Great joy for the Australian natives: Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island off the coast of Queensland, now officially bears its original name K’gari (pronounced: Gurrie). The word means paradise in the language of the Butchulla people. The Prime Minister of the region, Annastacia Palaszczuk, spoke of a historic day on Wednesday. “K’gari is the name, always has been and always will be,” she said. “From now on, all Queenslanders should call the island by its rightful name, K’gari.”
The island, known for its beautiful landscapes, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992. The World Heritage Committee has been calling it K’gari again since 2021 – but Down Under it was still called Fraser Island, named after Eliza Fraser. The Scot was shipwrecked off the island in 1936 and became famous for her memoirs, in which she spread horror stories about the Aborigines.
Last August, the regional government launched a survey among the population. 70 percent of the participants spoke out in favor of the name change. K’gari is now also becoming the official place name on maps and road signs.
Solemn ceremony
“As traditional owners of the land, we’ve always called the island K’gari – so it’s really important that we get the rest of Queensland and Australia to call it K’gari as well,” Australian broadcaster ABC quoted Chris Royan as saying. a spokesman for the Butchulla. In a solemn ceremony, 19 hectares of land on the island were also returned to the indigenous people.
Media in Australia compared the significance of the renaming to the name change of Ayers Rock in Australia’s red centre. The mighty mountain was returned to the indigenous people in 1985 and is officially called Uluru again. To this day, the Aborigines are still fighting in many places for the recognition of their land rights.
At 122 kilometers long, K’gari is the largest sand island on earth. The name stands for turquoise lakes like Lake McKenzie, adventurous off-road tours along 75 Mile Beach and towering trees in the Valley of the Giants. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come for a day trip or camping every year.
