M a r g a r e t - K n o l l
Perched high on the top of an eastern inland cliff, the lookout at Margaret Knoll offers breathtaking panorama of the western coastline, as far as John D Point and Dolly Beach towards the south, and of Steep Point towards the north. Immediately beyond the lookout, the inland cliff steeply drops about 200 metres towards the coast, is just spectacular.
An area of exposed broken limestone pinnacles where hardly any vegetation grows can be well seen just beneath the lookout. This area was mined for phosphate in 1970 and 1975. The low grade phosphate nearer the surface was set aside in adjacent stockpiles to expose the high grade material for mining. What's seen now is the exposed limestone left after the removal of the phosphate. This view evidently shows the negative impact of phosphate mining on the environment and the ugly scars of a century of human exploitation of the natural heritage of the island.
Though hidden from view, the mangrove wetlands at Hosnie's Springs which is home to a large colony of Christmas Island Flying-fox (Pteropus natalis), is just beneath. Margaret Knoll is thus one of the best places on the island to see these flying-foxes, as they capitalize on the evening updraft from the ocean to soar from their roost while getting to the central plateau to forage.
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