Christmas Island Flag on Our Flagpole

Christmas Island

Christmas Island Resort
Christmas Island Resort

The Australian government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial spaceport on the island, however, this has not yet been constructed and appears that it will not proceed. The Howard government built a temporary immigration detention center on the island in 2001 and planned to replace it with a larger, modern facility at North West Point until Howard’s defeat in the 2007 elections.

Transportation:

A container port exists at Flying Fish Cove with an uncompleted alternative container-unloading point to the east of the island at Norris Point, intended for use during the December-to-March “swell season” of rough seas.

The standard gauge 11 mile Christmas Island Phosphate Co.’s Railway from Flying Fish Cove to the phosphate mine was constructed in 1914. It was closed in December 1987, when the Australian government closed the mine, and since has been recovered as scrap, leaving only earthworks in places.

Virgin Australia Regional Airlines provides two weekly flights to Christmas Island Airport from Perth, Western Australia, Garuda Indonesia conduct weekly open-charter flights from/to Jakarta with bookings done through Christmas Island Travel Exchange and Malindo Air operate fortnightly open-charter flights from/to Kuala Lumpur with bookings done through Evercrown Air Services.

Hire cars are available from the airport however no franchised companies are represented. CI Taxi Service also operates most days.

Backroads of Christmas Island
Backroads of Christmas Island

The road network covers most of the island and is of generally good quality, although four-wheel drive vehicles are needed to reach some of the more distant parts of the rainforest or the more isolated beaches on the rough dirt roads.

Flag of Christmas Island:

The flag of Christmas Island was unofficially adopted in 1986 after being chosen the winner in a competition for a flag for the territory. It was designed by Tony Couch of Sydney, Australia. The flag was made official on Australia Day, 2002 when the administrator of the territory, Bill Taylor, presented the flag to the Christmas Island Shire.

The flag of Christmas Island consists of a green and blue background, split the top left corner to the bottom right. These colors are intended to represent the land and sea respectively. The Southern Cross constellation appears in the bottom left of the flag in the same manner as it appears on the flag of Australia. In the top right, the golden bosun bird (Phaethon lepturus fulvus, one of six races of the white-tailed tropicbird) appears. It is considered to be a symbol of the Island. The last motif appears in the center of the flag on a golden disc is the map of the island in green. The disc itself was originally only included to offset the green color of the map, but has become linked to the mining industry.

Flag of Christmas Island
Flag of Christmas Island

In 1986, the Christmas Island Assembly announced a competition to design both a flag and a coat of arms for the territory. There was a prize fund of $100, and some 69 entries were submitted. The winning submission was created by Tony Couch, a resident of Sydney but who had previously worked on Christmas Island. The new flag was announced on April 14, 1986 by the Christmas Island Assembly.

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