Exploring the largest Sand Island in the World

Fraser Island

The sand island, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, is located in Queensland, off the east coast of Australia. Fraser Island is 124 kilometers long, 15 kilometers wide on average and with an area of 1840 square kilometers, it is the largest sand island in the world.

In the Aboriginal language, who are the native people of the australian continent, it is called K’gari, which means Paradise. In this post you will learn the reasons why they call it like that.

Source

---

There is only one way to get to the island and this is by car ferry. Other than on Rottnest Island in western australia, you can go on the ferry with your own car. However, your car must meet a very important criterion ... it MUST have four-wheel-drive (4x4). Furthermore, great ground clearance cannot hurt, otherwise there will be a chance that you get stuck in the sand. And if you get stuck you embarrass yourself and make other people angry cause they have to wait for you to get out again.

That´s the one and only reason we went there with a Tourguide in a big four wheel drive bus.

deep soft sand that no normal car can get through

---

The ferry starts from either Hervey Bay, River Heads or Rainbow Beach. We got picked up at our caravan park in Hervey Bay in the early morning and went on the ferry there as well.

After a short 45min transit onto Fraser Island we got greeted by our tourguide who gave us a short briefing while walking through a beautiful, shady forest along a crystal clear creek. He gave us some useful information about the island and we had a first idea what we´re going to see that day.

---

He also informed us that we have 4 big highlights on out schedule today. We were pretty excited, although we knew that we have to spend a lot of time in the bus while getting from a to b. I say this now upfront, if you have the chance, go with your own vehicel and stay on the island for a few nights. :)

One of the first highlights we visited was a big ship wreck laying on one of the endless long beaches.

Shipwreck SS Maheno

In 1935 the ocean liner SS Maheno, belonging to the Union Company of New Zealand got washed ashore on Fraser Island by a cyclone. It was operating in the Tasman Sea, crossing between New Zealand and Australia. In former times it was also used as New Zealand Hospital Ship No. 1 in World War I

Since july in 1935 it has remained at the same location, slowly corroding. As you can see on my photos below it already looks pretty dangerous, that´s why access of the shipwreck is prohibited.

Even if the story behind it is tragic, it is a great sight and is perfect for photos.

---

After we had taken photos from every angle, we went back to the bus and to the next sight. As I said before, its a lot of Bus riding, but its fun, because when do you have the chance to sit in a bus like this one.

---

The Pinnacles

The rainbow-colored layers of sand that make up The Pinnacles are a spectacular location on the east coast of Fraser Island. They are one of the reasons why Fraser Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Scientific studies show that sand has been blown onto the island during the past 2 million years and through that the high-lying lakes, the remarkable dunes and these colorful cliffs have formed.The pinnacles get their color from the iron compounds in the quartz sands and turn into very lively red color during sunrise and sunset

We were there mid day and unfortunately it did not look that spectacular. But still a nice place to visit.

---

It was mid day during a hot summer day and everyone on this tour longed to cool off. Our prayers were heard and our tourguide told us that the next stop is going to be a creek in which we can swim and refresh.

Eli Creek

Eli Creek is a stream that carries four million liters of drinking water to the Pacific every hour and a popular place for picnicking and swimming.

A Boardwalk through Banksia and other native trees leads you up the stream to several points from where you can float down the stream back to the beach. This is so much fun and a invigorating experience.

In my opinion only nice in summer, because the water is very cold.On the other hand, it is very crowded in summer and getting a nice spot right on the creek is almost impossible. But it was nice for a short stop and after floating down the creek a few times we had enough and it was time to move on.

When you visit Fraser Island with a tour, like we did, everything is clocked very precisely. That´s why I recommend doing it on your own. If you do not have a four wheel drive car you can also rent one at one of the many car rental stations on the mainland.

---

Lake McKenzie

Our last stop was the best and for that alone the trip to Fraser Island was worth it.

Boorangoora, in the language of the Aboriginal tribe of Butchulla, is a shallow groundwater lake, located relatively centrally on Fraser. With the white sand and deep blue water, the lake is one of the biggest attractions on the island and probably the most visited of all.

Before we were allowed to leave the bus we got some instructions from our tourguide. One of the rules is to refrain from using sunscreen and soap before going into the lake to avoid polluting the absolutely clear water.

We could already see the lake and my only thought was "Stop talking man, I do whatever it takes to go for a swim in that lake". Finally we got out of the bus, we ran towards the lake and jumped in without checking the temperature, which turned out to be perfect.

Being a ‘perched’ lake, Lake McKenzie contains only rainwater, and is not fed by creeks and natural springs and therefore is slightly acidic; with a pH level of 4.3–5.2. This makes swimming in it to an almost indescribable experience, as the water feels completely different on your skin compared to normal tap or ocean water. Until today this was definitely the most beautiful lake I ever swam in and made our Fraser Island experience unforgettable.

---

Due to COVID-19 Fraser Island is closed until May 31st. Furthermore I heard rumours that most of the locals don´t want it to be reopened for tourism ever again.