Australia / Brisbane & South-East Queensland / K'gari (Fraser Island)K'gari (Fraser Island)
The World's Largest Sand Island, by 4WD
A World Heritage sand island 120 km long, with rainforest growing out of the sand, perched freshwater lakes such as Lake McKenzie, the 75 Mile Beach "highway", the Maheno shipwreck and wild dingoes (wongari). There are no paved roads: you come on a guided 4WD tour or in a hired 4WD with a permit, by barge from Inskip Point (Rainbow Beach) or ferry from River Heads (Hervey Bay). The sea is unsafe for swimming (rips and sharks); swim in the lakes and at Eli Creek.
Highlights
- Swimming in Lake McKenzie
- Driving 75 Mile Beach
- Maheno shipwreck
- Floating down Eli Creek
- Champagne Pools
- Indian Head lookout (sharks, rays, whales in season)
- Rainforest at Central Station
- Dingoes from a safe distance
Things to do
- Lake McKenzie and Central Station rainforestMorning · 4h
- 75 Mile Beach: Eli Creek, the Maheno and the PinnaclesAfternoon · 4h
- Indian Head and Champagne PoolsMorning · 3h
- Scenic flight from the beachAfternoon · 30m
Tours & tickets
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When to go
Best time: April – October (whales from Hervey Bay July – October)
Heads up
Summer School Holidays: Full and Dearest
Australian schools break from about mid-December to late January. Beach towns, camping grounds and domestic flights fill up and prices rise 30-60%, with minimum stays over Christmas and New Year. Book months ahead, or come in February or March.
- Humpback whale migration — Humpbacks pass the east coast from about June to October, resting in Hervey Bay beside K'gari from July to October, where whale-watching boats leave daily; Byron's Cape Byron headland and the Gold Coast see them from land. In Western Australia they pass Margaret River and Augusta from June to December.