Piper James (left, with friend Taylor Stricker) loved the ocean, her mother said. (Supplied: Marjorie Stricker)

In her short time on K’gari, Piper James had begun a daily, early morning ritual.

As the first light of dawn softly illuminated the World Heritage-listed island, Piper would take a short walk to the pristine beach near the hostel where she lived and worked.

There she would swim in the ocean, alone but for the golden sun rising over the horizon.

K’gari is the largest sand island in the world. (ABC News: Nickoles Coleman)

Speaking from her home in Canada, the 19-year-old’s mother, Angela James, said Piper had done this a few times during the week she had stayed at the hostel, before tragedy struck.

“She just loved to start her day in the ocean watching the sun come up,” Ms James said.

“Because she just felt so free there. She said it was the most amazing thing.”

Canadian backpacker Piper James loved to paddleboard with her dog, Lexi, her mother Angela James said. (Supplied)

Queensland police said that on Monday, the last day of her life, Piper left the hostel at around 5am, telling friends she was going for a swim.

Around 90 minutes later, two men driving south along K’gari’s Eastern Beach saw a pack of around 10 dingoes surrounding something that was obscured at first.

On the men’s approach, the pack dispersed, revealing Piper’s body.

Exactly what transpired between 5am and when her body was found remains subject to a coronial investigation.

The eastern beach of K’gari (Fraser Island). (ABC Wide Bay: Johanna Marie)

On Friday, the Coroners Court of Queensland said Piper had been bitten by dingoes while she was still alive, but those bites “are not likely to have caused immediate death”.

There were “extensive” bite marks made after Piper had died, a spokesperson said.

Ms James said the coroner’s office told her water had been found in Piper’s lungs, but further testing was needed to conclude she had drowned, which could take months.

Angela James said of her daughter, Piper, “I need to get her home”. (Supplied: Angela James)

“There are still so many questions,” she said.

“I kind of want to hope that she drowned, and she died in the ocean.

“The ocean was so special to her.”

Smoking ceremony

The coroner has released Piper’s body to the family, and Ms James said next week she will make the arrangements for her daughter’s final journey home.

Once she has been reunited with her daughter, Ms James said she will travel to K’gari with her husband and some of Piper’s friends to see the place where she spent her last moments.

“I can’t wait to see it, to see what made her love it so much it caused her to lose everything,”

Ms James said.

K’gari traditional owners, the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, have offered to hold a smoking ceremony on the stretch of sand where Piper’s body was found, which Ms James is eager to attend.

Director Christine Royan said the ceremony would ensure Piper’s spirit has a safe passage home.

“Her footprints are with us, and we’re saying to the family we’ll bless her spirit for the journey home,” Ms Royan said.

“We’re sending the good spirit on home to her family.”

Christine Royan says a ceremony will be performed to send Piper’s spirit home. (ABC Wide Bay: Nikki Sorbello)

Afterwards, the family will return home to hold a celebration of Piper’s short life.

“We don’t want it to be some sad, traditional thing,” Ms James said.

“It’s just going to be some friends telling stories and sharing pictures and photos, and remembering just what an amazing woman she was turning into.”

A dingo rests on the sand on K’gari Fraser Island, February 2025. (ABC Wide Bay: Lucy Loram)

Dingoes in spotlight

The possibility that dingoes played a role in ending Piper’s life has brought a renewed spotlight on the management of K’gari.

On Wednesday, Premier David Crisafulli did not rule out a cull of K’gari’s dingo population if the cause of Piper’s death was found to be from a dingo attack.

“We’ve got to acknowledge that a young woman in the prime of her life has lost her life on the holiday of a lifetime, and that’s really troubling,” he said.

“We’re determined to get to the bottom of the cause, and then we’ll respond.”

Piper James loved animals, her mother said. (Supplied: Todd James)

Ms James said any harm visited upon dingoes as a consequence of her death would be against Piper’s wishes.

“Her father and I would like to stress that [a cull] is the last thing Piper would want,” she said.

“She loved all animals, no matter what.

“She wouldn’t want anything done to [the dingoes]; they were there first.

“She knew that.”

‘Amazing’ support from K’gari community

The response from K’gari’s tight-knit community has been “amazing”, Ms James said.

Long-time residents have been contacting Piper’s family to update them on developments on the island, including the establishment of a floral memorial overlooking the beach where Piper was found.

A bouquet of native flowers was placed by Piper James’ loved ones, overlooking the beach where her body was found. (ABC Wide Bay: James C Taylor)

“She touched so many people, we can’t believe it,” Ms James said.

“The Australians have been amazing, and I can’t thank them enough.

“If my baby had to die, she died at a beautiful place. She really did.”