In theory, this can happen from November to mid-May, even though, in the last thirty years, it only happened from November to April, with a peak in December. The island was the site of the 2001 Tampa affair, when the Australian Government stopped a Norwegian vessel, the MV Tampa , from entering Australian waters to unload 438 rescued asylum seekers on Christmas Island. It’s called Christmas island because it was discovered on Christmas day, 25th December 1643 by Captain William Mynors of the British East India Company on the ship Royal Mary, even though the Island was known to Portugese British and Dutch sailors before that though no one bothered to name it or land on it. You can find millions of crabs on this Australian island! Beginning in 1997 Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands together were called the "Australian Indian Ocean Territories" and now share a single Administrator, who resides on Christmas Island. Christmas Island is on the edge of the area where tropical cyclones of the Southern Indian Ocean can form, so it is not directly affected by them in the acme of their intensity, but it's brushed by tropical storms or cyclones in the early stages of their formation. The red crab migration usually occurs at the start of the wet season on Christmas Island, and visitors flock to witness the incredible natural phenomenon. The stamp design features an early map of the region by Dutch cartographer Joachim Ottens. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park. Christmas Island More info > Explore Christmas Island More info > Rising majestically from the tropical depths of the vast Indian ocean, and surrounded by azure waters lies a stunning Natural Wonder: Island influx: Christmas Island's main port at Flying Fish Cove. Whether it's tiptoeing around the adults or playing with the thousands of harmless baby crabs, you're sure to have a unique experience. Christmas Island’s proximity to Indonesia meant that boats carrying asylum seekers began landing on the island from the late 1980s.