Its topography varies, with sandy beaches and rocky shores, slightly undulating slopes, foothills and steeper semi-rugged terrain.

The lack of predators, along with a plentiful supply of food from the surrounding reef waters, make it an ideal nesting site.

The island's fringing reefs and surrounding waters are home to an array of marine life such as sea turtles, dugongs, sharks, corals, fish, shellfish and crabs.

The traditional Aboriginal owners of Dunk Island are the Bandjin and Djiru people,[2] who have lived in this area for tens of thousands of years.

At their junction, and under a sloping hill with large patches of brush, a small stream of fresh water, running out over the beach, furnished a supply for the ship, although the boats could approach the place closely only at high-water.In 1897, suffering from work anxiety and exhaustion, and advised by doctors that he had just six months to live, writer Edmund James Banfield moved to Dunk Island with his wife Bertha – so becoming the island's first white settlers.

[11] The Royal Australian Air Force occupied Dunk Island during World War II, building its airstrip in 1941.

As a result, Dunk Island became a popular destination for celebrities[11] including Sean Connery, Henry Ford II, and Australian Prime Ministers Harold Holt and Gough Whitlam.

The Stynes Family owned and operated the island and resort until 1964, when it was sold to Eric McIlree, founder of Avis Rent-A-Car.

[15] After Cyclone Yasi, Dunk Island was bought by Australian entrepreneur Peter Bond and redevelopment of the resort commenced in 2014.

In September 2019 Mayfair 101, an Australian family-owned investment conglomerate led by James Mawhinney, purchased Dunk Island.

Mayfair 101 also secured over 250 properties on mainland Mission Beach as part of its estimated AUD1.6 billion 10-15-year plan to restore the region.

Windows were missing, roofs folded back, air conditioning units hanging from ceilings and plants growing inside the buildings.

[37] Hideaway Resorts Director Andrew Menzies denied staff were forced to stay, but could not be evacuated because the cyclone tracked south late on 2 February 2011.

Menzies was quoted as saying, "We followed cyclone procedures, there was never a forced evacuation communicated to anyone ... We have cyclone-rated buildings to a category 5, so this was actually the safest place to be".

Rupert Greenhough from Hideaway Resorts said the island followed "established cyclone procedures", which did not include provision for mass evacuation of staff.

[30][36] Hideaway Resorts CEO Mark Campbell and Director Andrew Menzies flew by helicopter to Dunk Island on 3 February 2011 to assess the damage.

Chairman Rupert Greenhough expressed relief that staff had survived the cyclone and described that outcome as a testament to the planning and preparations undertaken.

[38] On 4 February 2011, staff, other than a skeleton team, were stood down until the resort was to be rebuilt, evacuated from the island by helicopters and water taxis, and offered counselling.

[42] The resort's pool was filled with sand from the storm surge, the function hall was gutted, and the health centre was unroofed.

In July 2012, the general manager of the island, David Henry, advised that restoration work was proceeding slowly, and the re-opening of the resort was not expected for at least eighteen months.

In late 2019, it was announced that international investment conglomerate Mayfair 101, headed by James Mawhinney, had purchased Dunk Island for a reported $31.5m, and said it would rebuild the resort with significantly expanded facilities.

[17] Dunk Island was the location for the 1969 film Age of Consent, which was based on a story by the artist and writer Norman Lindsay.

[13] Directed by Michael Powell, it starred James Mason as Bradley Morahan, a jaded Australian artist returning from New York, and Helen Mirren as Cora Ryan, a local teenager.

An assignment in the penultimate round of the third season of the reality television show The Mole required the four remaining players to draw a rough map of Dunk Island.

Contestants Marc Jongebloed and Bob Young won by submitting a drawing which roughly resembled the map of the island.