Fraser Island soared straight to our Top 5 destinations in Australia. It was hard to find too much information about visiting Fraser Island, and we weren’t convinced about the trip, or how to long to spend, but in short, we are so glad we did, and now have it on our list to go back to someday.
Fraser Island is stunning. From the picture perfect Lake Mackenzie, to endless beach drives, to the Maheno Wreck and Eli Creek, the island just kept surprising us and taking our breath away.
Grab a cuppa, settle in, whether you are reliving your own trip to Fraser or thinking about going, we’ve got you covered for where to go, where to stay, how to get there, what to do and even what to take.
How to get there
You can get to Fraser from two different locations, Hervey Bay or Inskip Point. We chose the latter, as it put us on the South of the Island, and is a much shorter AND cheaper way to get over. We saved a good bit of cash, given we were heading down that way anyway. Either way, you will be travelling by barge, and can take your car with you.
If you have a camper trailer or small, off road van, you might want to take it with you to Fraser Island. We stored the caravan at the Rainbow Beach Tourist Park, just 20 bucks for the week. We had our camping gear ready to go, and for this trip, we chose to take our tents, enjoying the freedom of getting around without worrying about towing the van or getting bogged with it in the sand. The beaches are not too bad for towing, but the inland roads are very tight, and not well suited to pulling a large rig. We left our caravan at Rainbow Beach, for $20 for the week.
You depart from the beach and arrive on the beach, for us just after low tide. Tyre pressures down to 18psi was the go, although we started higher around 20psi. The extra 2psi made a big difference on the soft stuff. It’s a massive island and you are sand driving for almost all of it. Air down in the carpark before you go out on the beach at Inskip or you could end up on the internet!
Where to go (what we did!)
There are a few main hotspots you will want to visit. During out 5 day trip, we managed to visit and spend a good amount of time at the following locations. Any less than 5 days, we feel we would have been rushing, as there are quite long distances from one place to the next.
Our first camp was Central Station, a great location to allow access to the central lakes. Lake McKenzie is the Number 1 lake, simply stunning, clear, fresh water with different shades of blue. We spent the day swimming and enjoying the picturesque surrounds.
We also visited the old Station itself, an old logging location that had its own school. We did the boardwalk to check out the rainforest along the stunning Wanggoolba Creek. We had 2 nights there. There are lakes everywhere on Fraser, an island that is only made of sand. High up in the middle are blue and brown lakes full of fresh water, and on the way in to Central Station we checked a few out on the way in. They were massive.
Our third night we spent on the beach, just down from the Maheno Wreck. We had one night here, saw a Dingo walk past in the unfenced area we were camped in, but he didn’t bother us. We heard some pups overnight but didn’t see them. They left us alone.
From here we had a great day at Eli Creek and explored the Maheno Wreck. ON OUR OWN. We got up at 8am and headed over and beat the traffic as we were the only ones close. Had the wreck to ourselves, then an hour at Eli on our own. Before another couple turned up. They were spewing!
Our last campsite was Waddy Point, complete with sneaky views of the beach. It was a great spot to spend time at Champagne Pools, choosing the afternoon this time to avoid the tour buses. Apart from a couple of stingrays and heaps of fish, not too many there!
We had breakfast on our last day, did some schoolwork then rolled the dice on a just after high tide drive down the beach. It was super soft, but negotiable. We got to Eli Creek just before 2 hours after high tide, so it was fine to pass, although we did have a couple of workarounds further down the coast where rocks were still covered by the odd wave.
Where to stay
Where you stay will depend on your setup and mode of transport. Being in tents, we got to stay at some awesome campgrounds in great locations, close to the main attractions. This really saved on travel time on the island, and meant we got some pretty cool views. There are a couple of main campgrounds that are secured with dingo proof fencing.
If you prefer something more luxurious, there are a couple of resorts, and many private short term rental properties available. Whether or not you stay at Eurong, pop in for a pie, you won’t regret it!
What to take
What you need to take will ultimately depend on where you stay. If you choose a resort or accommodation provider, all you need is your clothes, some food, and of course your bathers and towel. Our Teselate towel is super easy to pack and light to carry.
If you choose to camp, there’s a little more you will need. Tent, sleeping gear, cooking equipment. Check out our video on What you need to go camping for a full run down.
Wherever you stay, you are going to need a map to get around. This is one trip that we chose not to rely on Google, and were very glad that we took a Hema map, with detailed tracks and distances.
Simply put, this whole trip was amazing. We reckon we just about nailed the itinerary too, just regretting not having a few extra nights to do Sandy Cape and then camp on the West Coast for a fish. Everything else was like clockwork.
We hope this has helped…but we haven’t given it all away in this article! You’ll have to watch the full episode to see what we couldn’t put into words!
This was right up there with Cape York and Karijini. We will be back! . Make sure you subscribe: www.youtube.com/todoingfamily