Cocos Islands holidays: This remote Australian outpost is a desert island fantasy

Eventually this connectedness extended to the building of a wireless station out on Direction Island in 1911, which allowed ships within a radius of 460km to communicate with the island. The connections of the Cocos Islands came into focus in November 1914 as the German cruiser SMS Emden appeared in the cove, intent on destroying the Cocos Islands' communications facilities and severely damaging the Allied war effort.

The HMAS Sydney intervened and disabled the Emden off North Keeling Island. Australia lost four sailors and Germany 134; it was Australia's first major victory of the Great War.

From 1900 until the 1950s, the wireless station provided an important connection with the outside world, though for the men charged with manning the station, life was one of isolation and monotony. When passing ocean liners and cruise ships would come near to the Cocos, the men devised a daring method for communicating with those on board. The Cocos Barrel was built to communicate with those passing ships and to get a supply of luxuries which were in short supply, such as fresh meat, magazines and even letters from back home. The men would sail a traditional jukong boat out as the liner came past and a barrel with supplies was tossed overboard. The Cocos men would then attach a sealed tin can to a rope hanging from the liner for return letters and payment.

Most of the expat community of the Cocos Islands now lives on West Island, a 15km sliver of flat land ringed with palm trees, turquoise water and carpets of hibiscus flowers. As I discover early on, the point when visiting the islands is to disconnect from the outside world in order to experience this place that is at once completely foreign and also just like every Australian beach town you've been to. There are cafes, surf shops and island tours, though I'm after something a little more idiosyncratic.

The Cocos Islands boast the world's only golf course across an international runway. I hire a set of clubs, an Esky to keep the beer cold and I sign up for the Thursday afternoon "scroungers" Ambrose golf event, where a group of locals meander across the course as the sun sets. It doesn't take long before I learn nicknames such as "Wazza", "Digger" and "Jules" and once I shank my first shot into the lagoon, I hear the call "I hope you brought your snorkel!" – and I feel a little closer to what makes this place tick. Scores are irrelevant and it's more about chatting and unwinding with a group of friends. Keys are left in cars here, "I.O.U." systems are still functioning and barbecues and weekends seem to be for the whole community to share.

I "research" the connections of the Cocos Islanders well into the night as scroungers moves to a local restaurant and then across to the pub for community snooker.

The next morning, a little head sore and bleary, I travel out into the lagoon from West Island with Kylie and Ash James in their motorised canoes. I want to get a better idea of the other islands. We purr across the aqua water; they say it's rough today, though I bet I could drink a cup of tea without spilling it in the saucer as we cross.

Even though the communities of the Cocos Islands live on only two islands – the rest are deserted Robinson Crusoe atolls – we pass vacant beaches with pondoks set up by the Cocos Malay people. There are shelters, hammocks, machetes and caches of coconuts to split and share and supplies left for the next visitor. We float across the water in between snorkelling and exploring the World War II history. Turtles the size of dinner tables flap around beneath us and reef sharks dart into the shadows.

Across the lagoon I see the buildings of Home Island. While most of the expat Australians live on West Island, and it is an image of tropical Australia with barbecues and sport bringing people together, life on Home Island is quite different. I spend my last night on this peaceful island where the 400 Cocos Malay residents have made their home. Malay is the first language here, there are two mosques and the open layout of the houses and little laneways helps connect this community, which has been here since Clunies-Ross and Hare brought their ancestors across to the island.

I am met by one of the elders of the island. He is a devout Muslim who went to Mecca in 2011. Nek Su, with his bowler hat and big grin is the de facto leader of this place; he is revered and respected because of all the things he has done for Home Island over his lifetime. Fisherman, welder, builder, imam, boat builder and husband are just a few of the titles associated with Nek Su. He tells me stories of meeting the Queen in 1955 and catching 4-metre tiger sharks in the lagoon as we tour the island in his motorised golf cart.

I see the white sands of Turtle Beach, the cemetery where the Clunies-Ross family and Nek Su's parents are buried and we are treated to a traditional fish and curry dinner, cooked by his sister. It is quiet and the breeze licks up as the sun dissolves across the water. The call to prayer drifts across the island and Nek Su walks with me to the mosque. The men are dressed in neat and clean tunics. I watch from outside as they pray and I'm introduced to the rest of his family once prayers finish.

Home Islanders and West Islanders are quite different – just as Cocos people and mainlanders can be, though as I return to West Island and my phone flashes with an internet signal, it reminds me that despite geographical disparity, wealth, culture and history, there is a connection between all of us – even in places as remote and removed as the Cocos Islands. Sometimes we need to go to the edges to remember that a connection often means more than just the search for a Wi-Fi signal.

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

www.cocoskeelingislands.com.au

GETTING THERE

Virgin Australia have regular flights to the Cocos Islands (via Christmas Island) from Perth; see www.virginaustralia.com.au

STAYING THERE

There are a variety of self-contained and more luxurious accommodation options on West Island to suit families and couples and motel accommodation for the more budget-conscious; the Bird's Nest and The Castle are recommended. There are also limited options on Home Island, including Oceania House (which was once the Clunies-Ross' family home) and a self-contained unit in Nek Su's home.

The writer was assisted by Cocos (Keeling) Islands Tourism.

See also: The six best Australian islands you've never heard of
See also: Australia's second-largest island still almost unknown to tourists