Tracy Island

Here are the Canon Foundry facts about Tracy Island, all taken from the International Rescue Thunderbirds Agents’ Technical Manual written by Sam Denham (2012):

• Situated in a remote sector of the central Pacific Ocean midway between Australia and South America.
• Formed as a result of seismic shifts in the ocean bed during the late Triassic age, approximately 200 million years ago.
• Its near neighbor is an island called Mateo.
• Is a peak of a sub-aquatic ridge that stretches east across the Pacific tectonic plate to its convergence with the Nazca and Antarctic plate.
• Once volcanically active (now completely dormant), it’s honeycombed with vast lava-formed chambers linked by a network of extinct vent channels.
• On the southern side of hte island at sea level there is a network of cavernous grottos (where the water mamba supposedly lives).
• The island’s rock strata is rich in valuable minerals, including ultra-rare Cahelium X.
• Jeff purchased the island in the early 2060s.
• An airstrip leads from the northern edge of the island to the cliff edge of a small plateau.
• The airstrip catches the Pacific sunsets (which means it faces west).
• The villa is two stories high.
• The swimming pool is kidney-shaped.
• The Round House is a residence built above a sunken circular oriental garden and accessed by a path running to the east of the main house.
• The Cliff house is a two-story construction situated above the landward end of the island’s runway.
• There is a converted ocean-side cave which acts as a boathouse.
• Because it is so remote, the island requires a communications mast for contact with the outside world.

Following are further canon facts from other sources:

---

 

From the TV Series and Movies (Thunderbirds Are Go and Thunderbird 6):

The Canon Fact	The Source
Map of island is concealed behind Alan portrait in living room which shows the island having a bay to the south with a long spit of land bordering this on the southeast.	Seen in the episode “End of the Road”
Alan's portrait conceals the floor plan of house.	Seen in the episode “Day of Disaster”
The island is an extinct volcano containing caves, some of which are below sea level	Seen in the episode “Edge of Impact”
Proximity scanners give warning of any approach by air	Seen in the episode “Edge of Impact”
A nearby island is Moyla, which has an airstrip.	Seen in the episode “Edge of Impact” - when Tim Casey's plane is first picked up on the radar, Brains suggests it might be heading for Moyla
Tracy villa has all the trappings of a rich man’s house – swimming pool/tennis court/gym/games room/shooting gallery – but apparently only one bathroom!	Seen in the episode “Attack of the Alligators” when Tin-Tin tells Alan she wants to show him something in the bathroom
England is “almost directly on the other side of the world from here.” (Tracy Island)	Jeff Tracy says this in the episode “Security Hazard”
Timezone: it is sunset on the island when the sun is rising over Monte Bianco (Italian Riviera).	Seen in the episode “Lord Parker’s ’oliday”
Timezone: Jeff says that 11am on the island is 4pm in England.	Seen in the movie Thunderbirds Are Go [ Editor's Note: Epic fail on the part of the writers here… If it's 4pm in England, the only places in the world that it can simultaneously be 11am are Greenland, Canada, the East Coast of the USA, the Caribbean or South America.]
Tracy Villa faces west.	Jeff and Grandma stand on the balcony to watch the sun setting into the sea in the episode “Lord Parker’s ‘oliday”
How much even with, or above/below sea level, things on Tracy Island are is unclear.	Establishing shots from the first season of the series show the beach with palm trees, then the pool, seeming to indicate that the pool is at sea level (and therefore Thunderbird One’s launch-pad is below sea level). However, similar shots from the movie Thunderbirds Are Go have the house and pool at a much higher level.
Other Sources:
The Canon Fact	The Source
Location - Lonely Island somewhere in the Pacific.	Thunderbirds Information Sheet
Located in the South Pacific Ocean.	ITC Notes; This location was confirmed by Gerry Anderson when asked in Fryer, Ian and Jones, Mike, "FAB News," FAB Magazine #65, 'Ask Anderson' (question from Sereena Burton) March 2009, Fanderson, The Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society, p. 14. “From the outset we wanted Tracy Island to be as well hidden as possible and, as the biggest expanse of water on the planet, it seemed that the best place to hide it would be the south Pacific Ocean.”
Nearby Mateo Island serves as a storage/repair depot.	Fennell, Alan, Editor, June 4, 20166 (1966), “Talons of the Eagle,” TV Century 21 . pp. 10-11.
Proximity scanners give warning of any approach by sea.	Theydon, John (1966), Thunderbirds: Ring of Fire. May Fair Books Ltd. p.56.
Timezone: late night in England is the early hours of the morning on Tracy Island.	Theydon, John (1967), Lady Penelope: The Albanian Affair . Armada. p.11.
A cutaway of the island shows the round house to one side of the villa and TB2’s hangar to the other.	(1967), Thunderbirds Annual . City Magazines Ltd. pp. 12-13.
Jeff first sees the island when he has to bail out of his plane over the South Pacific and ends up being stranded there for ten weeks.	Fennell, Alan, “Part 10 – Abandoned!,” Thunderbirds: The Comic #44, June 12 th - 25 th , 1993, Fleetway Editions, Ltd., ITC Entertainment Group, Ltd. p. 11. (NOTE: The Complete Thunderbirds Story was commissioned by Alan Fennell and was not written with any input from Gerry or Sylvia Anderson)
Jeff first came across the island when he was testing a plane for the World Space Agency. Later when he was looking for a place to base IR he remembered the remote island, honeycombed with caves. On finding it was for sale, he bought it and fitted it out using robot construction vehicles designed by Tracy Engineering.	Denham, Sam (2001), Thunderbirds Top Secret Annual 2002 . Carlton Books Ltd. p. 20-21. ISBN 1842223755.
Jeff’s profile describes him as living ‘on Tracy Island in the Pacific’.	Fennell, Alan, Editor, August 6, 2066 (1966), “Thunderbirds Personality,” TV Century 21 . p. 6.
Lonely island somewhere in the Pacific	The Thunderbirds Information Sheet. This document provides definitive proof of the official birth order of the Tracy boys. It was mailed directly from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's office to fans who wrote in requesting information about International Rescue. The document we have (see menu to the left, "TB Info Sheet"): a picture of it was sent originally to Peter Singleton on April 4, 1966. It was signed by Una, Gerry Anderson's secretary, on his behalf. Pete Singleton shared it with Stephen La Riviere (TB 1965), who shared it with TICipedia webmistress Jaimi Sorrell on June 10, 2017 (and later publicly as well on the TB 1965 Facebook page).