Key Points
- Christmas Island is one of Australia's seven external territories, with a population of 1,692 residents.
- It became part of Australia in 1958 after the Australian government purchased it from Singapore.
- Passengers are required to complete a landing card before arriving at the island's airport.
When English teacher Chris Su introduced himself to his students in Seoul, South Korea, as being from Christmas Island, they would often burst into laughter, thinking he was joking.
"They think it's very funny, and ask, 'Does Santa Claus live there?' 'Is it cold?' 'Do you have snow?'" he said.
"I'm like, no, no and no. It's hot all year round. We don't have snow on Christmas Island. Santa Claus doesn't have his summer holiday home here."
He further explained Captain William Mynors named Christmas Island after sighting it on Christmas Day in 1643.
"[If he found it] One day later, [it might have been called] Boxing Island. One week later, New Year's Day Island," he laughed.
Chris Su, 42, was born in Singapore and returned to Christmas Island when he was a year old. Source: SBS / Nicole Gong
The island's distinctiveness is immediately apparent.
Travelling from any Australian city to Christmas Island is no ordinary journey. Most visitors will have a stopover in Perth, a refuelling break in Learmonth, and a transit in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, with the entire four-leg flight taking over 20 hours.
Even before takeoff, the boarding screen hints at the island's multicultural fabric, displaying its name in three languages — Mandarin, Malay, and English.
Much like international travellers entering Australia, passengers must fill out a landing card before touching down at the island's small airport, which typically operates flights only twice a week from Perth.
Upon landing on Christmas Island, visitors may feel as if they have stepped into a Southeast Asian enclave rather than an Australian outpost.
They are greeted by signs and banners in three languages, while conversations in Mandarin, Malay and other non-English dialects fill the thick, humid air.
Arrivals from Christmas Island are shown as international arrivals in Perth airport and the information is presented in multiple languages, including Mandarin. Source: SBS / Nicole Gong
Beyond the airport, a world unlike any other unfolds.
Chickens roam freely along the roads, and the island's famous red crabs scuttle across pavements, undeterred by human presence. During the annual red crab migration starting in November, locals use brooms to gently sweep the crustaceans aside, allowing vehicles to pass through.
Su, 42, has spent most of his life on the remote 135-square-kilometre island, jokingly referred to by locals as "a tiny dot in the Indian Ocean".
His parents, Morgan Su and Doreen Soh, arrived in 1979 in search of job opportunities.
Due to long-standing regulations prohibiting births on the island because of its limited medical resources — rules that remain in place today — Su was born in Singapore and brought to Christmas Island when he was a year old.
Morgan Su (right) and Doreen Soh (left) live on the top floor of a three-storey, bright blue building on Christmas Island with the ocean just steps away. Credit: Nicole Gong
"Australia has only been here since 1958 and for the 70 years before that, we [Chinese people] were here all the time," he added.
The island's Chinese heritage dates back to the late 1800s, when hundreds of Chinese labourers (known as 'Kuli') were brought from Fujian and Guangdong provinces in southern China to work in the phosphate mines.
In 1958, Australia purchased Christmas Island from the Singapore government for £2.9 million (about $5.98 million). Since then, elements of Australian governance and culture have gradually taken hold.
Yet, despite the island's political ties to Australia, its cultural heartbeat still echoes the rhythms of its Chinese and Southeast Asian past.
A local building on Christmas Island, designed by the Singapore government, follows the Housing Development Board (HDB) architectural style, with long corridors on each floor. Source: SBS / Nicole Gong
"You can see through the class photos of that era, the school was more than 85 per cent, even 90 per cent Asian, presenting across the school," he said.
Even today, Western faces remain uncommon on Christmas Island, apart from FIFO (fly-in-fly-out) workers and the occasional tourist.
The latest Census data indicates that over 60 per cent of households speak languages other than English at home, including Malay (18.4 per cent), Mandarin (13.9 per cent), Cantonese (3.7 per cent), and Min Nan (Fujian dialect, 2.1 per cent).
Like most island children, Su attended Christmas Island District High School, the only school on the island, where the emblem features a giant red crab alongside words in three languages.
The island's only school, Christmas Island District High School, has over 270 students from pre-primary to year 12. Source: SBS / Nicole Gong
Su moved to Perth for high school, later completing his degree at Curtin University before embarking on a teaching career in South Korea.
But after five years in Seoul, his parents came to visit, and the moment he saw them, reality hit him hard.
"They (had) age(d) so much more than what I remember. Mum was a lot smaller. Dad was a lot greyer," he recalled.
"So I decided a sixth year, a seventh year in Seoul isn't going to give me anything I have not already experienced in the first five years, maybe I'll go home for a bit."
A guide to road closures during the red crab migration season on Christmas Island. Source: SBS / Nicole Gong
Then one year became two, two became five, and before he knew it, he had never left.
"My parents aren't getting any younger, so I thought I'll stick around and help," he said.
As one of the few second-generation Christmas Islanders to return, Su sees it as more than an obligation — a calling.
"If you don't contribute, if you don't step up, nobody will," he said.
According to the 2021 Census, Christmas Island's population stands at 1,692, down from 2,072 a decade ago.
Like many remote areas in Australia, Christmas Island's population is declining. Source: SBS / Nicole Gong
There's no public transport, the internet was only recently upgraded from 2G to 4G, and the availability of fresh vegetables and fruit is limited, arriving only when shipments make it to the island.
But for Su, Christmas Island is more than just an isolated speck on a map.
"[It is] my part of the world that I have obligations to help make better for the next generation who have the fortune to be born here or to come here to live, to work, maybe to study," he said.
