Guano mining left Lady Elliot Island a barren wasteland. Now it’s a tropical oasis – ABC News

Guano mining left Lady Elliot Island a barren wasteland. Now it's a tropical oasis - ABC News

Lady Elliot Island sat bare, bleak and silent for 100 years after guano miners ravaged it, leaving a moonscape devoid of life. Then in the 1960s, one family started planting trees.

Citation: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-10/guano-mine-rehabilitation-on-lady-elliot-island-birds-return/107138364