Picturesque landscapes and roaming wildlife are what makes the world's largest sand island a drawcard for Queensland tourists each school holidays.
But authorities are calling on parents to keep a close eye on their children when visiting K'gari (Fraser Island), after a six-year-old girl was attacked by a dingo on Monday.
The girl suffered puncture wounds to her head and hand and had to be flown to the Hervey Bay hospital.
Queensland Parks and Wildlife rangers believe she was grabbed from behind while swimming in a shallow lagoon near Waddy Point on the north-east side of the island.
"There's a lot of work around talking to the family members and making sure we have got all of the details correct," acting ranger-in-charge Jenna Tapply said.
Ms Tapply refuted reports the young girl was held under the water by the dingo.
"I believe it was just because she was in the water, and [the dingo] was trying to get a hold [of her] … he sort of pushed her a little bit under [water] but not held her as such," she said.
Call to parents
Queensland Ambulance Service supervisor Martin Kelly said the young girl's parents were able to spring into action.
"We were told [the parents] were quite close … so the child was not unsupervised, and they were able to quite quickly lift the child and the dingo out of the water to get [the dingo] to let go," he said.
Mr Kelly warned visitors that the animals were becoming increasingly comfortable around humans.
"They learn behaviours, and the more they interact with humans, the less they become concerned about us," he said.
"When they become more confident, they're more likely to attack people."
A five-year-old boy suffered bite marks to the arm, buttocks and head when playing at a nearby campground in December, making Monday's incident the second dingo attack in four months.
A Department of Environment and Science spokesperson said there had been 33 incidents where a person was nipped, mouthed, or bitten by a dingo on K'gari since 2018.
The number of attacks had decreased each year, with 10 incidents recorded in 2018 and 2019, one in 2020, seven in 2021, three in 2022, and two incidents reported so far in 2023.
Aware of risks
Fraser Coast Regional Council mayor George Seymour said the recent attacks should not affect tourism on the heritage-listed island.
"K'gari is wild and natural, that's why people go there," he said.
"There are risks and parents need to make sure that they keep their children close at hand.
"But it's also worth remembering that there have been a lot more deaths on K'gari from driving, drowning, or even sharks, than dingoes."
In 2020, the state government reported that about 400,000 people visited K'gari every year.
Queensland Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said she was not considering capping visitor numbers.
"We continue to do visitor management surveys to determine how we manage an area sustainably," she said.
"The reality is though, even if you had a smaller proportion of people, there is still going to be risk."
She reminded visitors to be dingo safe, especially when travelling with children.
"Stay close, within arm's reach, of children and young teenagers, ideally walk in groups, [and] camp in fenced areas where possible," she said.
"Running or jogging can also trigger a negative dingo interaction.
"Of course, never feed dingoes, and we encourage people to lock up food."
