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Australia ditches colonial name for World Heritage site
CANBERRA: Australia officially renamed a vast Unesco-protected island off its east coast yesterday, replacing a colonial-era name with the Aboriginal word K’gari.
Fraser Island – home to a World Heritage site – will now be called K’gari, a Butchulla-language word linked to the island’s creation story.
“I’m proud that today we can officially welcome K’gari home, and reinstate the name used by traditional owners for all these years,” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The island, a sandy ribbon nestled in turquoise-blue waters, is a popular destination for tourists, with more than half a million people visiting each year.
It is also prized by scientists for its large population of dingoes, native wild dogs, rich rainforests, freshwater lakes and complex dune systems.
In Aboriginal belief, K’gari was a spirit sent by gods to form the land and seas.
A traditional “smoking ceremony” marked the name change.
Palaszczuk described the move as a step towards reconciliation and away from Australia’s troubled colonial past, which saw the widespread abuse and murder of the continent’s first inhabitants.
“While steps like this can’t change the wrongs of the past, it goes a long way to building a future where all Queenslanders value, trust and respect one another.” – AFP
CANBERRA: Australia officially renamed a vast Unesco-protected island off its east coast yesterday, replacing a colonial-era name with the Aboriginal word K’gari.
Fraser Island – home to a World Heritage site – will now be called K’gari, a Butchulla-language word linked to the island’s creation story.
“I’m proud that today we can officially welcome K’gari home, and reinstate the name used by traditional owners for all these years,” said Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.
The island, a sandy ribbon nestled in turquoise-blue waters, is a popular destination for tourists, with more than half a million people visiting each year.
It is also prized by scientists for its large population of dingoes, native wild dogs, rich rainforests, freshwater lakes and complex dune systems.
In Aboriginal belief, K’gari was a spirit sent by gods to form the land and seas.
A traditional “smoking ceremony” marked the name change.
Palaszczuk described the move as a step towards reconciliation and away from Australia’s troubled colonial past, which saw the widespread abuse and murder of the continent’s first inhabitants.
“While steps like this can’t change the wrongs of the past, it goes a long way to building a future where all Queenslanders value, trust and respect one another.” – AFP
