Christmas Island is home to a mix of cultures, creating a diverse, vibrant and friendly community. The island's phosphate mining heritage brought workers here from all over the region. Today Christmas Island has around 2000 residents.
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Working at Christmas Island is a challenging but immensely rewarding experience for anyone who wants to make a difference in a unique and highly fragile wilderness environment. Our current job vacancies are advertised on the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website.
From spotting endangered seabirds to snorkelling with turtles and dolphins, there's a lot to delight wildlife lovers in this natural paradise. Throw in beach and jungle walks, world-class diving and year-round festivals, and you'll never be short of things to do.
Today, about 1,300 people, or 80% of the population, live in Flying Fish Cove, the capital city and main port town where much of the action happens. “The Cove is the heart of the community on Christmas Island.
Since the detention centre was built on the island in 2006, the island population of about 1,500 locals has jumped dramatically. Mr McDonald says the cost of living is now estimated at about 180 per cent above that on the mainland. An iceberg lettuce at the local store can cost as much as $12.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) provides community policing services to Christmas Island. In addition to normal police functions, the AFP carries out other duties such as immigration, processing aircraft, visiting ships and yachts, and coordinating emergency operations.
Language. English is the official language on Christmas Island. However, more than half of our residents speak a language other than English at home. While on the island, you might hear people conversing in Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese, Min Nan, Tagalog and a variety of other languages.
There are currently around 212 people held on Christmas Island around 90 of whom had protection, refugee or humanitarian visas, which were cancelled by the Minister of Home Affairs under their 'god-like' powers.
That means you can score a great deal on popular duty-free items such as fragrances, leather goods, electronics, jewellery, watches and sunglasses. It also means Christmas Island has some of the cheapest alcohol in Australia – perfect for treating yourself to a beer or a gin and tonic as the sun goes down.
Christmas Island International AirportCheck-in counters are open two and a half hours before departure. Baggage carousels are located in the Arrivals Hall.
The importation of dogs and cats into Christmas Island is prohibited by the Importation of Dogs and Cats Ordinance 1973, due to concerns about environmental, social, cultural, animal health and welfare issues.
Bringing food to Christmas Island is quite an easy process. You can check in a Styrofoam box which are easy to get from grocery stores and farmers markets. You can bring pretty much anything except for prawns. Please ENSURE you keep a receipt of your purchases to show customs upon declaration.
Nicknamed the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean, the island is famous for its red crabs, sea birds, whale sharks and spectacular coral reefs. Closer to Asia than mainland Australia, it's home to a captivating mix of cultures and some of the world's most spectacular natural wonders.