Authorities have identified the Australian grandmother who tragically lost her life on a secluded island after being left by a cruise ship.

Suzanne Rees, an 80-year-old resident of New South Wales, is being fondly remembered for her passion for bushwalking and gardening following her untimely death on Lizard Island this past Saturday.

Traveling solo, Rees met her end on the isolated island in Far North Queensland during the initial stop of an ambitious 60-day cruise around Australia, a journey that cost $80,000 per ticket.

An investigation involving multiple agencies has been launched to determine the circumstances that led to Ms. Rees being allegedly abandoned by the Coral Expeditions cruise ship, owned by NRMA.

Katherine Rees, her daughter, revealed that her mother had fallen ill during an organized hike on Lizard Island and was advised to descend the mountain on her own.

‘Then the ship left, apparently without doing a passenger count. At some stage in that sequence, or shortly after, Mum died, alone,’ she told The Australian. 

She said her family was ‘shocked and saddened’ that their grandmother had allegedly been abandoned due to a ‘failure of care and common sense’.  

It’s understood Ms Rees was not reported missing until about 6pm on Saturday night when she failed to arrive for dinner, five hours after she was allegedly left behind. 

NSW grandmother Suzanne Rees, 80, is being remembered as a keen bushwalker and green thumb by her family following her death over the weekend

Ms Rees’ body was found 50metres off the hiking trail that leads to Lizard Island’s highest summit, Cook’s Look, on Sunday. 

Her death came just one day after the Coral Adventurer kicked off its journey, embarking from Cairns on Friday afternoon.

The ship had anchored off Lizard Island on Saturday, where passengers could take a smaller boat to hike and snorkel on the resort island, 90km northeast of Cooktown. 

Yachtie Traci Ayris and her partner Matthew, who were aboard SV Vellamo anchored near Lizard Island, were listening to emergency radio transmissions sent from the Coral Expeditions vessel.

‘They did headcounts for snorkellers (which we heard) but not for other guests on the island it would seem,’ Ms Ayris told the Cairns Post.

‘The last people came down from the track and got into tender then the (ship) left very soon after that.

‘There was not a lot of time between when the last passengers left the beach to when they up anchored. We even commented, “Wow they left fast”.’

Vessel Finder showed the Coral Adventurer sailed back towards Lizard Island about 9pm on Saturday and arrived at about 2am on Sunday.

An excursion to Lizard Island ended in tragedy with the death of an elderly tourist on Saturday

Ms Ayris said a helicopter began an aerial search at about midnight and seven crew from the Coral Adventurer went ashore and walked the mountain by torchlight until 3am, before the search resumed again at first light.

‘The chopper arrived at first light and it went directly to Telstra Rock (where she was last seen) and immediately it hovered then went straight to the air strip,’ she said. 

‘We knew that it had found her and the lack of activity told us that she was clearly dead. She lay there all day and was finally airlifted [just before 4pm].’

Australian Maritime Safety Authority officials will meet the 112-passenger Coral Adventurer when it docks in Darwin on Sunday.

The cruise ship is currently in waters off Thursday Island in the Torres Strait as the $80,000-a-ticket voyage continues. 

Coral Expeditions confirmed Ms Rees’ death to the Daily Mail. 

‘The crew notified authorities that a woman was missing, and a search and rescue operation was launched on land and sea,’ chief executive Mark Fifield said.

‘Following the operation, Coral Expeditions was notified by Queensland Police that the woman had been found deceased on Lizard Island.

A helicopter is seen during search efforts on Lizard Island 

‘While investigations into the incident are continuing, we are deeply sorry that this has occurred and are offering our full support to the woman’s family. 

‘The Coral team has been in contact with the woman’s family, and we will continue to offer support to them through this difficult process.

‘We are working closely with Queensland Police and other authorities to support their investigation. We are unable to comment further while this process is underway.’

Popular with divers, snorkellers and hikers, Lizard Island is one of the most remote tourism destinations on the Great Barrier Reef.

Cook’s Look is the highest point on the island and follows the footsteps of British explorer Captain James Cook, who is believed to be the first European to have trekked up the mountain in 1770 after his ship Endeavour struck a reef.

‘It covers four kilometres and at times is very steep so we recommend medium to high fitness and agility to safely undertake this hike,’ the Lizard Island website states.

‘Due to the time it takes to hike and the heat of the day, it is recommended that you hike early in the morning.

‘Those that have done this hike say it is challenging but incredibly rewarding.’