The phosphate miners
In more modern times - the 1900s - the island was discovered to be rich in phosphates. The British and Australians set up an open mining company. When they arrived, the indigenous population was in the region of 450, by the 1940s there were nearly 2000 people crammed on this tiny island.

The island is constructed of coral pillars, and between these pillars, are the valuable phosphates. The mining company tore up the island. The engineering to remove the phosphates and to transport them to the facility on the shore for crushing and drying, was incredible. Having been crushed and dried, the phosphates had to be shipped.

Banabas has no natural harbour, nor any anchorage. Instead a mooring was constructed just off the beach. It comprised a large buoy attached to a 5 ton anchor that had been sank in 400 metres of water. To provide stability, 2 cables ran, at 90 degrees, from the buoy to the shore. The ships, tied to the buoy, could then be loaded by a crude elevator system - if the wind blew off the land it kept the ships straining at the buoy. Four ships fell foul of wind change and were dashed to the reef.

World War II
The island was bombed by the Japanese at the same time as Pearl Harbour - 8th Dec.1942 - and subsequently invaded by them in 1942. Between these times all the inhabitants, with the exception of 150 local young men, were evacuated. The Japanese set up gun placements and fortified the island using the men as slaves.

At the end of the war in 1945, the commander, Suzuki Naoomi, had them all executed. One man survived and was able to tell of the atrocities. Suzuki was tried and hung for his heinous crime.

The decimation
What we witnessed today, were the sad remains of what was once a beautiful island that had supported many families. The buildings from the mining company crumble to the ground, eaten with rust and time. The accommodation blocks are lined up along the coast like a chicken farm. The interior is an awe-inspiring lunar landscape.

You could not traverse this land by foot, but it is without doubt a haven for birds and small mammals. There are a lot of trees growing amongst the debris and pillars, and the vegetation is lush. On the coast there are white sand beaches that run up into coastal caves, and to the seaward side, there is a line of coral with white breakers rolling over it. From here the seabed drops off very quickly into the abyss.