Major Island Off Queensland Coast Could Be Given New ‘Indigenous Name’

A move by the Queensland government to potentially rename a tropical paradise to reflect its Indigenous ownership has sparked debate about whether the change is unnecessarily divisive. The 1,300-hectare Great Keppel Island off the coast of Rockhampton could be renamed by the Queensland Labor government should a development proposal be upheld, however, Labor has made no official announcement that the plan will go ahead. The original inhabitants are the Woppaburra people, the name change to Woppa (some sources say Wop-pa) reflects their traditional ownership and comes after the popular Fraser Island was renamed K’Gari in 2023. The project’s website states, “The department acknowledges Woppa—Great Keppel Island the Traditional Woppaburra Land and Sea Country of the Keppel Islands.”...