10 Ideas: Uses for a 100-hectare island off the north-west coast of Australia

This week you’ve been tasked with coming up with 10 productive uses for a 100-hectare island off the north-west coast of Australia.

100 hectares is one square kilometre. So think about an island of dimensions 1km x 1km (or 500m x 2km).

This post is a collection of responses from the weekly 10 ideas email. If you’d like to be more creative every week, you can sign up to receive the email here.

Some of my favourites this week:

1. Teach a robot basic survival skills and see how they survive on the island on their own
2. Build your own adjustable artificial reefs around the island so that it has the world’s best surf break. Completely consistent because you can adjust the reef based on swells. A fly in fly out surf resort could be the Aspen of surfing.
3. Turn it into a compelling African safari experience. Would have the right climate. Get your fly in fly out safari (but much closer to home)

On a funny side note, this topic unexpectedly showed up the sadists. Some of the suggestions:

1. Last person standing war games
2. Turn it into Jurassic Park and film a season of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
3. Use as exile for politicians found to be dual citizens

The full list:

Military (and rockets)

1. Sell it as a naval base to whichever of Australia’s allies is the highest bidder.
2. Last person standing war games
3. Trade the island for other national benefits from another country
4. Research facility for dangerous materials
5. Use it as a base to build a chain of islands to defend Australia
6. Launchpad for satellites
7. SpaceX landing spot
8. Airfield
9. Naval base

Commerce

1. Tax free zone.
2. Island purely set up for brand activations — i.e. Tinder island
3. High value medicinal drug farming
4. Medicinal plant farms
5. (much needed) avocado plantation
6. Fill it with solar panels

FIFO

1. Retreat for mining workers from the Pilbara.
2. Build a transfer airport for oil and gas workers — fly direct from east coast and transfer to helicopter on island
3. Maintenance base for oil rig repair ships
4. Retreat for off duty oil rig workers

Animals

1. For endangered birds / mammals to regenerate.
2. Turn it into a compelling African safari experience. Would have the right climate. Get your fly in fly out safari (but much closer to home)
3. Endangered species regeneration
4. Eco-retreat with endangered species to promote preservation
5. Wildlife sanctuary
6. A zoo in international waters

Leisure and entertainment

1. Build your own adjustable artificial reefs around the island so that it has the world’s best surf break. Completely consistent because you can adjust the reef based on swells. A fly in fly out surf resort could be the Aspen of surfing.
2. Create a diving resort with all sorts of challenges and special features. Sink old boats around the island and build an artificial reef
3. Underwater paintball. Like a James Bond movie
4. World’s best airbnb, complete with own airport.
5. Australia’s own Ibiza. Hot for most of the year
6. Sell to a television network as a reality TV location
7. Turn it into Jurassic Park and film a season of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here
8. Silent / meditation retreat
9. Cruise terminal
10. Cruise ship island, in the same way the cruising companies have bought up islands in the Caribbean and installed bars, waterslides etc.
11. Luxury escapes
12. Australia’s version of Bora Bora
13. Naturist colony
14. Digital Detox Island
15. F1 Track
16. The location for the next world cup

Fishing

1. Use as a base for seafood farming. have a seafood resort where you can fly to and eat the freshest fish
2. Fishing island

Prisons

1. Use as exile for politicians found to be dual citizens
2. Give it to Isis so they can go there and be merry
3. Artist colony
4. Dangerous prisoners

Experiments

1. Smart City testing ground
2. Teach a robot basic survival skills and see how they survive on the island on their own

This post is a collection of responses from the weekly 10 ideas email. If you’d like to be more creative every week, you can sign up to receive the email here.