Hervey Bay and Fraser Island

After leaving the Whitsundays we headed south to Hervey Bay, the most commonly used departure point for Fraser Island.  Arriving as the storms which flooded much of southern Queensland were making a slow retreat, we knew it was likely that the weather would be less than ideal for a 2-3 day camping trip, so we opted instead to stay in the cosy folds of the YHA in Hervey Bay and venture to Fraser for a one day trip.

As one of the “must do attractions” on the east coast, we had expected a lot from Fraser Island, perhaps a little too much given the weather.  An early morning departure saw us standing on the pier in Hervey Bay at about 7am waiting for the ferry across to the swish and apparently eco-friendly resort of Kingfisher Bay.  The tour and its talkative guide took us on a one day whistle stop tour of the island.  We visited all the key sites – the infamous lake McKenzie – a huge, crystal clear. freshwater lake, fringed by almost snow white sand.  Similarly to Whitehaven beach in the Whitsundays, this sand has a high silica content giving it its talcum powder like appearance and texture.  Lake McKenzie is normally a popular swimming spot, but the best I managed was a little paddle.

Fortunately, our guide was well prepared for the unseasonal weather and as we arrived back at the bus after our stroll/paddle/swim, we were greeted with mugs of hot tea and a crate (I’m not exaggerating) of cookies, muffins and other baked treats … mmm mmmmm!

On leaving the lake, we motored on to the middle of the Island and the aptly named Central Station, which was the old home of the logging industry in Fraser.  The logging industry could have decimated the island were it not for some forward thinking people who, back before being an eco-warrior was the fashionable thing, began to impose restrictions on what trees could be felled and when.  It is thanks to them, Fraser Island has managed to remain the little stunner it is!  We strolled through the rainforest (in the rain) from Central Station back to the bus where well boarded again and head for some grub.  This brought us closer to what for many was going to be the highlight, the drive down the 70 mile beach. 

Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and is a world heritage site.  You would think as a sand island it can’t be that large, it is, its over 100km long and just short of 20km wide, and one coast line is bordered by this 70-mile beach.  The beach is actually an official highway (and airstrip), rules of the road must be observed and its a busy spot, even on a dreary day.  Motoring along, with the surf pounding, really, really pounding, only metres from the edge of the bus was quite an awesome experience.

On the journey down the beach, we had the opportunity to stop at some of the   beautiful and world famous sites, such as the Pinnacles with their coloured sand mounds (which they say need a bit of sunshine to reveal their full range of colours, so unfortunately we were out of luck), the wreck of an old cruise liner, which ran aground on Fraser while being towed (minus its propellers) to a wrecking yard in Japan and finally to the gorgeous freshwater Eli Creek.

As we meandered homewards, we were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a few members of the largest population on the island, the dingoes!  its hard to see them as the vicious and territorial animals you are so frequently warned of throughout the tour, they just look like over grown corgis!!!

Overall, the whole Fraser Island experience was more interesting, than the incredible spectacle we had be conditioned to expect.  Glad we did it, glad we saw it, I’d probably even recommend it, but its something to see once and I doubt I’ll be back.