If you’re planning a holiday to beautiful Fraser Island, you must read this article which provides some fun and interesting facts about the island. Plus, there’s information on where to stay, the best attractions to visit, and the popular things to do in Fraser Island. If you’re wondering how to get there we have information on that too. So, read on.
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Fun & Interesting Fraser Island Facts
- Fraser Island is known as K’Gari (paradise) to the Aborigines
- Measuring 120km by 15km, Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world
- The island was created over hundreds of thousands of years from sand drifting off the east coast of mainland Australia
- Fraser Island is the only place in the world where the rainforest grows on sand
- The island is home to a profusion of bird life and wildlife including the purest strain of dingo in Australia
- Fraser Island is home to striking blue freshwater lakes, crystalline creeks, giant dunes and lush rainforests
- The vegetation varies from dense tropical rainforest and wild heath to wetlands and wallum scrub
- Over 350,000 people visit the island each year making Fraser Island feel like a congested beach highway sometimes
- Fraser Island got its name from Eliza Fraser, a Scottish woman who was the wife of the captain of the ill-fated ship, Stirling Castle that shipwrecked on the island
- Fraser Island joined the World Heritage list in 1992
- The northern half of the island is protected as the Great Sandy National Park while the rest consists of state forest, crown land and private land
- A 4WD is necessary to drive on Fraser Island
- You will need permits for vehicles and camping on Fraser Island, and these must be purchased before you arrive
Where is Fraser Island located?
Fraser Island is located in Fraser Coast, south east Queensland, Australia. In terms of distance, it is situated 258km north of Noosa and 360km north of Brisbane.
How big is Fraser Island?
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. In terms of measurements, it is 120km long and 15km wide.
Fraser Island Map
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Fraser Island Permits
Permits are required for both vehicles and camping when visiting Fraser Island; they are not required for private camping grounds or resorts. The bad news is that you need to get these permits before you get there. The good news, however, is that you can purchase permits online at EPA. In addition, you can get permits at the following issuing offices:
Bundaberg QPWS Office at 46 Quay Street,
Great Sandy Information Centre at 240 Moorinidil Street, Tewantin,
Maryborough QPWS at the corner of Alice and Lennox streets,
Naturally QLD at 160 Ann Street, Brisbane,
Rainbow Beach QPWS at Rainbow Beach Road, and
River Heads Information Kiosk located at the ferry departure point at River Heads, south of Hervey Bay.
Best Places to Stay on Fraser Island
There are several places on Fraser Island from where to base yourself. With so many options, it’s important to pick the right place to match your travel needs. You also need to consider the driving distance between your base and the attractions you want to visit on Fraser Island.
1. Dilli Village Fraser Island
When you drive into Fraser Island, the first settlement you reach is Dilli Village. This town used to be a sandmining centre from 1950 till 1977 when sandmining was banned for good in Australia.
2. Eurong Fraser Island
9km north of Dilli Village is Eurong, the main town of Fraser Island. There’s a good chance you’ll stop here first before heading inland as this is where people stock up on supplies for camping. The stores at Eurong stock general supplies and expensive fuel, some camping and fishing gear, as well as alcohol. There are public telephones at Eurong too.
The town is also home to the main ranger station on Fraser Island, Eurong QPWS Information Centre; it’s a good idea to check with them first and get your maps and related travel information before driving further along.
Eurong has a couple of accommodation options so you can overnight here before heading inland. While Eurong Beach Resort is the main resort in town, you might want to consider Fraser Island Beachhouses for a luxury option.
From Eurong people make their way along the inland track to Central Station and Wanggoolba Creek (for the ferry to River Heads).
3. Happy Valley Fraser Island
Happy Valley is one of the towns in Fraser Island that stocks general supplies and expensive fuel, some camping and fishing gear as well as alcohol. If you don’t get a chance to stock up on supplies at Eurong, Happy Valley is a great place to do so.
Happy Valley makes for a great pit stop too as it’s close to several popular attractions, including Eli Creek and the Maheno shipwreck. You can camp here or stay at one of the accommodation options in town. Fraser Island Backpackers is great for backpackers, while Sailfish on Fraser is recommended for a plush, indulgent retreat.
Be careful while driving to Happy Valley – if you happen to be driving north along the beach at high tide, you may have to detour inland to avoid Poyungan and Yidney Rocks.
4. Dundaburra Fraser Island
Dundaburra is a great place to stop for the night as it has a very good camping ground. It’s also a great spot from where to visit the attractions nearby, namely the Maheno shipwreck and the Pinnacles. Dundaburra lies about 15km north of the Maheno shipwreck.
5. Kingfisher Bay Fraser Island
Kingfisher Bay is a great place to base yourself on Fraser Island for several reasons. Firstly, the town has some lovely accommodation options including Kingfisher Bay Resort. Secondly, the shops here have everything you need including general supplies, fuel, camping and fishing gear and alcohol. Most importantly, if you want to take a scenic flight over Fraser Island, Kingfisher Bay is the place to be as MI Helicopters are based here. Kingfisher Bay is also close to several popular attractions including 75 Mile Beach.
Best Fraser Island Attractions
The primary reason you want to visit Fraser Island is to see the beautiful attractions this island has to offer. Below are some of the best and most popular attractions on Fraser Island. Pick and choose some to visit in a day or see them all over a few days.
1. Eli Creek Fraser Island
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About 10km north of Happy Valley is Eli Creek, the largest creek on the eastern beach of Fraser Island. Eli Creek is a popular attraction on Fraser Island as it makes for a great swimming and picnic spot. You can make it a day’s outing with swimming or floating down the fast-moving, crystal-clear shallows of Eli Creek followed by a picnic lunch. After lunch, you can take a stroll along the boardwalk that follows the creek inland through banksia and pandanus. Eli Creek is strikingly clear and has its own unique and varied wildlife.
Note – If you plan on floating downstream, start from the bridge at the far end of the boardwalk and let the current carry you back.
Caution – You need to take care at all times while driving along the beach to Eli Creek, especially at high tide. While the fast-flowing water can gouge out deep channels at any time, the water levels at high tide make it impossible to cross the beach. If you happen to be driving at high tide, take a break and go for a swim until it’s safe to cross the creek at the lower end of the beach.
2. Fraser Island Shipwreck
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Another popular attraction on Fraser Island is the shipwreck of Maheno, the most famous of the Fraser Island wrecks. The Maheno was a well-known trans-Tasman passenger liner which was blown ashore by a cyclone in 1935 while being towed to a Japanese scrap yard. Since then it has been slowly deteriorating in the harsh salt environment. The rotting hulk of the Maheno lies about 2km from Eli Creek and about 10km north of Happy Valley.
3. Fraser Island Beach
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If there’s one place you must visit it’s 75 Mile Beach on Fraser Island. That’s because all the popular attractions are based here or nearby.
75 Mile Beach runs along the east coast of Fraser Island for roughly about 75 miles. This is not a swimming beach as there are dangerously strong currents and even more dangerous Tiger sharks lurking around. However, the plethora of beautiful attractions nearby makes up for the lack of swimming options. Highlights such as Champagne Pools, Indian Head, the Maheno Wreck and Eli Creek are located in the vicinity of 75 Mile Beach.
This unique stretch of beach is also a National Highway as well as a landing strip for light aircraft. Driving along 75 Mile Beach or taking off and landing during a scenic flight of the island is a must do.
4. The Cathedrals Fraser Island
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One of the most popular attractions on Fraser Island is the Cathedrals situated on 75 Mile Beach. Located roughly 5km north of the Maheno shipwreck or 18km south of Indian Head, the Cathedrals are an eroded section of coloured sand cliffs that have been sculpted by the wind and rain blowing in off the Pacific Ocean. The best time to visit the Cathedral is early morning when the first rays of the sun hit the pinnacles showing off their brilliant colours – red, brown, yellow and orange. If you’re not an early morning person, the Cathedrals are still a spectacular sight any time of the day as these are some of the largest and most beautiful sand dunes on Fraser Island.
5. Indian Head Fraser Island
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Indian Head lies 20km north of Dundubarra and is situated along the beach. This rocky outcrop is a popular attraction because it has the best vantage point on Fraser Island. Head to the top of the headland and look out to sea and you’re likely to spot sharks, manta rays, dolphins and whales (during the migration season).
Top Fraser Island Things to Do
Wondering what to do on Fraser Island? Below are some of the most popular things to do in Fraser Island.
1. Fraser Island Fishing
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Some of Queensland’s best fishing is on Fraser Island. While freshwater fishing is not allowed, anglers can throw a line in the surf gutters off the beach. Bream, whiting, flathead, and swallowtail are the beach catches. Popular fishing spots are located at Indian Head (good for rock species and tailor), and the waters east off Waddy Point (good for northern and southern reef fish).
Fraser Island Fishing Charters
In addition to offering free fish clinics and renting tackle, Kingfisher Bay Resort also organizes half-day fishing jaunts.
2. Swimming in Fraser Island Lakes
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Fraser Island’s turquoise lakes and tea-coloured “perched” lakes in the dunes are among the island’s biggest attractions. McKenzie, Jennings, Birrabeen and Boomanjin lakes are the best on the island. Like many of Fraser’s lakes, these are ‘perched’ lakes, formed by the accumulation of water over a thin, impermeable layer of decaying leaves and other organic material.
Lake McKenzie is spectacular, with its clear blue water ringed with a sugary-white sand beach. A swim here may be the highlight of your visit to Fraser Island.
Lake Birrabeen is another beautiful lake and a popular swimming spot but less crowded than Lake McKenzie. In these open-air beauty spas, you can use the mineral sand to exfoliate your skin and the clear water to soften your hair.
Along the beach about 4km north of Eurong is a signposted walking trail across sandblows to the beautiful Lake Wabby. An easier route is from the lookout on the inland track. Lake Wabby is surrounded on three sides by eucalypt forest; the fourth side is a massive sandblow that is encroaching on the lake at a rate of about 3m a year. The lake is deceptively shallow. Don’t dive – people have been paralysed by doing so. Turtles and huge catfish can often be seen under the trees in the eastern corner of the lake.
Don’t miss a refreshing swim in the fast-flowing clear shallows of Eli Creek. Wade up the creek for a mile or two and let the current carry you back down.
You should also take the boardwalk through a verdant forest of palms and ferns along the banks of Wanggoolba Creek.
3. Fraser Island Great Walk
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Opened in 2004, the Fraser Island Great Walk is a stunning way to see this enigmatic island in all its diverse colours. The trail undulates through the island’s interior for 90km from Dilli Village to Happy Valley. Broken up into sections of six to 16 kilometres, plus some side trails off the main sections, it follows the pathways of Fraser Island’s original inhabitants, the Butchulla people, and passes underneath rainforest canopies, through shifting dunes and alongside some of the island’s vivid lakes. Expect to take up to eight days to complete the Great Walk trail.
The Fraser Island Great Walk trail is mostly stable and not particularly difficult, but the island has the potential to throw a few whammies your way. Weather conditions, notably heavy rain, can affect the track, although this can be a blessing as it firms up the patches of soft sand on the trail. Before you go, pick up the Fraser Island Great Walk brochure from a QPWS office (or download it from EPA) and seek updates on the track’s conditions.
Day 1 – From Dilli Village, a 6.3km track cuts inland, affording brilliant views of the island from Wongi Sandblow en route to Lake Boomanjin.
Day 2 – Over the next 7.2km leg you begin to leave the dry, scribbly-gum woodlands and forests (regenerating from logging and mining) behind as you enter the rainforest to Lake Benaroon.
Day 3 – The third section travels for 7.5km, following the western shore of Lake Benaroon before zig-zagging along Lake Birrabeen’s southern shore. The trail continues on an old logging road, dwarfed by towering satinay forests and brush box, to Central Station.
Day 4 – From here you have two options to Lake McKenzie. If you turn west you’ll walk via Basin Lake (6.6km), which is a popular haunt for turtles. If you turn east the trail takes a lengthy route through Pile Valley (11.3km).
Day 5 – The fifth section sweeps for 11.9km in a slight arc from Lake McKenzie back towards the island’s eastern coast and Lake Wabby. This leg reveals some of the island’s most stunning rainforest, as well as the east-coast dunes that buffer Lake Wabby from the coast.
Day 6 – The next section to the Valley of the Giants is 16.2km long and passes beneath some of Fraser’s oldest and largest trees.
Day 7 – The seventh leg (13.1km) tags along an old tramline to Lake Garawongera, uncovering evidence of the earliest logging camps on the island.
Day 8 – Another 6.6km, mostly downhill through open forests and dunes, takes you to the end of the trail at Happy Valley.
4. Whale Watching Fraser Island
Fraser Island is one of the best places in Queensland for whale watching tours. From August through October, tour boats crowd the straits to see humpback whales returning to Antarctica with calves in tow. If you’re interested in taking a whale-watching tour, consider staying at Kingfisher Bay Resort which runs a whale-watching cruise from Urangan Harbour.
Fraser Island Dingoes
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In addition to a profusion of bird life and wildlife, Fraser Island is home to the purest strain of dingo in Australia. Don’t be fooled into thinking that these dingoes are cute; they are dangerous wild animals have been responsible for one death and several serious attacks in recent years. Do not feed them, and keep your distance. The dingoes that roam the island are emboldened by visitors who have, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unwittingly, fed them over the years. If you do feed them, rangers can impose on-the-spot fines of A$225. Be warned: the laws are strictly enforced by the rangers, and the maximum penalty is A$3,000.
How to Get to Fraser Island Queensland?
There are two ways to get to Fraser Island – by boat or air. See below for more details on each transport option.
1. Fraser Island Ferry
While there are several ferry charters to Fraser Island, there are primarily two large vehicle ferry companies that depart from the mainland to Fraser Island – Fraser Island Barges and Kingfisher Vehicular Ferry from River Heads and Urangan Marina in Hervey Bay. Rainbow Venture and Manta Ray also run 15-mins ferry charters from Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach to Hook Point on Fraser Island. There are regular ferry services from 7am to 5:30pm daily.
River Heads Ferry to Fraser Island
There are two main ferry companies that operate ferry services from River Heads to Fraser Island.
1. Fraser Island Barges is the ferry service most visitors use to get to Fraser Island from River Heads. The ferry ride takes about 30 minutes arriving at Wanggoolba Creek on the western coast of Fraser Island.
Fraser Island Ferry Times
From River Heads – 9am, 10:15am and 3:30pm, daily
From Fraser Island – 9:30am, 2:30pm and 4pm, daily
Fraser Island Ferry Cost
Pedestrian return – $30
Vehicle & 4 passengers return – $150
Additional passengers return – $10.50 each
2. Kingfisher Vehicular Ferry also operates ferry services from River Heads to Fraser Island. The trip takes 45 minutes arriving at Kingfisher Bay.
Fraser Island Ferry Times
From River Heads – 7:15am, 11am and 2:30pm
From Fraser Island – 8:30am, 1:30pm and 4pm
Fraser Island Ferry Cost
Vehicle & 4 passengers return – $145
Additional passengers return – $10 each
Ferry from Hervey Bay to Fraser Island
The two main ferry companies that operate services from Urangan Marina in Hervey Bay to Fraser Island are Fraser Island Barges and Kingfisher Fast Cat Passenger Ferry.
1. Fraser Island Barges operate from ferry services from the Urangan Marina in Hervey Bay to Moon Point on Fraser Island. You will need to be a hiker or have your own car while using this ferry service as car hire companies won’t allow you to drive their cars here.
Fraser Island Ferry Cost
Pedestrian return – $30
Vehicle & 4 passengers return – $150
Additional passengers return – $10.50 each
2. The Kingfisher Fast Cat Passenger Ferry departs from Urangan Marina in Hervey Bay to Kingfisher Bay on Fraser Island. The trip takes between 30 to 45 minutes.
Fraser Island Ferry Times
From Urangan Marina – 6:45am, 8:45am, 12pm, 4pm,7pm and 10pm
From Fraser Island – 7:40am, 10:30am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm and 11:30pm
Fraser Island Ferry Cost
Vehicle & 4 passengers return – $145
Additional passengers return – $10 each
2. Air Fraser Island
If you want to fly to Fraser Island, Air Fraser Island has flights from Hervey Bay airport to Fraser Island’s eastern beach. See Air Fraser Island for flight timings and prices.
Tell us what you think. What attracts you to Fraser Island? What are some of the activities you would like to do on the island? If you’ve been here before, please share with us the highlights of your trip.
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