Then, in 1916, they leased Brampton Island to breed horses for the Indian Army.
By 1926 St Bees was accepting local and southern visitors.
In 1931 a weekend on St Bees cost 20/- ($2).
Before World War II, the Whitsunday islands and the Great Barrier Reef were viewed as remote by the general public and consequently accommodation and facilities for tourists was very sparse.
Attention was focused on the region in 1936 with the film ‘White Death’ starring the famous American novelist Zane Grey playing himself.
His son Arthur and wife Jess were the founders of Brampton Island Resort.
In 1930, Jess Cummings met her future husband Arthur Busuttin. She and two friends decided to holiday on ‘Lovely Lindeman’ and travelled to Mackay.