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Queensland’s Fraser Island to be renamed traditional owners’ word for ‘paradise’
Part of world famous Fraser Island has been renamed K’gari, the traditional name used by the region’s Indigenous people.
K’gari is the Butchulla word for “paradise” and will be used for the World Heritage Area within the Great Sandy National Park, which is centred on Fraser Island, along with the surrounding waters and parts of the nearby mainland.
It is the first step in recognising the entire island by its Butchulla name, with the Queensland government saying it is working with the traditional owners and stakeholders* to make the change.
Fraser Island is located off the coast of Hervey Bay in southern Queensland and is the world’s largest sand island.
It was named after Eliza Fraser and her husband, captain James Fraser, who were shipwrecked on the island in 1836.
Scottish-born Eliza claimed her husband was killed by Indigenous people on the island, who also captured her.
She was rescued six weeks later by a convict who lived in the bush as an escapee* and had learned the Indigenous dialect*.
But the region’s traditional owners say their ancestors* cared for Eliza and her story about what happened led to the killing of the island’s Indigenous people and the taking of their land.
