Eliza Fraser

Eliza Anne Fraser (c. 1798 – 1858) was an English woman known for being shipwrecked at K'gari, an island off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on 22 May 1836.

After being rescued from the island, she spoke and wrote of her experiences, including claims of being captured and enslaved by "Indians", native Butchalla people.

They then launched a longboat and a pinnace, the latter of which landed on the northern side of Waddy Point on K'gari Island.

Badtjala oral history tells that Eliza was viewed as a "mad woman" and mentally unwell.

[5] Eliza was found by John Graham, an escaped Irish convict who had lived for six years with the natives of Wide Bay and had mastered their language.

They proceeded north along the beach to the main rescue party waiting at Double Island Point from where Eliza was taken by longboat to the penal settlement at Moreton Bay.

Sidney Nolan painted a wide range of personal interpretations of historical and legendary figures, including Eliza Fraser.

Home of Eliza Fraser who in 1836 survived shipwreck on the Great Barrier Reef to become a legendary figure in Australian history. She claimed to have been captured by Aborigines.
Home of Eliza Fraser and detail of attached commemorative plaque, in Stromness , Orkney
Handwritten note added below the blue plaque in Stromness in June 2024 reads 'She wasn't captured by Aboriginals. They saved her after finding her lost and alone and she lived with them happily for a long time, until they came across white people. From an Australian'.
Handwritten note added below the blue plaque in Stromness in June 2024 reads 'She wasn't captured by Aboriginals. They saved her after finding her lost and alone and she lived with them happily for a long time, until they came across white people. From an Australian'.
Poster for Eliza Fraser Exhibit at Stromness Museum
Poster for Eliza Fraser Exhibit at Stromness Museum