Fraser Island.
A sand island paradise and in fact the largest sand island in the world.
Fresh and salty liquid heaven as clear as glass, lush overgrown rainforests and vast, open luna-like landscapes lie in abundance on this little slice of heaven.
A couple of weekends ago, my husband and I took off for an adventure here to get lost and a little dirty. A much needed escape and time to reset and switch off (literally as there is little to no reception on the island).
Spending the days driving around on bumpy sand tracks, keeping our fingers (and toes) crossed the soft sand doesn’t engulf our tyres beyond the point of no return A not so fun, adult game of ‘stuck in the sand’, which would mean a dig out mission (anywhere from a few minutes to hours). Thankfully we successfully avoided such an occurrence.
The terrain varying from lush rainforest to arid desert-like landscapes. Exploring to the clearest of fresh water lakes, with the whitest of sands. Trekking through far-stretching sand dunes that prove nature is the greatest artist. A palette of crisp whites, sunshiney yellows and deep ochres mixed to perfection to create an otherworldly landscape.
MY FAVOURITE SPOTS
Eli Creek | Champagne Pools | Lake McKenzie | Lake Wabby | Kirrar Sandblow
GETTING THERE:
The barge that takes you across is about a 3hr drive north of Brisbane QLD. You require a permit for your car as well as purchasing a return ticket from the barge permit office.
WHAT TO TO TAKE:
Fraser Island, whilst beautiful, does require the right gear and a little bit of planning as it can be quite dangerous.
We stayed at Central Station campground, which as the name would suggest, is relatively central. It also has toilets and showers (you do need $2 coins for hot water though), but some others don’t have them.
1. A 4WD vehicle
You cannot go on the island without one, UNLESS you’re with a tour (we saw a number of buses trekking people around but can’t tell you much more about how these work)
2. Vehicle permit
3. Camping permits
4. Things to dig your car out incase you get bogged in the sand (people are generally pretty helpful though)
5. Tent (if you can’t sleep in your car)
6. Other camping related things
(i.e. cooking utensils, stove, sleeping bag, torch, mattress)
7. Food and Water
8. Insect repellant
9. Sunscreen (obviously)
10. Something to float down on when at Eli Creek
There are some units to stay at, and we stumbled upon one place that appeared to be somewhere with a small takeaway shop and souvenir shop but I wouldn’t count on eating out.
OTHER THINGS TO KNOW:
1. Driving on sand – have an understanding of how to stay safe and know when high tide is so you avoid driving on the beach at this time.
2. There are dingos (you won’t miss the signage as it is everywhere), but follow the information to stay safe. On our trip we literally saw only one dingo on the beach when we were heading back to the barge to leave, but other people have had some not so nice encounters with them, so just know the facts and stay safe
3. Fill up with fuel before you catch the barge – although there are a couple of fuel stations on the island, your car really churns through the fuel as the driving is quite full on.
Feel free to ask me any other questions x