Aboriginal group fights for exclusive use and ownership of Great Keppel Island

The Queensland government is about to challenge a native title claim for the exclusive ownership and use of one of Australia’s most famous tropical islands.

The Woppaburra people – the traditional owners of Great Keppel Island – have staked a new claim on the region off Central Queensland’s Capricorn Coast.

The claim – which is at the pre-registration stage – seeks exclusive possession of nine plots and one partial plot totaling just over nine square metres.

In 2021, the Woppaburra people were formally recognized as the traditional owners and native title holders of 570 square meters of land and sea off the coast of Yeppoon.

The recognition also granted the Woppaburra people exclusive use over parts of Great Keppel Island.

However, the native title did not include the island resort, which was run by Contiki and under private lease from Tower Holdings.

The resort, which was a popular tourist attraction, was abandoned in 2008 and demolished ten years later.

The Queensland Government subsequently terminated Tower Holdings’ lease in 2023 due to unpaid rent owed by the operator amounting to almost $900,000.

The termination of the lease allowed Woppaburra residents to make a second native title claim, which included the area covered by the resort and airstrip.

It is understood that the area cannot be considered wasteland, but rather a strategic land management reserve under the Department of Resources.

Department of Resources Minister Scott Stewart explained that the government would dispute the claim.

“For parts of Great Keppel Island, native title has already been declared to have lapsed in a previous ruling,” Mr Stewart told the Courier mail.

“This will be part of the government’s future response.

“As a defendant to the claim, the government is asked to provide its views and challenge the claim regarding the extinguished areas.”

It comes after a $30 million draft master plan was released last month to redevelop the island.

The island was a haven for tourists, with its ever-popular Contiki Resort. The resort was demolished in 2018 and the lease was terminated by the state government in 2023

The native title did not include the island resort, which was run by Contiki and privately leased from Tower Holdings (pictured, a smoking ceremony held in Sydney)

The plan has been created in collaboration with the island’s community and stakeholders, including the Woppaburra people, entrepreneurs and Livingstone Shire Council.

Mary Carroll, CEO of Capricorn Enterprise, explained that the redevelopment plans took almost two years to complete.

Ms Carroll added she was unsure how the native title claim would affect the island’s plans and tourism sector.

‘We have all spent almost two years in open and honest communication, building trust and understanding, to develop a shared vision and master plan for a real way forward to create a new era of sustainable tourism and investment this beautiful island,” Ms. Carroll said. .

Ms Carroll claimed Great Keppel Island produced a quarter of the Capricorn Coast’s economy, which would increase to 50 per cent with resort accommodation