Half of the island is a national park, with Picnic Bay, Cockle Bay and Rocky Bay among the major attractions.

BBC: SPORT | Rugby Union | Rugby World Cup | Venues Guide | City guide: Townsville

He also made the extraordinary assertion that a restrictive immigration policy would help downtrodden illegal immigrants, such as the Morecambe Bay cockle-pickers.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot

It was set up in the wake of the 2004 Morecambe Bay cockling disaster, in which at least 21 Chinese cockle pickers drowned in rising tides.

BBC: Paul Broadbent