Fraser could officially return back to its traditional indigenous name, K’gari, after the Queensland government opens the change to input from the public. Even though the world heritage listed region was officially renamed K’gari in 2021, the island’s official name is still Fraser Island.
K’gari is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in Australia, and has a long and interesting history starting with the indigenous population going back over 5,000 years ago.
A bit about Fraser Island / K'gari
Commonly known as Fraser Island, K’gari has a long and varied history, stretching back tens of thousands of years. The island is a world heritage listed location, and is about 123km long and 22km wide, and is known as the largest sand island in the world.
K’gari boasts an amazing and diverse natural environment, with beautiful beaches and dunes, rainforests and mangroves. The island is home to lots of wildlife including dingoes, wallabies, echidnas and several varieties of possums. The flora on the island is also incredibly diverse and unique, with more than 800 species of plants, and being the only place in the world where tall rainforest grows in sand.
The interesting history of K'gari Island
K’gari was part of the traditional lands of the Badjala people long before European settlement, with indications that indigenous Australians occupied the island at least 5,000 years ago, with a permanent population that varied between 400 – 3,000 (in the winter months the population increased due the abundant seafood).
In 1836 Captain James Fraser and his wife Eliza Fraser shipwrecked on the island during a journey from Sydney to Singapore. Their ship the Stirling Castle was damaged by coral from the Great Barrier Reef as they were passing the region, and after abandoning the doomed ship for lifeboats the crew stopped on what was known then as ‘The Great Sandy Island’.
James Cook passed along K’gari in 1770, as did Matthew Flinders in 1799, but neither noted or recognised that K’Gari was separate from the mainland. There was ongoing tension and conflict between European settlers and the Butchulla people, resulting in many indigenous Australians’ deaths and incarcerations.
History of K'gari infographic
History of the name: the K'gari story
The earliest known name of the island is K’gari, which is from the Butchalla language. The name comes from a creation story of the people, where Beeral sent a spirit called princess K’gari down from the sky, who then created the land, and wanted to stay in the beautiful land they had created. To stay, K’gari had to be transformed into an island, so Yindingie created the landscape, animals and people to keep her company in paradise.
After European colonisation, the island was known as Great Sandy Island from the early 1800s, and then after James Fraser shipwrecked on the island it was called Fraser Island, which until recently has been the most common name for the island.
In 2011, the traditional indigenous name was recognised as an alternative name for the island, and last year in 2021 the world heritage area was officially renamed K’gari, in a ceremony with Elders and relatives and representatives of the Butchulla people.
Even though the world heritage area was renamed to K’gari last year, the official name of the island still remains as Fraser Island. On August 2, 2022 the Queensland government announced a consultation process with the public to officially restore the island to the traditional name K’gari.
In the statement, the chair of the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation Christine Royan gave some great insight on why this change is meaningful and important to the Butchulla people…
It means so much to the Butchulla People. For us it’s about respect for our people. It’s important for us to let our ancestors know that our culture is still strong and we continue to care for our country.
The path to restoring the K'gari name
The Queensland government has recently announced that it would be giving the public a say on the matter, with submissions open right now and closing on October 3, 2022.
You can find all the information about the change, including the proposal, map of the regions included and FAQs here on the Have Your Say website.
We would encourage everyone to enter a submission, and we hope Queenslanders will recognise the strong cultural meaning and importance for the Butchulla people, and support restoring the traditional name K’gari which has been used for thousands of years.
Glamping & camping on K'gari
K’gari is an amazing place to stay, and there are lots of options from the popular Kingfisher Bay Resort to camping on the beach. If you’re looking to camp, then check out the QLD parks website for a list of K’gari camping locations and information.
If you’re looking for a great glamping experience at K’gari, then Beachcamp Eco Retreat has a range of tents to explore.