PARADISE PRESERVED

For over a century, Fraser Island’s majestic forests provided the timber that helped build Queensland — and shaped the lives of those who lived and worked beneath its towering satinays and blackbutts trees. Paradise Preserved uncovers the untold story of forestry on the world’s largest sand island. From Aboriginal timber workers and pioneering foresters to tramways, sawmills, and silviculture trials, Robert Onfray reveals how 120 years of forest management created a legacy still etched in the landscape today. Drawing on archival records, personal experience, and eyewitness accounts, Onfray challenges the long-held myth that forestry destroyed Fraser Island. Instead, he shows how careful stewardship sustained its forests, so much so that the island achieved World Heritage status just months after logging ceased. Blending history, politics, and human stories, Paradise Preserved is essential reading for anyone who cares about Fraser Island, forestry, and the future of Australia’s natural heritage.