Home Island

For other uses, see Home Island (disambiguation).

Home Island, also known locally as Pulu Selma, is one of only two permanently-inhabited islands of the 26 islands of the South Keeling Islands of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, an Australian external territory in the central-eastern Indian Ocean.

Home Island

Pulu Selma (Cocos Islands Malay)
Map of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Home Island
Geography
Coordinates	12.1178°S 96.8975°E / -12.1178; 96.8975
Archipelago	South Keeling Islands
Area	95 ha (230 acres)
Administration
Australia
Territory	Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Largest settlement	Bantam
Additional information
Time zone	UTC+06:30

Description

It is 95 hectares (230 acres) in area and contains the largest settlement of the territory, Bantam, with a population of about 500 Cocos Malay people. Local attractions include a museum covering local culture and traditions, flora and fauna, Australian naval history, and the early owners of the Cocos-Keeling Islands.^[1]

Home Island Mosque

The Home Island Mosque is one of the busiest places on the island, and the minaret is painted in territorial flag colours of green and gold.^[2][3]

There is also a trail leading to Oceania House, which was the ancestral home of the Clunies-Ross family, the former rulers of the Cocos-Keeling Islands and is over a century old.^[4]

Education

Cocos Islands District High School operates a primary education centre on Home Island; most of the staff live on West Island and travel to their jobs on a daily basis. Secondary level students go to the West Island campus.^[5]

Heritage listings

Home Island contains a number of heritage-listed sites, including:

• Captain Ballard's Grave^[6]
• Jalan Kipas: Early Settlers' Graves^[7]
• Home Island Cemetery^[8]
• Jalan Panti: Home Island Foreshore^[9]
• Jalan Bunga Mawar: Home Island Industrial Precinct^[10]
• Jalan Bunga Kangkong: Oceania House^[11]
• Jalan Bunga Mawar: Old Co-Op Shop^[12]