Fraser Island is one of the most beautiful destinations in Queensland, if not in Australia. It is one of those places that should be on everyone’s ‘Bucket List’. Once you’ve been, you will want to go back again and again.
FRASER ISLAND
The largest sand island in the world, Fraser Island, is approximately 123 kilometres long and 55 kilometres wide. The only safe way to access the island is by 4WD. If you want to drive anywhere else other than on the beach, it is best to have a high-clearance 4WD.
Many of the inland tracks consist of very soft, deep sand that you can easily become stuck in. You should carry a basic recovery kit when you are Driving on Sand. We would also suggest that you would need to be reasonably experienced at driving a 4WD vehicle.
Fraser Island is a National Park so you will need to obtain a vehicle permit before going to the island. If you are camping you will also need a camping permit. These can be obtained from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service online or there is an office in Rainbow Beach.
GETTING TO FRASER ISLAND
To get to Fraser Island you catch a barge from Inskip Point. Before heading out onto the sand, make sure to stop and let some air out of our tyres. Deflating your tyres when driving on sand gives you more traction and can help stop you from getting bogged. We reduced our tyre pressure from 36PSI down to 18PSI but we could have gone lower if we needed to.
The Manta Ray Barge runs between Inskip Point on the mainland and Hook Point on Fraser Island several times a day. It can hold up to 16 vehicles (depending on size) so the wait was not very long.
We were the last vehicle to pull off the barge. As we started driving north along Seventy Five Mile Beach we couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. We had an awesome view back over the water to the coloured sand cliffs of Rainbow Beach. One thing we noticed was the number of different birds everywhere.
DRIVING ON FRASER ISLAND
The drive along the beach was fairly easygoing as it was well past high tide. It is recommended that you do not attempt to drive on the beach for two hours on either side of high tide. There are some parts of the beach that become impassable at high tide.
When driving on Fraser Island the speed limit is 80 KPH unless otherwise signposted. All normal road rules apply and you can be fined as on any normal road. In fact, we were breath tested while we were there. Heavy vehicles and tour buses have right of way. If you are on a two-way track, generally the vehicle going downhill has right of way. This is because it would be more difficult for them to back up to allow someone else to pass.
One other thing you might need to do when you are on Fraser Island is to watch out for planes! The beach is often used as a landing strip for small planes coming over to the island. But don’t worry there are always signs out and staff around to let you know what is happening. It’s an awesome sight to see if you are around for a landing or take off.
EURONG BEACH
On our trip to Fraser Island, we chose to stay at Eurong Beach Resort. The unit was clean and tidy. It was a little bit older style but did have a decent kitchen. It also had a lovely big balcony that overlooked the water and the pool. This is where the kids headed straight away, while we elected to have a beer on the balcony.
The resort has a restaurant that offers buffet-style meals for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Or you can choose from the A-la-carte menu for dinner. Alcohol is expensive. It cost us $15 for a beer and a cider. There is also a bakery, pizzeria and a general store. Some of the food prices were similar to mainland prices but a tube of sunscreen was $20.00. Fuel is expensive too – $2.15 for diesel (2014) We took three 20 litre drums with us but only used two of them. We found that we didn’t use as much fuel as we thought we might over the three days we were there.
LAKE MCKENZIE
We got an early start to make the most of our time on Fraser and headed inland to Lake McKenzie. This would be the first time that we had truly been able to test out the BT-50’s 4WDing capabilities and it did not disappoint. There has been very little rainfall on Fraser Island this summer. This fact has made the inland tracks very soft and boggy but we encountered no problems at all.
Lake McKenzie is a ‘perched lake’ and is one of 40 on the island. A perched lake forms when a hardpan of decaying matter settles on the lake floor over thousands of years. It is filled only with rainwater and has no stream or spring that it feeds from.
Full of freshwater and almost crystal clear, it reflects the colour of the sky perfectly. With a perfect white sandy beach to match, it is a magic spot for a refreshing swim. Don’t forget to pack a picnic lunch but because of the dingoes in the area you must only consume food inside the fenced area.
It really was a lovely spot and I could have quite easily lazed the day away there!
ELI CREEK
Eli Creek is a freshwater creek that runs out into the ocean. The water is crystal clear and very cold. It is a popular spot to spend a few hours floating down the creek on tubes and boards. It is shallow in most spots and the fast-flowing water is ideal for floating along on. A boardwalk has been built along the creek edges to enable easy upstream access.
This is the spot where we saw our first dingo as well. There were lots of people and cars around at the time, but he was not in the least bit worried. He spent his time sniffing around the area and scratching in the soft sand for food.
HAPPY VALLEY
Not far from the Maheno Wreck is the small village of Happy Valley. We made time for a quick stop at Happy Valley Resort and I’m so glad we did. Happy Valley is another hidden gem on Fraser Island with cabin and backpacker accommodation available. There is also a general store, petrol pump, restaurant and bar. We decided to grab a quick beer while we were there and we were impressed with the lovely verandah area and the friendly staff member that was there.
NORTH EAST FRASER ISLAND
The North East section of Fraser Island is just as stunning as the rest of the island. We went as far as Orchard Beach, but if you have the chance to explore as far as Sandy Cape, make sure you do.
THE PINNACLES
Heading north from Eurong Beach is mainly all beach driving and there are plenty of great spots to stop for photos along the way. The first of these is ‘The Pinnacles’. The Pinnacles are sand cliffs that over time have been formed into valleys and peaks by the wind and water. They are a rich red-orange in colour having been stained by iron-rich minerals in the sandy soil that binds them together.
They are a spectacular sight and the colours in them are amazing. These coloured sand cliffs stretch right along the Fraser Coast and are interspersed with sand blows. A ‘sand blow’ is any area of land that has little or no vegetation growing on it due to the actions of the wind.
RED CANYON
Further along from The Pinnacles is Red Canyon, another breathtaking sand cliff of red and orange coloured sands. Both The Pinnacles and Red Canyon have fenced walk ways so as you can walk up into the middle of them and admire the colours from up close. Be aware that climbing on them or collecting sand from them is illegal and penalties do apply.
INDIAN HEAD BYPASS TRACK
To access the northern part of Fraser Island, you will need to navigate the Indian Head Bypass Track. This 500-metre track runs around the base of the rocky point known as Indian Head and consists of very deep, soft sand. We had to wait about 15 minutes to allow for the group in front of us to recover a Prado that had become stuck right at the entrance to the bypass. This was the spot where we saw 3 of the 4 bogged vehicles for the weekend. Our advice for getting through this spot without getting bogged is:-
- Reduce your tyre pressure.
- Avoid deep wheel ruts if you are not in a high clearance vehicle.
- Approach it at a reasonable pace.
- Don’t slow down or stop. Keep your momentum going so you do not become stuck.
CHAMPAGNE POOLS
Waiting for you at the other end of the Bypass Track is a beautiful beach. The end closest to Indian Head is relatively sheltered and there were quite a few people swimming in the shallows there even though this is not recommended. At the opposite end of Indian Head Beach is the Champagne Pools, another popular spot for swimming. There are two car parking areas at the Pools and they can be accessed by walking along a boardwalk or a bush track.
ORCHARD BEACH
From the Champagne Pools, it is a 6.5-kilometre drive along a sandy track to get to Orchard Beach. We were highly amused to be pulled over for a Random Breath Test by a couple of Queensland Police Officers at the end of this track. A reminder that the beach and all tracks on Fraser Island are public streets and that all traffic laws apply there.
We stopped for lunch at Orchard Beach. Here you will find a small shop that also sells fuel. There is also an airstrip at Orchard Beach as well. It would be a great place to land in a plane as it is on the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean and that was the view we had whilst eating lunch.
WADDY POINT
Heading south from Orchard Beach we popped out onto the beach at Waddy Point. We fell in love instantly! Waddy Point is like a little secluded bay. The tide was well out and left a crystal clear lagoon on the edge of the Binnglh Sand Blow. The kids and I were straight in the water for a quick cool off. Then the kids were keen to test out whether their bodyboards would slide down the sand – which they did!
Waddy Point also has two camping areas available. One is beachfront and the other is up slightly higher and fenced. This makes the camp area Dingo safe, particularly if you have young children. The beachfront area has designated areas for camp trailers and for tents. There are toilets and showers available there too. This would be a perfect spot to camp if you are planning on spending several days on the island as you would need a full day to get there depending on the tides.
CATHEDRAL BEACH
Another spot we would recommend is the campground at Cathedral Beach. This is a private campground and therefore you do not need a QPWS camping permit. It has cabins, powered and un-powered sites available as well as a general store.
LEARNING TO DRIVE ON SAND
On our way back south Brenden decided that it was time I had a go at driving on sand. Something I had never done before. Having a second person who can competently handle your vehicle is always a good idea in case of an emergency. I found that it is similar to driving on a normal road you just have to be more aware of your surroundings as conditions can change quickly from one stretch of beach to the next. What I did find a bit hard to judge was how deep the corrugations were in the sand, so definitely stick to the speed limit.
The whole of Fraser Island is such a magical spot and we highly recommend that if given the chance, you visit Fraser Island.
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Great views the perfect family getaway…Yup Eurong Beach Resort is a great place I already tried it once and I love it.