This little-known island on the Great Barrier Reef off Yeppoon is as picturesque as the Whitsundays, but you may not have not heard of Pumpkin Island, nor its colourful history.
Maybe you have heard of XXXX Island, its colloquial name after the Queensland beer company featured it in an advertising campaign in 2012?
But what started as shack-style accommodation for fishers has evolved into an award-winning eco-tourist destination.
"We have a lot of return visitors. It's kind of like a secret that's kept between the families that visit," said Pumpkin Island co-owner Laureth Rumble.
"It's always had this really special, off-the-beaten-track feeling."
Changing hands over poker game
Pumpkin Island has only changed hands three times in its history.
Original owner Snigger Findley bought it for its oyster lease, but he lost it after being challenged to a game of poker by Roger Mason.
Mr Mason and his wife Merle bought the island in 1961 and spent decades developing it as a tourist spot before the Rumble family purchased it for $1.3 million in 2003.
"It's got a very colourful history," Ms Rumble said.
"That's part of the characters who are involved in island resorts as well.
"Usually the people who live or work on islands have got quite interesting histories."
Now an eco-retreat, the 6-hectare island 16 kilometres off the central Queensland coast, is off-grid.
It runs on solar power and rainwater, with carbon emissions offset by projects Ms Rumble and her husband invest in nationally.
Traveller Emma Shaw is writing a book about Australian islands and recently visited Pumpkin Island from Melbourne.
She said it was on her radar because of its quiet, laid-back appeal, and it was unique because visitors could fully book out the island.
It can only accommodate up to 34 people.
"It was such a magical little spot. You can really go the whole day without really seeing anyone else," Ms Shaw said.
"It's just different to anywhere else that we've visited or have heard about."
Island appeal
Pumpkin Island is almost completely booked out for the next few months, according to Ms Rumble.
But, if you cannot get a booking, maybe go one better — it is for sale with a price tag of $25 million.
Also along the central Queensland coast, Wedge Island, Temple Island, and Quoin Island — which is home to a turtle rehabilitation centre — are also for sale.
Real estate agent Richard Vanhoff specialises in island sales and says the market is "busier than ever".
"We've just sold an island for just under a million dollars, and we've got them through to $35 million," he said.
Mr Vanhoff said while the international market for Australian islands was "long gone", there were plenty of homegrown buyers.
"They're all corporate people," he said.
"We've all determined that we don't have to sit in an office to make business happen.
"We can be anywhere at any time and pick up a phone, pick up an email, and continue with business."
Real Estate Institute of Queensland chief executive Antonia Mercorella says while there is demand for islands, high prices deter the average buyer.
"There's a range of options available and what your money gets," she said.
"In some cases, it might be a very developed island with a beautiful luxury home on it and other facilities.
"It might be really just a patch of land that you're buying with no real infrastructure or home built on it — and everything in between."
Living by the tides
Ms Mercorella encouraged prospective buyers to consider the practicalities of island life, taking into account transport, repairs and maintenance, which could be challenging when materials and workers needed to be ferried in.
"It's a fantasy we all have about wanting to live on an island. It's just some people actually make that a reality," she said.
Ms Rumble said living on Pumpkin Island required more planning than living on the mainland, which made her appreciate "little luxuries" such as ducking to the shops.
"You live by the tides and the weather and, just daily, [you're] surrounded by this beautiful place," she said.
"The typical island buyer is someone who is quite unique, as well as having a great sense of adventure to take something like that on."
