[1] In March 1921 Eclipse Island was gazetted as an Aboriginal reserve, some years after a government-run reserve, the Palm Island Aboriginal Settlement, had been established on Great Palm Island.

[2] Some of the other small Palm Islands were later also designated as reserves in 1948 under Chief Protector John William Bleakley, who targeted them as sites for further institutions for punishing people.

There is no record of dwellings or other structures being built on these islands, but Eclipse Island had become known as "Punishment Island" under Superintended Robert Henry Curry (who later murdered four people on the Great Palm Aboriginal Settlement).

Curry, as punishment for misdemeanours such as speaking their own language or gambling, would exile men to Eclipse Island, and sometimes Curacoa Island, with only bread and water, sometimes for weeks at a time.

[3][4] The Aboriginal term for this island is Garoogubbee.