Goodenough Island

Goodenough Island is a volcanic island in Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, forming part of the D’Entrecasteaux island group. The island has a rugged interior of rainforest-covered hills and a fringing coastline of reefs and beaches.

Visitors and researchers find traditional coastal villages, rainforest habitats, and coral reef diving along the shore. The island also contains sites and relics associated with military operations during World War II that attract historical interest.

During the Pacific War the island saw action in 1942 and was occupied or contested by Allied and Japanese forces, leaving military traces on the landscape. Local communities have long used the island for subsistence agriculture and customary activities.

Goodenough Island lies off the eastern tip of New Guinea within Milne Bay Province. It is relatively remote, reached by boat from mainland Milne Bay or other islands in the D’Entrecasteaux group.

• Island group and province: Part of Milne Bay Province and the broader D'Entrecasteaux island group, the island combines volcanic highlands with coastal reef systems.
• World War II history: Was the scene of military action during World War II in 1942, leaving a number of wartime sites and relics on the island.

What to See #

• Mount Vineuo (principal summit): The island's central volcanic massif with steep slopes and rainforest interior, rising to its principal summit and forming the dominant topographic feature.
• Coastal sites and WWII relics: Coastal beaches, reefs and wartime landing sites that are visited for diving and for traces of World War II activity along the shoreline.