Have you seen the pictures of an exotic lake in the middle of an island somewhere in the land down under? Wondering where it is? – Fraser Island.
With more Dingos then people on the island and a small population of around 200 people you can spend days on end without seeing anyone; living off the land. This world heritage listed Island is located on the Sunshine Coast of Eastern Australia and stretches approximately 1,800kms2. It is the island for aboriginal history, beautiful sunrises, sunsets, camping, lakes, beach driving, fishing, rock pools, bombfires & beach parties, sharks and dingos! A picturesque haven for the outdoor adventurers.
The Butchulla People are the indigenous people of Fraser Island who named Fraser Island traditionally as K’gari which means paradise. In 1770, Captain Cook first sighted the Fraser Island Butchulla people and named Indian Head on the eastern beach after them. Captain Flinders was one of the first white men to have contact with the islanders and had meetings with them in 1799. (information from my tour guide Keith) Unfortunately nowadays you don’t get to see many Aboriginals on the island, due to the colonization by Europeans which caused great conflicts as the European settlers did not understand or respect the Aboriginals tribal boundaries, social structure or the importance of the environment. Logging started on K’gari in 1863 and continued until 1991 when the island was nominated for world heritage listing.
K’Gari has a very deep and rich Aboriginal history. If you get the chance, its worth speaking to the locals to get a better understanding of how life was many years ago. This will also help you better understand the significance of many sites around the island including the lakes and pinnacles.
Fraser island is a place of exceptional beauty, with its long uninterrupted white beaches right next to amazingly coloured sand cliffs, and over 100 freshwater lakes. Its hard to believe the ancient rainforests can grow in sand along the banks of fast-flowing, crystal-clear creeks, which is such a sight to see.
Things to do on Fraser Island
Lake Mckenzie; the most photographed and popular lake on the island situated in the middle with clear blue fresh water surrounded by picturesque bush and rainforests. There are also many waterfalls, creeks and lakes around the island which are all very pristine and untouched and you can often find with no crowds.
4 wheel driving
Along the beach or through the hard sandy rainforests in the middle of the island, there is no bitchumen on the island, so it is all on sand! (which adds to the adventure) Driving does depend heavily on weather and tide condition as low tide is always best, but be careful as you can often get stuck in an area while it is high tide! You can often hire cars for the island or bring your own 4WD over on the barge which i would definitely recommend; just make sure you carry essential spares as well as a towrope, spade, water and first aid kit.
Fishing
As a mermaid, i don’t eat much fish and i definitely don’t just do it for fun, but when it comes to survival and eating off the land, throw a line in and see what you can catch!
Camping
You do need a permit to bring your car onto the island, which also allows you to camp in certain areas. There are marked areas of where you can beach camp for free but be sure to make sure you’re well within these areas otherwise park authority will be after you! On the island there are also many designated camping sites that have the very basic facilitates (toilets) just make sure your well prepared for anything and everything!
Maheno Wreck
Maheno Wreck
Situated on the mid-east coast right on the beach, the Maheno Wreck is a signature of the island. Depending on what time you get there you can see it fully out of the water or part submerged; both a great sight to see and great for photographers!
Indian Head
Indian Head is the only cliff face on the eastern side of the island, most of the time from the top you can look down over the 150m sheer cliff and watch the schools of sharks swimming around the bottom or even further in the distance if its the season you may be able to whale watch. With beautiful views over the island, it is an amazing spot to watch the sunrise or even the sunset.
View from indian head
Champagne Rock Pools
Champagne rock pools are at the end of the island, the one of the safest places you can swim in salt water. It is a series of large rock pools, with a beautiful array of tropical fish that use it for protection. Inside the rock pools, you are protected from the big sharks they have in the open ocean as most of the island is not recommended for swimming.
Champagne Rock Pools
For a place to stay, there are only a couple of ‘hotels’ – but on the island everything is very basic. If you want the real experience; bomb fires on the beach, sleeping under the stars, being scared of dingos raiding your site, in my opinion the best way to experience the trip is to camp; just be careful of the dingos! (- seriously)
Kelissa Brockett 