Australian police are investigating whether a Canadian tourist discovered dead on a beach in the northern state of Queensland drowned or was attacked by a pack of dingoes, the wild dogs native to the country.

The 19-year-old woman was found on Monday after telling friends she was going for a swim on K'Gari, an island off the Queensland coast, police said.

"At this stage it's too early to confirm how the young lady lost her life. We are investigating all possibilities," Queensland police inspector Paul Algie told a press conference, but gave no details of the woman's identity.

"People travelling down the beach noticed the group of dingoes, stopped very quickly and obviously scared those dingoes away and uncovered the young lady's body," he added.

The wild dogs roam the island freely, emboldened by growing human contact, the state's environment ministry has said. They are capable of injuring and occasionally killing people, especially children.