In May 1836, the brig Stirling Castle wrecked on a reef hundreds of kilometres north of what’s now K’gari, while sailing from Sydney to Singapore. Among the survivors was Eliza Fraser, wife of the ship’s captain, James Fraser — and her account of what followed gave the island its European name.
After the wreck, some survivors made their way in an open boat to Waddy Point, on K’gari’s northern tip — a stretch of coast you can drive to from Orchid Blue in about five minutes. Eliza and her husband later trekked south along the island, surviving on pandanus and native berries, before her husband died near Hook Point. Eliza herself was eventually taken in by the island’s natives before being rescued by escaped convict John Graham.
Her account of hardship and survival spread rapidly through British newspapers, novels, and theatre, turning her into a Victorian sensation — one of the most talked-about survival stories in the British Empire at the time.
Nearly two centuries on, Eliza Fraser’s saga endures as the origin story behind a name that stuck for generations — even as the island is known today by its Butchulla name, K’gari.
Waddy Point — where those first survivors came ashore — is one of the most dramatic headlands on the island and just a short drive from Orchid Blue. Read more in our Complete Guide to Waddy Point.