Paramedics rushed to Woorim Beach but were unable to save the girl. It is the first fatal attack in Greater Brisbane in almost 20 years.
Paramedics rushed to Woorim Beach but were unable to save the girl. It is the first fatal attack in Greater Brisbane in almost 20 years.
- Breaking
- National
- Queensland
- Sharks
By Sean Parnell and Cloe Read
Updated February 3, 2025 — 6.44pmfirst published at 6.12pm
A 17-year-old girl has died after being bitten by a shark off Bribie Island, just north of Brisbane, on Monday afternoon.
The Queensland Ambulance Service sent crews to Rickman Parade at Woorim Beach at 4.45pm. In a social media post, the QAS described it as a “serious shark bite incident”.
Nine News reported the victim was bitten on the arm about 100 metres offshore, and was helped back to the beach.
Witnesses and paramedics tried to save her, but her upper body wounds were so significant she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Drumlines have been used in the area to attract and catch sharks. It was not clear on Monday whether they were baited.
A Queensland Police Service spokesman said the girl was swimming when she was bitten.
Noone else was injured, however support was being offered to witnesses and first responders.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
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Woorim is the most popular beach on the island, connecting the oceanside suburb to a National Park popular with campers and 4WD enthusiasts.
The beach is patrolled by lifesavers at its southern end and, according to a government website, has drumlines off Rickman Parade as part of Queensland’s shark control program.
The northern end is a protected fish habitat area.
It is the first shark attack in Greater Brisbane since 2006, when 21-year-old Sarah Whiley died at Amity Point on North Stradbroke Island. Since then, there have also been fatalities on the Gold Coast and K’gari, as well as further north, particularly around the Whitsundays.
It comes only weeks after a youth pastor was fatally attacked by a shark off Rockhampton.
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Luke Walford, from Rockhampton, suffered significant injuries when he was bitten on the neck about 4.30pm while fishing at Humpy Island, within the Keppel island group off the coast of Rockhampton.
The incident prompted a debate over Queensland’s shark control program, with the incoming LNP government vowing to consider an as-yet unreleased review of the program ahead of drafting a new strategy.
The government uses shark nets and drumlines to control sharks at some 86 beaches across the state, with drumlines used at Woorim.
In 2024, drumlines caught a tiger shark, bull whaler and common blacktip whaler on Bribie Island, along with a green turtle. According to recently released government data, that was the smallest catch of any area subject to the shark control program, with the Capricorn Coast (304), Mackay (267), Townsville (222) and Cairns (208) catching the most sharks.
Sarah Whiley’s death in 2006 was the first to occur at a Queensland beach with shark protection measures, and prompted a debate over the use of drumlines near popular swimming areas.
The use of drumlines to cull sharks has also been challenged in court, leading to changes in government policy.
More to come
Sean Parnell is the Editor of Brisbane Times. He has won journalism awards for analysis, investigations, news and sport, written a biography, and has a Graduate Certificate in (Digital) Business Administration. Sean lives in Brisbane with his family.Connect via Twitter or email.
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