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Situated in the middle of the Indian Ocean, 2950 kms north west of Perth, the Islands are part of the Indian Ocean Territories of Commonwealth of Australia with Christmas Island being the other. The Islands are a tropical paradise comprising 27 coconut palm covered, coral islands in a horseshoe shape set in crystal clear blue waters and home to around 600 people living on two islands with the rest being uninhabited.
Briefly, the Cocos Keeling Islands (the Keeling is inserted to differentiate from the many other Cocos Islands around the world) were settled in 1827, and farmed as a coconut plantation for the production of copra (dried coconut meat).
The Ownership of the Islands was granted to the Clunies-Ross family by Queen Victoria in 1886.
Cocos colourful history includes a visit by Charles Darwin in 1836, bombed and raided by the Germans during World War 1, site of the beaching of the German raider SMS Emden by the HMAS Sydney, bombed by the Japanese in World War 2 and stop off for the Catalinas from Crawley Bay in Perth on Columbo flights.
It was bought from the Clunies-Ross family in 70's and is now a destination for avid divers and holidaymakers.
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