Queensland’s Fraser Island now officially known as K’gari

Following the Queensland Government’s extensive consultation over many years with the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, tourism bodies, government agencies and the Fraser Coast Regional Council, Fraser Island is now officially known as K’gari – the name used by traditional owners for more than 60,000 years.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk joined the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation for an emotional ceremony to formally reinstate the name used by traditional owners for the world’s largest sand island – K’gari.

K’gari—the white spirit who was sent down from the sky to help make the land and the seas which are home to the Butchulla people—was officially welcomed home by generations of Butchulla people and guests.

Guests were welcomed on Country with a smoking ceremony, traditional dance and song, as well as a formal plaque unveiling.

In 2017, the Fraser Island section of the Great Sandy National Park was renamed K’gari (Fraser Island) and in 2022, the island’s World Heritage Area was renamed K’gari (Fraser Island) World Heritage Area.

To coincide with the restoration of K’gari, more than 19 hectares of land was transferred to the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC.

This land can’t be bought, sold or mortgaged, and must be used for the benefit of its traditional owners, the Butchulla people.

Information on K’gari can be found at www.resources.qld.gov.au/land-property/initiatives/kgari