	In 1964, Onslow local residents Ian Blair and Adrian Day were granted a lease on Thevenard Island and Direction Island by the Government of Western Australia. In 1973, a group of local farmers purchased the business. From there, the accommodation and facilities on the islands developed from beach shacks used by fisherman to a fully fledged tourism operation. The same group of farmers developed the Onslow Mackerel Motel on the mainland in 1997.