Fraser Island
Fraser Island is a unique slice of Australia. Everything you think about Australia’s wilderness is on this large island off the coast of Queensland. For one, it’s a sand island, without any rocky land, and still, somehow, a rainforest appears. Another is that only four-wheel drive is allowed on the island. Period. The buses for less adventurous tourists sport massive tires, and all the cars look really hardcore. The “highway” of the island is the beach, which stretches more or less to the end of the island (on the east side). It is also a runway for planes.
There are tours (tag-along) and other ways to rent these four-wheel drives. We had a friend in Australia that lent us his old Range Rover Defender, which was perfect for the island. Originally, we were going to spend just the day there but decided to spend the night at one of the campgrounds. We highly recommend spending at least a night on Fraser (and, in fact, we probably could have spent longer there).
The island is only accessible by ferry, of which there are two. The ferries are fairly frequent and go for most of the day. There are many attractions on the island itself, and you can definitely do most of them in one or two days. Below are some of our favorite attractions we visited;
Stunning Lake Mackenzie
Lake Mackenzie is probably the largest and most popular lake on the island. It is very busy but absolutely stunning. The water is super blue, and the sand is very white. You can definitely spend some time here.
Lake Wobby is less popular than Mackenzie, but still very nice. The water is murkier, and the sand isn’t as nice, but it was pretty fun itself. It sits on the edge of a large sand dune, which you can run (carefully), or buggy board down into the lake. In the lake, there are many little fish, some that like to nibble slightly. This was one of the biggest horsefly hotspots, so make sure to be prepared. There is a slight hike to get there (very easy and not too hard up or down), or there is a larger hike that goes over the sand dune. This is a very hot hike, as the sand is scorching on a summer day.
Eli Creek is a lovely little trickle of water that goes right into the ocean. It isn’t very far back, but you can ride it down like a lazy river (on a tube or just walking down it). We made sure to go early as later in the day it can get very busy.
Central station is where the original loggers of the island set up shop. They created a whole village that included schools, but all of it except one cabin is no longer there. This is a great spot to go hiking, as well as have a picnic. The hike we took was to Basin lake, a completely empty lake (not too large), and it was a really calm spot. The water is quite refreshing after the walk to the lake, which is all in all 4 miles (round trip). This is definitely worth it.
S.S. Maheno Shipwreck on the beach. It originally made trips to and from New Zealand to Australia until it became a hospital boat during World War I for the New Zealand army. Next, it was sold to the Japanese as scrap. On its way up, there was a cyclone, which ran the ship aground. The Royal Australian Air Force also used it as bombing practice. Now, it is a very much corroded jungle of metal that is somehow still there. Of the original five decks of the boat, three and a half are under the sand. This is a very unique wreck, and something worth seeing.
The biggest things to keep in mind are that it isn’t for everyone. The roads can be challenging (make sure you have some idea of what you are doing before trying to do the hardest trails), so a good idea is to join a tag-along tour. The other issue are the horseflies. These are huge flies that bite, and it has a nasty sting. Some areas have more horseflies than others, so you just have to be careful. You should make sure to have plenty of bug spray, as it really does help with horseflies, mosquitos and other bugs (which Australia does not have a lack of!)
For the beach highway, you have to keep in mind high tide, as it is impassable during this time (make sure to plan ahead and look at the tide hours which vary by day). Near the water is the hard compact sand that you can go quite fast on (80kph is the speed limit), but watch out for the boggier sand in the back, as you can get stuck in these. Also, exits from the beach are typically very soft sand, so make sure your vehicle is in the right gear.
Fraser Island was a lot of fun. It will certainly be one of the most memorable parts of our traveling. It was so rustic, so wild, and really felt untamed. Only some parts of the island had paved roads (mainly around the large hotel), and you really get a sense of being away from the rest of the world. I think we would definitely go back to Fraser.
Going down Eli Creek
The sand dune at Lake Wobby
Lonely Basin Lake
