K’gari is at risk of becoming paradise lost: What needs to happen

An iconic Queensland location is at risk of being paradise lost - so what needs to happen to save it? JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Magical Fraser Island is probably our greatest natural tourist attraction after the Great Barrier Reef, so why do we discourage Australians from going there?

Is it the increasing threat of dingoes which have become larger and more aggressive? Or is it the unspoken threat of bushfires that could turn holiday homes and camping grounds to ash with much loss of life?

Could it also be that overzealous green groups, who place more value on a green tree frog than a human being, would like to see visitor restrictions?

I have just spent seven glorious days on Fraser Island, now known as K’gari after an Indigenous Dreamtime princess of Butchulla mythology. I left the island with doubts about its future.

As bushfire season approaches it’s worth recalling that fires wiped out half this heritage-listed treasure in 2020. It is also worth remembering that an official investigation found the state government was slow to react, and that much of the firefighting effort was hopelessly ineffective.

Champagne pools K’gari.

A report to Parliament spoke of the “unique challenges” including “widespread mobile phone and internet black spots, dry and fire- receptive vegetation, inaccessible terrain, and narrow sand tracks”.

Last week I discovered it remains a potential disaster zone with virtually non-existent mobile phone and internet service, dry vegetation and the same old narrow, sandy tracks preventing a hasty exit in time of emergency while impeding firefighting trucks sent to battle blazes.

A report to Parliament found the fire spread from a campground near Orange Creek on October 14, 2020.

“The source of the fire was determined to be an illegally lit campfire that was not properly extinguished,” it said.

“The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service assumed the role of ‘incident controller’ managing the fire under challenging conditions on remote, inaccessible terrain until November 27 when it handed control to Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES).’’

Happy Valley community picture on Fraser Island where they have stayed to fight the fire, most are members of the local rural fire brigade. Picture: Supplied.

For two months the bushfire was effectively out of control, travelling from the north of the island southward towards Kingfisher Bay.

“It posed a significant threat to townships including Orchid Beach, Happy Valley, Yidney Rocks and The Oaks, in addition to the QPWS base at Dundubara, significant cultural sites for the Butchulla people, and tourist facilities, including the campgrounds at Cathedrals, and the iconic Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village,” it said.

“Several factors contributed to the fire spreading, including high temperatures, strong, dry northerly winds, complex vegetation structures and types, difficult terrain and remote and limited access constrained by dry, loose sand tracks.’’

A brazen dingo has been collared with a GPS tracker by Rangers, K'gari. Picture: Liam Kidston

Parliament heard the fire burnt through 85,000ha, or more than half the island. Have lessons been learned? I wonder. The report was candid in pointing to delays fighting the fire. “The first use of waterbombing aircraft was on November 9, three weeks into the fire.” The response was massive.

In all, 30 different waterbombing aircraft dropped 13.3 million litres of freshwater, saltwater and gel additives. However the lack of a town water supply hampered efforts.

Amazingly, firefighters were blocked from drawing water from the freshwater lakes on the island on environmental grounds. It’s a bit like letting the house burn down to save the swimming pool.

There was another warning in the report now gathering dust in the Parliamentary library.

“Stakeholders advised they believed that many firelines on K’gari have not been developed to a standard to be considered proper firebreaks and this should occur.”

There were other problems.

“As the world’s largest sand island, K’gari presented unique challenges for aerial operations. Firefighting personnel reported that waterbombing loads would drain into the sand and soil quickly, reducing the ability to retain surface moisture to assist ground crews.

“The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service advises that water bombing may not be as effective in extinguishing bushfires in forests or other heavily vegetated environments such as K’gari, where it may be difficult to penetrate heavy foliage and canopies with waterbombing loads.”

And there was another warning: “QFES also advised that aircraft alone cannot extinguish fires.”

As fire season approaches, it’s situation normal on K’gari, hot and dry conditions, no proper phone links and the same old sandy roads.

It might be sacrilegious to say so, but I think Fraser Island could be saved with more development.

Aerial view of Lake McKenzie located on K'gari (Fraser Island)

I wonder what great Queensland developers like Keith Williams, Mike Gore, Vaughan Bullivant or John Longhurst would have made of it?

Surely it is not beyond the powers of architects and engineers to create environmentally sensitive developments.

It’s a big island that might even be suited to light rail. No doubt Longhurst, who created the Dreamworld theme park to ignite the Gold Coast tourist revolution, would have had some good ideas. A cable car perhaps?

K’gari is crying out for some decent roads, and one or two more airstrips to allow visits by tourists incapable of visiting the island by 4WD.

Three decades have passed since I covered the opening of the Kingfisher Bay Resort, which cleaned up all the eco-tourism awards.

We need more Kingfishers.