A luxury cruise ship stopped at a remote Australian island. Suzanne Rees was left behind and died alone

Five hours after the Coral Adventurer left Lizard Island without the 80-year-old, it turned back. Her body was found the next day, and her family want answers

The appeal of Lizard Island is its remoteness. The Great Barrier Reef island, 250km from Cairns in Queensland’s tropical north, is known for its impressive snorkelling, with giant clams nestled among the coral. It also has a scientific research station.

Tourists are mostly kept at bay by its inaccessibility and eye-wateringly high accommodation prices.

But a week ago, on the west of the island, Suzanne Rees, a healthy and active 80-year-old, died alone. She had possibly just watched her luxury cruise ship, the Coral Adventurer, sail away without her.

The keen gardener and bushwalker from Sydney had intended to hike to the island’s historical summit, Cook’s Look, with other passengers on the second day of their 60-day circumnavigation of Australia. But on Saturday, feeling the heat, she turned around early. She never made it off the island and back to the ship.