by John Sinclair Honorary Project Officer, Fraser Island Defenders Organisation This is an article written originally in response to a media request on 2 May, 2001 following the death of 9 year old Clinton Gage as a result of a dingo attack on Fraser Island on the morning of 30th April. It discusses the threat Continue reading
Educational
Educational Articles on Fraser Island
4WD Impacts on Fraser Island
During the first term of Queensland’s Beattie Government (1998-2001) a million people visited Fraser Island. During that period a conservative estimate of over 1 million tonnes of sand was sluiced along the roads of Fraser Island. That amounts to an average of one tonne of sand relocated for every visitor. The biggest impact of 4WDs Continue reading
Maintaining Great Sandy Region’s Environmental Flow
The Great Sandy Region’s vast flow of fresh water is not being “wasted” when it runs into the sea. There are enormous benefits from this freshwater flow which sustains the productivity of the coastal marine environment. If the freshwater flow from the region is diverted, the impacts will be far reaching. Already some of Cooloola’s Continue reading
Wilderness Values of Fraser Island
What is Wilderness? Wilderness has almost as many dimensions as the number of people who consider it. However, there is some consensus about the main elements of wilderness. It has three essential attributes – naturalness, remoteness and size. A wilderness area is defined as having, or as being capable of restoration to: a sufficient size Continue reading
Ecological Use of Fire on Fraser Island
By John Sinclair AO FIDO’s objective is to adopt a fire management regime which will achieve the best outcome for Fraser Island ecology and achieve greater biodiversity on Fraser Island. FIDO believes that the optimum biodiversity on Fraser Island will be achieved by replicating the Aboriginal patterns of fire management to maximize the biodiversity of Continue reading
Light Rail on Fraser Island
A History of Fraser Island Tramways John Kerr As the Fraser Island Transport and Access study proceeded during 2001-02 interest in light rail on Fraser Island increased. Many people would be unaware that light rail was used on Fraser Island by the timber industry from 1905 until about 1935 when it was displaced by motor Continue reading
A History of Aborigines of Fraser Island
Aborigines have occupied all of Australia, including what is now Fraser Island, for more than 50,000 years. Since Fraser Island became an island with rising sea levels over 6,000 years ago, it has been a very productive territory and home to thousands at a time. Since the 1850s, following European settlement of the adjacent mainland, Continue reading