Chesterfield Islands

“Without wronging anyone, without oppressing any indigenous people, and unbeknown to anyone, our beautiful country preserves a small, discreet and secret empire whose extreme fringes never cease to amaze.” This is how historian and author Bruno Fuligni described the Chesterfield Islands, a group of miniscule lands lost in the Coral Sea off the north-eastern coast of Australia. Made up of several uninhabited islets and reefs that sit on the surface of the water, this mysterious archipelago was named after the ship of the English captain who discovered it in 1791. It was conquered by the French in 1878. This paradise for nature lovers offers its rare visitors long, immaculate beaches where thousands of seabirds have found refuge.