Australia has many offshore islands, some with their own unique features. We decided to add a trip to Fraser Island which now goes by its traditional name, K’Gari (pronounced Gurri, the K is silent) to our itinerary since we would be in the area of Hervey Bay on our Aussie East Coast Road trip. K’Gari, the name used by the native Butchulla people, is the largest sand island in the world and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s located off the coast of Queensland, about 200 km (120 miles) north of Brisbane. For our stay in Hervey Bay, we booked the Akama Hotel which has self-catering apartments, is very spacious and it’s within walking distance to the marina where a lot of tours depart. This area is great for whale watching but the season runs from July to November so there was no chance this trip.

Arrival.

We walked from our hotel to the Urungan Marina where we boarded our tour bus for the 20 minute drive to the River Heads Ferry Terminal. Along with the passengers, a few vehicles were loaded onto this small ferry (only 4×4’s allowed on the island.) This was a one-day tour and we wanted to see as much as possible, so we took the early ferry (6:45 am.) The crossing takes about 50 minutes and was very smooth since it’s not in open ocean. There are two ferry landing points on Fraser Island. Wanggoolba Creek takes about 30 minutes which puts you directly into the State Park and the one we took, Kingfisher Bay. We prebooked a day tour with Fraser Explorer Tours and we were looking forward to a really fun day. We exited the ferry and made the five-minute walk past the Kingfisher Bay Resort to a parking area where we’d board our special 4×4 bus. Our original bus didn’t make the ferry crossing, it’s just for pick up and drop off later in the day when we return.

The Drive.

Riding the bus through the dunes was like riding a roller coaster. This was an experience like no other. If you get seasick or car sick easily, you might need to take some medication otherwise, this may not the tour for you. There are basically one lane undulating trails with shifting sand and small pullover areas when you meet oncoming traffic. The large buses usually have the right of way. There are surprisingly some great accommodations on the island, but they can only be reached by 4×4 so you’ll meet the occasional vehicle. Speed limit is 35km/hr on the interior “roads.” There’s tented camping and access to hiking trails in the interior as well as beach camping so I imagine it could get a bit busy in the high season. Our first stop was going to be the stunningly beautiful Lake Mc Kenzie.

Lake McKenzie.

After a 12 km (7.2 miles) drive, we arrived at Lake McKenzie recreational area. There’s a small track of about 160 metres that leads down to the lake. Lake Mc Kenzie is a body of freshwater that’s not fed by a river or stream nor flows into an ocean. This is one of the many freshwater lakes and probably the most beautiful and popular one on the island. The beach can only be described as spectacular and apart from Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsunday Islands, this was the whitest sand we’ve ever seen. This almost pure white silica acts as a natural filter for the rainwater that fills the lake. The absence of marine life and the low level of microorganisms produces the cleanest, clearest blue green water that’s great for swimming. Summer water temperature averages 23C (73F)

The Rainforest.

The K’Gari rainforest in the centre of the island, has the distinction as being the only one of its kind, it grows on what is basically a large sand dune and its trees and shrubs have adapted to this environment. To fully experience the rainforest, our driver pulled of the track and into a clearing known as Central Station. This is one of several campgrounds available for tented and trailer camping. From there, we were free to walk some of the trails and learn about all the wonderful trees, ferns and shrubs. There are a number of rare trees here, some of which exist in only a few places in the world. In one area of the forest called the “Valley of the Giants,” the trees grow tall and slender, especially the pines and eucalyptus. They provide shelter for the many species of birds and animals that inhabit the forest.

The Wanggoolba Creek runs silently through the forest as there are no rocks or boulders to impede its flow. There’s a raised boardwalk that runs along the creek and the view makes it seem like you’re looking at a dry riverbed until you realize, the water is so clear, the stream is barely visible.

75 mile beach.

After a nice buffet lunch at the K’Gari Beach Resort, we headed to the famous 75-Mile Beach which was only a few hundred metres away. This beach highway stretches the length of the eastern side of the island (120 km) There are posted speed limit signs, (80 km/hr.) shallow creek crossings, 4×4’s coming and going, campers, tourists and the occasional cop. We’re just doing a day trip, so we’ll do about half of the route. We entered a little less than the mid-way point and headed north. This drive should only be taken at low tide so beware of that if you’re doing a self-drive. I was especially looking forward to being on the flat sand after the roller coaster ride through the dunes of the interior. The drive along the beach was exhilarating, dunes on one side and wild ocean on the other. As we continued up the beach, we saw a couple of light aircraft using the beach as a landing strip. They were offering scenic flyovers where you could book right there, no advance notice. Further up the beach, we made a stop at the wreck of the New Zealand ocean liner, the SS Maheno. This ship dates back to the early 1900’s and was used during World War II as a hospital ship. It was shipwrecked during a cyclone in 1935 and is now one of the more popular attractions along the beach.

Next stop is the Pinnacle Rocks, located about 3 km from the shipwreck. These multi coloured sandstone mounds are the result of mineral deposits in the sand and are thousands of years in the making. There’s a small board walk trail that takes you in amongst the formations where you get a closer look at the colours in the rocks, but there’s fencing, so no climbing.

Dingoes.

The Pinnacles was our turn around point so we headed back south. We were told that we could possibly see some dingoes but no luck so far. That would soon change. Our next stop was unscheduled and as we got closer to an area where there were some vehicles and people milling about, we knew something was going on. There are estimated to be about 200 dingoes on the island, and we are now in the presence of some of them. Dingoes are thought to be an ancient breed of dog from Southeast Asia, introduced by Asian seafarers thousands of years ago. These island dingoes are said to be the last of the pure-bred ones in Australia, therefore, no domestic dogs are allowed on Fraser Island. They forage and eat just about anything they can find. There are strict protocols that must be adhered to when coming in contact with these animals and there’s usually a park ranger around to monitor situations. While dingo attacks on humans are rare, there have been known to happen. Any sort of interaction with these animals like feeding or getting close, crouching down for photos, selfies and so on is frowned upon and will result in fines. We stood around while the dogs just mingled throughout the crowd, trying not to make any sudden movements, but all and all, everything felt pretty safe.

Leaving Fraser Island.

As our dingo experience comes to a close, (it lasted longer than expected and was so interesting,) we had to get back down the highway, turn into the park and through the rainforest to get to the west side where the ferry terminal is located. Looking back on this excursion, I wished we could’ve spent another day and explored the entire 75-mile east coast beach highway and swim in the Champagne Pools. Nevertheless, it was a great day, and we highly recommend doing at least a day trip if you’re ever in the Hervey Bay area. As we said goodbye to K’Gari (Fraser Island,) we boarded the 5:00 pm ferry and marveled at what we’d experienced that day as the sun was setting beautifully.

In 2014, the Australian Federal Court granted native title rights to K’Gari to the Butchulla people who have been the traditional owners of the island for thousands of years. The official name is now K’Gari but it’s still referred to as Fraser Island.