WOODY ISLAND

Woody Island is located four kilometres off the east coast of Queensland between Urangan and Fraser Island. The island covers an area of 303.5 hectares. It is 8.6 kilometres long and 1.3 kilometres across. Woody Island was named in 1799 by Captain Matthew Flinders because of its thick woody growth.

The island was used as a quarantine area for people travelling on the migrant ship, Golden Land. She left Liverpool, England 22 June 1865, sailing to Queenstown, Ireland to complete her load of 277 migrants before sailing to Australia on 2 July 1865. After a voyage of 116 days the Golden Land arrived in Hervey Bay on 17 October 1865 where it was anchored off Woody Island.

On board seven people contracted a contagious disease called typhus fever. To prevent the disease from spreading, they were taken ashore on Woody Island. Healthy and sick people were separated and kept in two separate camps three quarters of a kilometre apart. Makeshift tents were erected using the ships sails, later more tents and fresh food were provided by the Queensland Government.

The Golden Land was anchored 1.6 kilometres north of Woody Island for a month whilst the ship was washed down and fumigated to kill the disease. On 4 November after two weeks on the island, the healthy immigrants were transported to Maryborough.

The Maryborough Chronicle reported that on 9 November, 1865 the sick camp was attacked and plundered by Aborigines. The following day the remaining immigrants were taken to Maryborough on board the Leichardt. The surgeons report stated that three people died during their stay on the island and were buried there.

References

Erbacher, J & Erbacher, S, 2002, The Woody Island story, John & Sue Erbacher, Urangan, QLD.