They were once must-see holiday destinations that drew in hordes of tourists and a who's who of celebrities.
The slices of paradise offered by the likes of Brampton, Dunk, Great Keppel and Keswick islands – dotted along the Queensland coast like jewels in the sea – were irresistible.
But their glory days seem to be all but over.
From cyclone damage, to big companies with big promises, can the wheel ever turn for these island getaways?
Long-time island locals and small business owners hope a Queensland parliamentary inquiry will provide much needed answers when it examines island resort management across the state.
The committee will assess issues such as leasing and ownership models, governance responsibilities and development approvals in attempt to resurrect the island fortunes as resorts rot away.
Keswick Island
Fifteen years ago, Craig Gilbert spent his life savings to build a home on Keswick Island, off Mackay.
"When the lease was first formed in the '90s, it was a really comprehensive document with conditions set out," he said.
Mr Gilbert says the island is on it's fourth lease, acquired by foreign developer China Bloom in 2019.
He said the original plan was for an eco-friendly tourist destination to be built.
More than 20 years later, nothing has happened.
"We don't even have a jetty," he said.
"Over the Christmas-New Year period, we counted 79 people that came to the island ... they were all related to residents.
Brampton Island
Not far from Keswick sits ruins on Brampton Island, once a thriving hotspot for travellers.
Co-founders of petrol company,United Petroleum bought the island in 2010, but 12 years later, accommodation is wasting away.
Lance Cheswick worked as a chef on the Island in the 1970s.
"We'd get a phone call saying you've got 300 day trippers coming and we've sold 250 meal tickets.
"I would have to make sure that I had enough food prepared."
Now 67, Mr Cheswick has many memories of the island, including his 21st birthday.
"I had the time of my life, I loved the island and the people I met on the island," he said.
Dunk Island
In Far North Queensland, you can see Dunk Island across the water from Mission Beach.
Its resort has been empty and unused since Cyclone Yasi struck in 2011.
Ownership of the resort has been a controversial issue, changing hands several times since its sale to Linc Energy founder Peter Bond in 2012.
Owners Upsense Media Captial are yet to release their plans.
Mission Beach Water Taxi operator Nancy Lowe said she worked for years to reinvigorate a day-trip market to Dunk Island, and she hoped a parliamentary Inquiry would streamline the process of its redevelopment.
Great Keppel Island
In central Queensland, Great Keppel Island, or Woppa, was known in the 1980s for its "get wrecked" campaign, but its resort closed in 2008, and multiple attempts to reopen it have failed.
Gina Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting is now hoping to redevelop the resort and build a nearby marina.
This comes months after the Woppaburra people were formally recognised as Native Title holders for the Islands.
Accommodation provider Geoff Mercer, who has been on Great Keppel Island for 40 years, said bookings plummeted when the resort first closed.
"Local people were asking me, 'What am I going to do now the island's closed?" Mr Mercer said.
"I had 10 years with very little cash flow, and it's really only in the past year and a half that we've got cash flow to the point where I haven't had to sell an asset to survive."
He, like many on the island, wants some sort of development, but he said it needed to be done "thoughtfully and carefully".
"I'd like to see the island become one of the great walks for the world, similar to other places in Europe or in Tasmania, and to see maybe more lodges or pods around the island."
Another popular resort on the Capricorn coast, from the Iwasaki family and managed by Rydges for a time, also closed in 2016, with some discussion of a possible redevelopment since then.
What's next?
Whitsunday MP Amanda Camm said her electorate had many islands that had been abandoned over the years.
"The challenge we have is that there are different levels of government responsible for different parts of management when it comes it our islands," Ms Camm said.
"We'd like to see key recommendations that reform and improve island management and the processes that bring about some accountability for everyone involved."
Local councils and island communities can make submissions to the committee until April 7.
