Fraser Island History
The creation of the largest sand island in the World, Fraser Island, was first created by strong winds, currents and prevailing tides carrying sands from the Tablelands and was then caught in the rocky outcrops and volcanic remnants along the coast of Queensland which in turned saw huge sand dunes rise from the seas and after the ice age when sea levels rose, Fraser Island was created as it was disconnected from the mainland. It was first discovered back in 1770 by Captain James Cook when he first sailed by, but it wasn’t until Matthew Flinders back in 1799 discovered that Fraser Island was actually an island and not a peninsula and chartered its waters and explored some of Hervey Bay but never coming ashore. Then in 1836 Captain James Fraser on board the Stirling Castle became wrecked out on Swain’s Reef, and after travelling south for some time in a life raft he soon found himself marooned on Fraser Island along with his wife, Eliza Fraser, and his crew.
At this time Fraser Island was home to around 2000 Aboriginal people, who captured or rescued Captain James Fraser and his crew. But it was only Eliza Fraser who came to be the only one who made it back to the main land safely, and for this the island was named after her. To the Aboriginal people Fraser Island is known as K’gari, which means beautiful spirit. In 1863 logging became huge on Fraser Island and saw the felling of Kauri Pine trees, Hoop Pine and Cypress Pine Trees taken from the island, creating a huge exporting business along with sand mining which commence in the 1970’s.
Tourism began on a small scale to Fraser Island, and over the years the island saw small communities develop in various places to support the various business that were operating on the island but still to this day the communities on the island are kept minimal to keep Fraser Island as it originally was. Protesters began campaigning against sand mining and logging on the island which saw it come to a grinding halt and to this day Fraser Island is used for recreational purposes only. During WWII Fraser Island was home to a commando unit known as the Z Force who based themselves on the west coast of the island just shy of what is known today as Kingfisher Bay and quiet regularly used the wreck of the Maheno as bombing practice. The Maheno came to be one of 23 shipwrecks that Fraser Island claimed over the years, which ran aground on its beaches back in 1935, when it was being towed to Japan and the tow ropes snapped during a heavy cyclone.
Fraser Island has seen some interesting turns in the tide over the years, and today it is recognised as a World Heritage Listed site and famous across the globe. Known for its beauty and loved for its stunning surrounds, people come all year round to swim in its blue lakes, crystal clear streams, run down its sands dunes and experience its wonder. Fraser Island has a bounding tourism industry, and around 100 people call this island home. The history of Fraser Island is a fascinating one and many different stories can be told when visiting the numerous sites and attractions on the island.