An Australian grandmother who was found dead on a remote island after being left behind by a cruise ship has been identified as Suzanne Rees.
Ms Rees, 80, is being remembered as a keen bushwalker and gardener following her death on Lizard Island in Far North Queensland on Saturday.
The solo traveller was on the first stop of a 60-day, $80,000-a-ticket circumnavigation of Australia aboard the NRMA-owned Coral Expeditions cruise ship when tragedy struck. A multi-agency investigation has been launched to determine how and why she was allegedly left behind.
Her daughter, Katherine Rees, said her mother fell ill during an organised hill climb on the island and was told to return down the mountain unescorted.
“Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone,” she told The Australian.
She said her family was “shocked and saddened” that their grandmother had allegedly been abandoned due to a “failure of care and common sense”.
It is understood NSW woman Ms Rees was not reported missing until about 6pm on Saturday when she failed to show up for dinner — around five hours after she was last seen. Her body was found 50 metres off the hiking trail leading to the island’s highest point, Cook’s Look, the following day.
The Coral Adventurer had only set off from Cairns on Friday afternoon and was anchored off Lizard Island on Saturday, where passengers were ferried ashore to hike and snorkel.
Local yachtie Traci Ayris, who was anchored nearby aboard SV Vellamo, said she and her partner heard radio communications from the cruise vessel.
“They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island it would seem,” she told the Cairns Post.
“The last people came down from the track and got into the tender then the [ship] left very soon after that. There was not a lot of time between when the last passengers left the beach to when they up anchored. We even commented, ‘Wow, they left fast.’”
Tracking data from Vessel Finder showed the Coral Adventurer turned back towards Lizard Island around 9pm on Saturday, arriving at about 2am Sunday.
Ms Ayris said a helicopter search began around midnight, while seven crew members returned ashore to search the mountain by torchlight until 3am, before resuming at first light.
“The chopper arrived at first light and it went directly to Telstra Rock (where she was last seen) and immediately it hovered then went straight to the air strip,” she said.
“We knew that it had found her and the lack of activity told us that she was clearly dead. She lay there all day and was finally airlifted [just before 4pm].”
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority will meet the 112-passenger Coral Adventurer when it docks in Darwin on Sunday. The vessel is currently sailing through waters off Thursday Island in the Torres Strait as the voyage continues.
Coral Expeditions chief executive Mark Fifield confirmed Ms Rees’ death in a statement to the Daily Mail.
“The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea,” he said.
“Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.
“While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family.
“The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process.
“We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.”
Lizard Island, located 90km northeast of Cooktown, is one of the most remote tourism destinations on the Great Barrier Reef and is popular among divers, snorkellers and hikers.
Its Cook’s Look trail — named after British explorer Captain James Cook, who climbed it in 1770 — covers about four kilometres and can be steep in parts.
“It covers four kilometres and at times is very steep so we recommend medium to high fitness and agility to safely undertake this hike,” the Lizard Island website states.
“Due to the time it takes to hike and the heat of the day, it is recommended that you hike early in the morning. Those that have done this hike say it is challenging but incredibly rewarding.”
