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There are several early references to the Island's name and all
of them vary. David Bracewell, the escaped convict who lived with
the aborigines on the island, recorded the name as 'Carina' in 1842
Archibald Meston recorded the name as 'Caree' in 1896, while he
was Queensland's Protector of Aborigines. Later in about 1938, an
Aboriginal named Giarbau referred to the island as 'Garee'.
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photo from the Warry Collection held by Jim Russell
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In a 1975 publication, Dr Norman Tindale recorded the name
as 'Gari'. Aboriginal elder Olga Miller's grandfather, Wondunna,
could not read or write, but he was able to tell her how the
name of this island was pronounced - 'gurree'.
Support for 'K'gari' version can be found elsewhere. A well-known
sawmill in Maryborough gleaned this name from their contacts
(one of which may have been Olga Miller) with the island's
Aboriginal history and used it to name a logging punt.
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photo courtesy of
John Oxley Library
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In 1976 the Kgari was sunk on an artifical reef (Roy Rufus)between
Woody Island and Fraser Island, and there she rests, like
her namesake destined to spend the rest of her days as part
of the greater surrounds of the island whose name she bears.
Another hint of the old name still remains in 'Caree', the
parish name for the northern end of Fraser Island
It is possible that there were aborigines on the Island as
long as 30,000 years ago. This can only be confirmed when
suitable evidence is found and carbon dated.
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Caboonya (Fred Wondunna) wearing his father's (Willie "Great"
Wondunna) regalia of Kangaroo teeth. Photo compliments of
John Oxley Library
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However, it is a matter of recorded
history that there were three main tribes of Aborigines on the
island: Ngulungbara, the Batjala and the Dulingbara.
Dr Norman Tindale suggests that the Dulingbara (who were either
a separate tribe or perhaps a horde of the Kabi Kabi or Batjala)
occupied the southern third of the island, while the Batjala
claimed the middle third, extending their territory to the mainland
at Tinana or Tinane Creek, with rights northward along the coastal
strip to Pialba.
The northern end of Fraser Island was held by the Ngulungbara. |
'Nobel" displays his cicatrization of arms and chest.
photo courtesy Peggy Bertram
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The first contact these people had with a white man came 200 years
ago, when Matthew Flinders came ashore at Bool Creek near Sandy
Cape in July 1802.
The Ngulungbara tribe who held this territory were reputed to have
been powerful and ferocious people.
Flinders described them as 'very fine men' but obviously did not
find them too aggressive , since he spent a full day with them.
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