Residents are outraged by the Queensland Government’s push to rename a popular tourist destination out of respect to Indigenous traditional owners.
The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) has proposed to change the name of Magnetic Island National Park to Yunbenun.
The name – pronounced Yuhn-beh-nin – is the preferred label for the island by the Wulgurukaba or ‘canoe people’.
The government has only proposed to rename the national park, not the island itself, but residents are concerned it will only be a matter of time before that changes too.
DESI has proposed to change the name of Magnetic Island National Park to Yunbenun (stock image)
The concern comes after Fraser Island’s traditional name, K’gari, was reinstated last year.
Magnetic Island resident Mary Vernon told the Courier Mail that she anticipates a massive local backlash to renaming the tropical paradise.
She said that while some people support the change, it’s certainly not the majority.
‘A lot of people are concerned about it because it’s just a meaningless gesture really,’ she said.
‘I think people are also worried about where it might lead and the possibility of renaming the entire island.
DESI released a statement saying they recognise the rich cultural history of the area.
‘DESI has recently unveiled an updated management statement for the national park, which outlines strategic directions for conserving key natural social and cultural values of the World Heritage Area,’ the statement read.
Magnetic Island resident Mary Vernon told The Courier Mail that she anticipates a massive local backlash to the proposal (stock image)
‘This includes Wulgurukaba cultural sites and places as well as the heritage-listed World War II fort complex, significant vine thickets and the iconic hoop pine of Magnetic Island.’
The department will be accepting submissions from the public about the proposal until 5pm on April 19.
In June, Fraser Island was officially renamed K’gari at the behest of the Butchulla people.
Elders had long campaigned against the sand island being named after Captain James Fraser and his wife Eliza, who became shipwrecked on the island in 1836 along with 18 crew and passengers.
Eliza Fraser survived while her husband and most others perished, and after returning to life in England she re-told stories of enslavement at the hands of barbarous and cannibalistic Aboriginal people on the island.
