Short doco about Coochiemudlo Island
Coochiemudlo Island has a special place in the history of the Bay Islands. This is where British explorer Matthew Flinders became first European to step on the island in 1799. Locals are proud of the centuries-old connections with Indigenous Australians, who originally named the red cliffs Kutchi-Mudlo - which translates to “red earth stone.”
In 2025, Bay & Beyond Studio produced this terrific short doco called ‘Coochiemudlo Story’. Three of the island’s keenest researchers and knowledge-holders are featured in the production: John Pearn, Jan Macintyre, and Christine Leonard.
Major General John Pearn, Emeritus Professor, University of Queensland, has co-authored two books on Coochiemudlo Island’s history and botanic heritage. He describes the island’s magic as beginning with the mangroves, vital to the entire Moreton Bay ecosystem. The Island’s wetlands shelter more than 200 plant species, over 100 bird species, and an abundance of native wildlife.
Jan Macintyre OAM is a long-term resident who spent years, with others, seeking to secure heritage protection for Coochiemudlo Island’s unique Emerald Fringe. Jan was the president of the Coochiemudlo Island Heritage Society from 2019–2024 during which she worked organising events to showcase the importance of the Emerald Fringe and the settler heritage of the Island.
Christine Leonard is another long-term resident, and a prolific author and researcher. In 2025 she published Coochiemudlo: A Mariner’s Mystery, a chronicle of the life of Edward Field Jones (Ted Jones), one of Coochiemudlo’s legendary identities. Ted’s research revealed that the sixth island noted by explorer Matthew Flinders’ during his journey to Moreton Bay in 1799 is, infact, Coochiemudlo Island. Find out more about Christine Leonard and her research on her website, Leonard Stories.
