Travel: Fraser Island, Queensland
A guide to the world's biggest sand island in Australia
Feb 25, 2007
One essential part of any trip up Australia’s East Coast is the magnificent Fraser Island. It is World Heritage-listed, as you’d possibly expect the world’s largest sand island to be, and it is astonishingly beautiful.
People come to the island for many different reasons. Some like to stay on the few resorts, away from the prying eyes of the world, some like to rough it camping out under the stars, and some like to do a quick jaunt round on a day trip.
The highlights are different for everyone too. For many it’s all about the driving, as there are few better places to get to grips with a 4WD, either whizzing down the beach or taming awkward tracks through the trees. Others fall instantly for the range of natural lakes and rock formations that the island is absolutely packed with. Then there’s also the fact that there is no better place in the world to see wild dingos. OK, so you have to treat them carefully, as they can attack, but seeing one up close is a magical experience.
There are two main gateways to Fraser Island. The first is on the south side, Rainbow Beach, and is a destination which is slowly growing.
The second, and major one, is Hervey Bay, which has boomed since cheap flights started going there. The town is also known as the whale-watching capital of Australia, largely due to Fraser Island’s position. The secluded bay between the island and the mainland is regarded by the whales as the perfect place to stop off during their migrations too and from the Antarctic.
Here are some things to do while you’re there.
Fraser Island
- Hire a 4wd jeep and hoon it down the beach. Try Aussie Trax (07 4124 4433).
- Unwind in the Champagne Pools. Try Sand Island Safaris (07 4128 4119).
- Camp out under the stars, thinking that every noise in the night is a dingo coming to eat you. Try Koala Adventures (1800 466 444)
- Take a swim in Lake McKenzie, Birrabean and Boomanjin. Try Wilderness Adventure (07 4120 3333).
- Watch the sun rise at Indian Head. Try Palace Fraser Island Safaris (1800 063 168).
Fraser Coast
- Go sea kayaking through the waterways of Fraser Island. Try Aussie Sea Kayak Company (07 5477 5335).
- Take a scenic flight in a restored 1931 Tiger Moth over Hervey Bay. Try Hervey Bay Air Adventures (07 4124 9313).
- Between the beginning of August and November, go whale and dolphin watching in Hervey Bay or Rainbow Beach.Try Mikat Whale Cruises (07 4124 9943)
- Swim with wussy, non man-eating sharks at Reef World, Hervey Bay. Try 07 4128 9828.
