Restoring Lady Elliot Island has been a labour of love, led by a passionate line of island custodians — each playing a crucial role in returning the island to a thriving, natural state.

Don Adams was the first to take on the challenge. A cane farmer, aviator and visionary, he secured the tourism lease in 1969 and built the island’s airstrip. With his wife Moya, Don began planting hardy Casuarina trees to rebuild soil and stabilise the landscape — transporting the seedlings from their Point Vernon home by plane and flying out to the island to water them every week. Their early efforts marked the beginning of Lady Elliot’s revegetation journey. Don’s pioneering work and incredible committment earned him a Conservation Award from the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland.

John French took up the mantle in 1985, expanding revegetation while introducing ecotourism principles that were ahead of their time. He and his family planted more native species, including Pisonia trees, and pioneered educational reef and nature tours that connected visitors to the island’s fragile environment.

Bevan Whitaker, who partnered with the French family and later became the sole leaseholder, continued the work, adding infrastructure like the Education Centre to share the island’s story and engage visitors in conservation.

In 2005, Peter Gash and his family took stewardship of the island, significantly accelerating revegetation and environmental initiatives. With the support of committed volunteers such as John Meech and Jim Buck, under his leadership, over 10,000 trees have been planted, and the island has become a model for sustainable tourism. Peter’s ethos of “leaving it better than we found it” continues to guide Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort today.