orm Foxlee).
Bernard Elsey/ Daydream Island Pty Ltd
1967- 1978
Bernard Elsey was a Gold Coast businessman and owner of the Beachcomber
Hotel and the Tiki Village and Ski Lodge in Surfers Paradise, and the
Beachcomber Motor Inn at Coolangatta. He purchased the lease to Daydream
Island in February 1967 (Proserpine Guardian 10 February 1967, 3 March
1967) and was given a new lease, SL30787 for 30 years from 1 March 1967 in the
name of Daydream Island Pty Ltd.
Over a period of twelve months Elsey carried out a major re-development of the resort which was opened officially in late July 1968 (Proserpine Guardian 2 August 1968). He overcame the water problem by installing a desalination plant while guest access to the island was improved when in 1968 the Government approved funds for the erection of a jetty (Proserpine Guardian 19 January 1968, 8 November 1968).
In January 1970 cyclone Ada ravaged the Whitsunday area and the resort on Daydream was almost totally demolished but despite this set-back Elsey immediately commenced re-building and re-opened. On 31 December 1971 SL30787 was surrendered and on 1 January 1972 a new perpetual lease NCL 2530 was given over the resort area and a new special lease 36133 for 30 years over the remainder of the island, both in favour of Daydream Island Tourist Resort Pty Ltd. This was a common procedure at the time as owners sought a more permanent tenure over their heavy financial investments.
The Proserpine Guardian of 15 February 1974 reported the island had
been sold but this proved not to be the case until the same paper on 2 December
1977 announced that Robert Sterling, managing director of the Sterling group of
companies hadexchanged contracts with Bernard Elsey for a take-over on 22
January 1978. Sterling's idea was an early version
of the 'time-share' approach whereby for from $6,000 to $8,000 investors would
buy units which would allow them to take an annual two-week vacation on the
island. The investment could be liquidated at any time by sale on the open
market. However this plan did not proceed.
Cobb and Co 1978- 1979
The Queensland-based coachline, Cobb and Co,
through a subsidiary, Padova Pty Ltd, bought the resort in July 1978 and Elsey
returned to the Gold Coast though it seems he provided at least part of the
finance for the purchase as he held a mortgage over the resort. This was
Cobb and Co's first move into resort ownership and they immediately announced
plans for up-grading of facilities (Proserpine Guardian 7 July 1978).
However the company suffered financial problems and John Hannay, a Mackay
businessman took over the financial arrangements.
Daydream Island Tourist Resort Pty Ltd
1979- 1980
In March 1979 John Hannay, a Mackay businessman and hotelier, took over Cobb
and Co's financial arrangements under the name Daydream Tourist Resort Pty Ltd.
However a mortgage was held over the island by Bernard Elsey via his company
Daydream Island Pty Ltd and because of certain defaults in the mortgage terms,
Elsey re-possessed the island in July 1980 which then traded under the name of
Daydream Island Pty Ltd, the similarity of the names causing some confusion at
the time (Proserpine Guardian 22 August1980).
Following legal representation from Cobb and Co a receiver and liquidator was appointed to manage the affairs of the Hannay company but in December 1980 the Supreme Court ordered the removal of the receiver/ liquidator and complete control of the resort passed back to Bernard Elsey (Proserpine Guardian 8 January 1981). Upon regaining control of the resort Elsey installed roulette and blackjack equipment in a 'casino-club' in late 1980 but the Government quickly clamped down on this venture and ordered removal of the equipment despite Elsey's protestations that no actual money changed hands and it was only a promotional gimmick.
Legal problems continued with the resort and in January 1981 it closed its accommodation units but remained open to day trippers (Proserpine Guardian 29 January 1981). A meeting of creditors of Daydream Island Tourist Resort Pty Ltd was held in Mackay in January 1981 at which it was decided the resort must be sold to clear debts. The resort was auctioned in Brisbane on 6 May 1981 but was passed in with only one bidder, an un-named southern businessman with whom negotiations continued.
Graham McMullen 1981
The Proserpine Guardian of 17 September 1981 and 1 October 1981
reported a new owner of the island as Graham McMullen who owned an industrial
cleaning business in Brisbane. However it seems McMullen's proposed
purchase did not crystallise and the resort passed instead to Jim Kennedy.
Jim Kennedy/ Daydream Island Resort (Kennedy) Pty Ltd
1981- 1987
In December 1981 Jim Kennedy bought the lease and immediately started a
major refurbishing. He had earlier owned the lease on South Molle Island
from 1978 to 1980 prior to which he was an electrical goods retailer and the
owner of Tangalooma Tourist Resort. At the time of buying Daydream Island
he also had a private interest in Avoid Island which he put up for sale.
As part of the re-development eighteen new units opened in early 1984 bringing
the total to eighty.
SL 36133 was surrendered on 30 September 1983 while NCL2530 was
replaced on 28 February 1985 by NCL2884 in the name of Kenwill Investments Pty
Ltd but this was changed on 1 March 1986 to Daydream Island Resort
(Kennedy) Pty Ltd.
DGA Australia Ltd
1987- 1988
In May 1987 the Kennedy family sold a share in the resort to the West
Australian company, DGA Australia Ltd with the Kennedys retaining a 'significant
shareholding' and staying on to manage the resort (Proserpine Guardian 28
May 1987, Whitsunday Times 14 September 1988) though it appears the
operating company remained Daydream Island Resort (Kennedy) Pty Ltd. DGA was a
company owned by West Australian businessman, Peter Laurance, and the
involvement was apparently a prelude to the full purchase of the resort by the
Pivot Group.
Daydream Island International Resort Pty Ltd 1988
In 1988 the Pivot Group Ltd, wholly owned by businessman Peter Laurance,
joined with Jennings Industries Ltd in the purchase of the lease from the
Kennedy/ DGA companies with plans for a major re-development while still
retaining the 'family' style of previous resorts. Pivot was involved in the
tourist and leisure industry with interests in Sea World and Sea World Nara
Resort Hotel on the Gold Coast and in 1989 announced its interest in the Movie
World Theme Park in partnership with Village Roadshow and the American Film
Company, Warner Bros.
The old resort closed down on 30 April 1989 and development commenced in June at the northern end of the island which hitherto had not been developed. The perennial water problem of the island was finally solved for all time in 1990 when a pipeline was connected from Shutehaven. The Pivot Group sold out its interest to Jennings, and in 1991 South Pacific Hotels undertook the management under their Travelodge name.
The Information on the Whitsunday Islands is reproduced by kind permission of Mr. Ray Blackwood from his book: " The Whitsunday Islands An Historical Dictionary ".
Please visit his site here. It is well worth the time!