Teen found dead near K’gari shipwreck surrounded by dingo pack

A young woman found dead near the Maheno shipwreck on K’gari was “interfered with” by dingoes but might have died by other causes.

The 19-year-old was found unresponsive on 75 Mile Beach on the eastern side of the island, formerly known as Fraser Island, about 6.35am on Monday.

Police are investigating whether she drowned or was attacked by dingoes.

Two men were driving past the beach when they saw a pack of about 10 dingoes surrounding the woman’s body.

“It was obviously a very traumatic and horrific scene for them to uncover,” Inspector Paul Algie said.

“The woman’s body had been touched and interfered with by the dingoes, but we’re not speculating yet as to whether that was anything to do with her cause of death.

“We simply can’t confirm whether this young lady drowned or died as a result of being attacked by dingoes.”

The woman – a Canadian citizen – had worked at a backpackers’ hostel for the past six weeks. She was joined by a friend from Canada, who has been helping police contact the woman’s family back home.

The woman told people she was going for a swim about 5am, Algie said.

“She was a young woman enjoying a beautiful part of the world, and that’s what makes this such a tragedy,” he said.

The Maheno shipwreck is one of the island’s most famous landmarks and is on 75 Mile Beach.

The woman’s body was found north of the wreck.

The Maheno rests on the ocean side of the island, away from the main tourist resort at Kingfisher Bay on the western side.

The pristine beaches of K’gari are not patrolled and have strong ocean currents. The surf was rough on Monday morning, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, with winds reaching 25 knots.

The management of dingoes on K’gari is contentious, with numerous attacks reported on the World Heritage-listed sand island each year.

At least four dingo attacks were reported on K’gari in 2025, including one on a nine-year-old boy near Yidney Rocks Beachfront Units and another on a woman who was bitten on the hand at the island’s Winnam camping area when she was approached by five dingoes.

The most prominent fatal attack occurred in April 2001, when nine-year-old Brisbane boy Clinton Gage was fatally mauled by two dingoes while holidaying on the island with his family.

Algie said K’gari was a wilderness area, and he urged people not to interact with the island’s dingo population.

“I implore all people that visit K’gari, which is a beautiful place, that you do not go near dingoes, that you do not feed dingoes, and that you just leave them to live their life,” he said.

“You need to move around them accordingly.”

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