Wildlife Land Trust / Sanctuaries / NT / Bremer Island Banubanu Beach Retreat

Trevor Hosie and Helen Martin are the owners of Bremer Island Banubanu Beach Retreat, a property located on the northeast coves of Bremer Island in East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. The property is a residence, wildlife sanctuary and eco-friendly accommodation for tourists and it is the owner’s intention to continue using it for these purposes. As the only tourist accommodation on Bremer Island, Helen and Trevor manage the property with respect to both the local environment and the traditional owners of the land.

The property covers approximately 2.02 hectares and consists of coastal dunes bordered by beaches. Coastal grasses and monsoon vine thickets dominate the vegetation on the property, and the beaches are a significant nesting site for marine turtles.

Wildlife found on the property includes green (Chelonia mydas), flatback (Natator depressus) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricate) marine turtles, which seasonally nest on the beaches. False killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) also seasonally visit the island, and various skinks and other lizards inhabit the property.

A variety of birds are also found on the property, including sulphur-crested (Cacatua galerita) and black (Calyptorhynchus spp.) cockatoos, seagulls, terns, pied oystercatchers (Haematopus longirostris) and beach stone-curlews (Esacus magnirostris). Raptors such as white-bellied sea eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster), eastern ospreys (Pandion cristatus), brahminy kites (Haliastur indus), peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) and brown falcons (Falco berigora) are also found on the property.