Fraser Island

A short ferry trip from Hervey Bay is the World’s largest sand island, Fraser Island. Sculpted from wind, sand and surf, the striking blue freshwater lakes, crystalline creeks, giant dunes and lush rainforest of this gigantic sandbar form an enigmatic island paradise unlike anywhere else in the World. This is also a fragile environment, so I opt for an organised tour, rather than driving myself around the maze of sandy inland tracks.

Boarding the massive 4WD bus at the Kingfisher Bay Ferry Terminal, I meet Butch, my expert driver, navigator and tour guide, and hop aboard. Soon we are bouncing along the narrow, rutted, sandy tracks to ranger centre at Central Station. We enjoy a guided rainforest walk to the historical logging station and meander along the banks of Wanggoolba Creek flowing silently through lush rainforest.

Another bouncy ride later and we arrive at Lake McKenzie, a spectacularly clear body of water ringed by white-sand beaches. Picture perfect is the only way to describe this beautiful perched dune lake. Another teeth rattling ride takes us to Happy Valley for a spot of lunch, after which we accelerate along Seventy-Five Mile Beach, the famous sandy highway of Fraser Island, to the Maheno Shipwreck. I snap a shot of the rotting wreck that washed ashore during an out-of-season cyclone in 1935 and then take to the air… 

I grab the opportunity for a scenic flight over the island, which allow me breathtaking views of Butterfly Lake, Maheno Shipwreck and more of the Great Sandy National Park. The exhilarating flight ends by landing on Seventy-Five Mile Beach near the Pinnacles Coloured Sands, an eroded section of rich coloured sand cliffs, and I rejoin the bus.

The final stop is Eli Creek, the fastest flowing freshwater creek on Fraser Island. We then leave Seventy-Five Mile Beach and bounce, once more, along the undulating trails through the dense tropical rainforest to the Kingfisher Bay Ferry Terminal. With my complimentary beer in hand, I enjoy the sun setting from the top deck of the ferry on a truly memorable experience.