The Queensland government is set to challenge a native title claim for exclusive ownership and use of one of Australia’s most famous tropical islands.
The Woppaburra people, who are the traditional owners of Great Keppel Island, have lodged a new claim to the region off the Capricorn Coast in central Queensland.
The lawsuit – which is in the pre-notification stage – requests exclusive possession of nine lots and a partial lot that total just over nine square meters.
In 2021, the Woppaburra people were formally recognized as traditional owners and native title holders of 570 square meters of land and sea off the Yeppoon coast.
The recognition also granted the Woppaburra people exclusive use of parts of Great Keppel Island.
The Woppburra people have lodged a new native title claim over the Great Keppel Islands off the Capricorn Coast of central Queensland.
However, the native title did not include the resort on the island, which was managed by Contiki and was under a private lease held by Tower Holdings.
The complex, which was a popular tourist attraction, was abandoned in 2008 and subsequently demolished 10 years later.
The Queensland government then canceled Tower Holdings’ lease in 2023 over unpaid rent owed by the operator amounting to almost $900,000.
The termination of the lease allowed the Woppaburra people to make a second native title claim which included the area covered by the complex and its airstrip.
It is understood that the area cannot be considered vacant land but rather a strategic land management reserve under the Department of Resources.
Department of Resources Minister Scott Stewart explained the government would contest the claim.
“Parts of Great Keppel Island have already been ruled to have extinct native title in a previous ruling,” Mr Stewart told the mail.
‘This will form part of the government’s response in the future.
“As a defendant, the government will be asked to give its opinion and challenge the claim over the extinct areas.”
It comes after a $30 million conceptual master plan to rebuild the island was released last month.
The island was a paradise for tourists, with its ever-popular Contiki Resort. The complex was demolished in 2018 and its lease was terminated by the state government in 2023.
The native title did not include the resort on the island, which was managed by Contiki and was under a private lease held by Tower Holdings (pictured, a smoking ceremony taking place in Sydney)
The plan was drawn up in collaboration with the island’s community and stakeholders, including Woppaburra people, business operators and Livingstone Shire Council.
Capricorn Enterprise CEO Mary Carroll 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 islands’ plans and tourism industry.
“We all spent almost two years in open and honest communication, gaining trust and understanding, to produce a shared vision and master plan for a true way forward to realize a new era of sustainable tourism and investment on this magnificent island,” Mrs. Carroll said. .
Carroll claimed that Great Keppel Island produced a quarter of the Capricorn Coast’s economy, which would increase to 50 per cent with resort accommodation.