Fraser Island is named after Eliza Fraser, the Scottish wife of a Victorian ship’s captain. Her husband’s ship the Sterling Castle was wrecked on a reef further up the coast in 1863. Captain Fraser and his wife, along with some of the crew, managed to sail in a lifeboat to Waddy Point, on the north-east coast of Fraser Island. On coming ashore they encountered a group of local Aborigines, who immediately took them as slaves. The shipwrecked survivors endured excruciating conditions (torture, sunstroke, spear prodding, hard work, and so on), and a couple of months later Eliza was put up as a prize amongst the local Aborigine males. It’s not quite clear exactly what happened next, but she was eventually rescued by a former convict called John Graham, who was living amongst the Aborigines. Unfortunately the experience had unhinged Eliza. By the time she returned to civilization she was unable, or unwilling, to give a coherent account of her ordeal. Though whether this was due to her mental state or Victorian attitudes towards sex, Aborigines and consorting with a convict, are unclear. A century later this entire episode was imaginatively and sympathetically described by the great Australian writer Patrick White in his novel A Fringe of Leaves.

Those who prefer their history in more factual form should try the Queensland Air Museum (open daily, 10 am to 4 pm, entry fee; www.qam.com.au) at nearby Caloundra Airport. You can also take a boat trip to Bribie Island, which is just across the Pumicestone passage.