Sustainability

Post cyclone Yasi in 2011 we took the opportunity to upgrade Bedarra Beach House and embraced the philosophy of sustainability. We have made real changes to the operation of this beautiful beach house and significantly reduced our impact on the environment without compromising on comfort and luxury.

Thanks to a rare freehold title in the Family Group of Islands, Bedarra Island is zoned “Conservation” under local council planning scheme (Lot 11 on GTP 106187) and is located in the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia.

Bedarra Island comes under the auspices of Cassowary Coast Regional Council, Family Group of Islands National Park, Department of QLD State Marine and National Parks and Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (Federal). We consider Bedarra to be one of the most beautiful places in the world and we are passionate about keeping it this way.

Energy Efficient

The house was designed and built in 1996 by North Queensland architect Tony Driscoll who designed a light and airy pole home perfectly suited for the tropics with cross flow ventilation.

All equipment such as the Miele dishwasher and clothes washer has an energy efficient star rating of 4 1/2.

LED 10w lights have been installed throughout the house with minimal exterior lighting.

Energy Supply

The energy supply to the house is generated by an off the grid 6.3kw solar system with 24 large gel batteries. These batteries are state of the art and do not require further maintenance. The solar system is now large enough that we have been able to remove our diesel powered generator from the island.

At the time we upgraded our solar hot water system and installed a new one.

Operational Areas

We work with local businesses such as Mission Beach Charters who transport our guests and staff to and from the island and deliver fresh flowers from a local grower on the mainland for you to enjoy.

Mission Upholstery have made and installed clear PVC blinds on the outdoor deck area so our guests can enjoy the outdoors all year round.

Other initiatives include undertaking all laundering of guest linen on the mainland to reduce the risk of potential phosphates entering the adjoining Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Office / admin initiatives and marketing / promotional. No email print policy. Apart from business cards and our guest compendium all marketing is on the internet and all communication is generally via email with guests and staff.

Water Management

We have installed gutters and now source fresh water from the plentiful rainwater collected from our roof. Just recently we have installed two x 27,000L rainwater tanks to compliment the three x 5000L water storage tanks under the house.

We also draw from a perennial fresh water spring on the island. Water is collected from the spring into a holding dam that has been planted out with bulrushes and water lilies, nature’s own filtration system. The water is decanted and filtered into holding tanks, where it is pumped by the use of a solar powered pump to three header tanks at top of the hill. The water is distributed via a reticulated system to the house.

All our water is potable.

A new biological-septic system has been installed to replace the 13 year old septic tank.

The Bio – cycle septic system treats all effluent without any risk of contact / leaching with the ocean or fringing reefs and recycles the water for the garden beds. This is inspected four times a year as per council regulation.

Rubbish and Recycling

All rubbish leaves the island with Mission Beach Charters and taken to local transfer station on the mainland for disposal at Wongaling Beach as Bedarra Island does not have a rubbish depot. We encourage our guests to recycle and not use excessive packaging for their produce however at the end of their stay what is left has to be transported off the island to the mainland for recycling at local plant.