Families could be restricted from camping at a popular tourist spot after a spate of dingo attacks.
The Queensland Government will consider banning families with young children from camping outside unfenced areas of K’gari (Fraser Island) amid fears the next dingo incident could be fatal.
Rangers have been called to 16 dingo attacks at K’gari in 2024, including nine involving children.
A four-year-old girl was flown to hospital in the most recent attack after she was bitten on the chest by a dingo while a group was fishing on the island on August 17.
Fraser Coast mayor George Seymour has asked Queensland’s Environment Department to restrict camping areas for families following the incident.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
Deputy Premier Cameron Dick said the government would consider the ban, which would stop families with children younger than 12 from camping outside areas with dingo-deterrent fencing.
“Dingoes can be dangerous for young children,” he told reporters on Monday. “If further action needs to be taken, we’ll take that.”
Mr Seymour did not believe it was appropriate for children younger than 12 to be camping outside the island’s many fenced areas due to the rise in incidents.
“This is getting to the stage where it is frightening, whether the next one will be a fatality or not,” he told ABC News.
The state government already recommends families with children younger than 14 camp in the more than 10 fenced areas across the World Heritage-listed island north of Brisbane.
Dingoes on K’gari are protected by law under a state conservation and risk management strategy.
“I think the principle … is to be careful when you’re on K’gari,” Mr Dick said.
“It’s a beautiful place.
“We want Queenslanders and in fact people from … around the world to be able to access K’gari but it must be done in a safer fashion, so we’ll take advice on that (camping restriction).”
Help keep independent and fair Sunshine Coast news coming by subscribing to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email at the bottom of this article.
