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The Butchulla People

The Butchulla/Badtjala people are the Traditional Owners of K’gari (Fraser Island).

For more than 60,000 years the Butchulla/Badtjala people have lived in harmony with the seasons and all living things on land and sea, maintaining a balance between spiritual, social and family connections.

Today the Butchulla/Badtjala people are actively involved in the management of K’gari through the K’gari World Heritage Area Advisory Committee (KWHAC), the Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers, K’gari (Community) Rangers and Butchulla QPWS Rangers, as well as maintaining their cultural links.

There are two prescribed bodies corporate with responsibility for K’gari (and her common law holders) under the Native Title Act. These are Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation (BAC), which is responsible for K’gari above high water and Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC), which is responsible for areas of the mainland, some islands and waters of the Great Sandy Strait (Korrawinga) and below high water on K’gari.