Blogger: Lauren Lucy Crowley
Lying off the coast of Hervey Bay and just south of the last of the Great Barrier Reefs coral cays, Fraser is the world’s largest sand island stretching for 123km and spanning a land mass area of 166,000 hectares! With an abundance of panoramic view points, freshwater pools to swim in, and that exhilarating feeling of driving a 4WD down the 75mile beach… you will be sure to enjoy your stay at this unique island!
After hopping on the short ferry over to the island, we enjoyed a beautiful tea break on the long stretch of white sand! Driving a 4WD is the main method of transport on the island, and so we decided to let the other vehicles drive up the beach ahead of us so that we could explore by ourselves! (Although there are back roads, the beach is the main road on the island!)
Although the tide was in, we managed to drive down the beach to the Maheno shipwreck! The Maheno was built in Scotland in 1904 and was the world’s first ever triple screw steamer, weighing a massive 5323 tonnes! Hit by an unseasonal cyclone it was washed ashore, although attempts were made to re-float the ship, it has been left abandoned since!
Our next pitstop was the stunning panoramic viewpoint at Indian Head, a rocky outcrop on the island’s easternmost tip! We then headed back towards Eli Creek – which is the largest creek on the eastern beach of Fraser Island, and pours up to four million litres of clear, fresh water into the ocean every hour!! It makes a great spot for a picnic and a spot of sunbathing!
With over 35 camping grounds on the islands (most of which are only accessible by 4WD) – you’ll be in for a treat stargazing up at the glittering sky before sleeping alongside the magical sound of the ocean… just watch out for the Dingos!
The following day we went on an early morning walk through pine valley rainforest, before relaxing at Lake McKenzie. This stunning turquoise lake is 1,200 metres long and up to 930 metres wide. The sands around the lake are composed of pure, white silica sand, and the water in the lake is also so pure it is unsuitable for many species! It was heavenly going for a swim!
I assure you, whatever you choose to do on Fraser island you will have an amazing time, fall in love with nature and never want to leave! It was most definately the most unique place I have ever been! x
