Lady Elliot Island first appeared above sea level around 1500 BC as a coral rubble spit. It developed into a mature coral cay over the next 3,000 years. Lady Elliot had endured because bird droppings have hardened together with beach sediments into beachrock. The existence of concentric shingle ridges across the island provides evidence of the its formation by progradation over several millennia as deposits were laid down during episodic storms.
First commercial venture
In 1805, James Atckin began the first commercial venture on Lady Elliot Island�the collecting of Beche de Mer. These animals were removed from the shallow water, dried and then smoked before being exported to Asia and Malay communities for more than ?180 per tonne.
Official discovery
In 1816, the island was officially discovered and named by Captain Thomas Stuart aboard the vessel Lady Elliot. The Lady Elliot was a 353-tonne vessel that was built in Bengal and registered in Calcutta, India. The ship was named after the wife of Hugh Elliot, the Colonial Governor of India. On the return journey from Sydney, it was wrecked on a reef off Card well in North Queensland, and that reef is called Lady Elliot Reef.
Mining for guano
In 1863, Mr J. Askunas won tender from the Queensland Government to mine the island for guano for 300 pounds per annum for 10 years. The lease was transferred to Dr W.I. Crowther of Hobart on 23 August 1864. Dr Crowther mined the island until the end of 1873. The guano was mined by Chinese and Malay workers and sent to Mainland Australia and New Zealand. Over this period virtually all the trees were removed, as well as 3 feet of top soil and guano. In 1874, the guano mining ceased, but the damage to the vegetation of the island was absolute. It was not until 1966 that a revegetation program was undertaken by lighthouse staff. Their efforts were quickly rewarded, with the island re-emerging as a
