Fraser Island (K’Gari) — Big & Little Adventures

Fraser Island (K’gari) is a favourite destination for our family. We’ve lost count how many times we’ve visited this precious jewel in Queensland’s crown and it continues to wow us every time we visit.

We usually choose to camp at Cathedral Beach, tucked in behind the dunes in Zone 6 or 7. It’s a great central spot to be able to visit everything on the island. We like to camp out in the open, but if you are concerned about the wildlife (in particular the dingoes), there are a few campgrounds with Wongari (dingo) deterrent fences -

Cathedrals on Fraser has plenty of powered and unpowered campsites suitable for caravans and camper trailers as well as tents. There’s a pretty well stocked shop for anything you may have left at home. You can buy staples such as fuel, ice, milk, bread, eggs and some basic fruit & vegetables and attached to the store is a small cafe where you can grab a burger, toastie, hot chips etc. The campground has hot showers and flushing toilets, as well as cabins if you’d prefer not to camp.

One of our previous campsites at Cathedral Beach, Fraser Island.

Other fenced off (dingo safe) camping areas include Dundubara & Waddy Point. There is also Central Station and Lake Boomanjin Campgrounds but they are located further inland and are not near the beach.

There are also options for other types of accommodation including privately owned holiday homes and apartments at Poyungan, Yidney Rocks, Happy Valley and Orchid Beach as well as Kingfisher Bay Resort and Eurong Beach Resort.

For those with school-aged kids, the time of year that we’ve found best to visit Fraser Island are the last week or two of the January school holidays (most people are at home preparing for the school year to start) or at the very beginning of the school holidays. Obviously during the school term it’s a lot quieter. Saying this, we have also visited in the Easter & July holidays and there is enough space for everyone.

Our top picks for places to visit on Fraser Island:

1. Lake McKenzie is definitely the crowd favourite! The downside to this is that we literally mean ‘crowd’. Try and stay away at peak times of year as it gets absolutely packed with tourists.

It’s an absolute gem, that’s for sure. The pristine white sand and the fresh water make for the most glorious, natural swimming pool and we think it’s heaven on earth actually! To see Lake McKenzie in full glory, the best time to go is when the sun is high in the sky, shining down on the beautiful water, making it look it’s bluest.

Swimming in the pristine waters of Lake McKenzie. A true gem.

2. Eli Creek is best described as a naturally formed freshwater lazy pool winding it’s way from about 200 metres inland, down to the beach where it opens out into a lovely large shallow pool. A boardwalk has been built to walk up to the head of the creek with steps leading down to the water. Just hop in and let the water carry you down. It’s a great place to spend the day and as it’s quite shallow, it’s pretty safe for the kids too! Tip: Take along an inflatable ring or boogey board to float on down the creek. It’s so relaxing and fun!

Eli Creek. Hop on a boogey board or inflatable ring and let the water carry you downstream.

The creek opens out to a shallow pool before heading out to sea. Nice and safe for the kids and a great place to hang out for the day.

3. Champagne Pools. Thought to look like frothing champagne at high tide as the waves crash over the rocks, it’s another ‘must do’ on Fraser. From the carpark, it’s an enjoyable walk down to the pools with a nice view of the ocean along the way. We’ve seen stingrays and turtles and it’s just a magic spot really.

4. Waddy Point is a great place to hang out for the day for a bit of a fish and beach time. Remember, it is not safe to swim off the beach on Fraser Island. There are a lot of sharks about and in recent times, Irukandji jelly fish have become a new threat, particularly on the western side of Fraser. Their sting can be fatal and it’s just not worth the risk. Thankfully, Fraser Island has a few beautiful freshwater lakes to swim in which more than makes up for it! Tip: If you walk around the rocks at low tide, you will find a rock pool with a sandy bottom deep enough to swim in. It’s so clear, it’s like swimming in a little aquarium, especially if a few little fish have been left behind. Waddy Point is accessible via Orchid Beach.

A natural ‘aquarium’ at low tide at Waddy Point.

5. Lake Birrabeen. We love this place. It’s almost as beautiful as Lake McKenzie except it’s a lot quieter, the clear, fresh water is more of a ‘sea glass’ green and the sand is still a beautiful chalk white. The sand on this beach is also known for it’s jewellery cleansing properties, so we always like to give our jewellery a little scrub when we go for a visit - it comes up a treat!

Lake Birrabeen is another freshwater lake not as frequented as Lake McKenzie, but still very beautiful.

6. Lake Wabby is a deep green, freshwater lake found at the bottom of beautiful soft white sand dunes - the largest dune lake on Fraser Island. The access trail is located 4.3km north of Eurong near the One Tree Rocks camping area. It’s a 2.4km walk from the island’s eastern side, through bushland and then out to a sandy desert before reaching this refreshing and beautiful oasis. Take plenty of water and a boogey board to slide down the dunes!

You can also access Lake Wabby via a beautiful rainforest drive along Cornwells Break Road. The lookout is 450 metres from the carpark and then a 1.5km walk down to the lake. If you don’t have time to do the walk, at least check out the lookout!

In peak times, Lake Wabby is best visited first thing in the morning to avoid tour groups.

7. Sandy Cape can be quite an arduous journey, depending on where you are coming from on the island. No matter what, you’ll have to tackle Ngala Rocks which can be treacherous at times. We recommend you only attempt to drive through Ngala Rocks if you’re travelling with another vehicle as it’s very easy to get bogged.

Playing in the ‘coffee’ rocks at Ngala Rocks. The kids will get filthy as coffee rock is very dark and crumbly, but they will have so much fun!

Once you arrive at Sandy Cape, it is oh so beautiful. A beautiful sandy desert, as far as the eye can see, is framed by sand dunes leading down to the beach. Great fishing, the water is so clear and sometimes you can see sharks and turtles swimming close to the shore. It’s another great spot to pull up and chill out for the day. It’s also worth a walk up to the Sandy Cape lighthouse for stunning views.

Sandy Cape - great for fishing and boarding down those dunes!

8. Platypus Bay is one of our favourites (UPDATE - currently temporarily closed April 2021). An island paradise on the western side of Fraser Island. The beautiful white sand and clear blue water are a sight to see. Alas, it’s no longer recommended to swim off the beach here, no matter how clear and shallow the water is. The arrival of Irukandji has resulted in several severe cases and it’s just not worth it - unless you are super keen and have stinger suits on. Platypus Bay is accessed via Orchid Beach.

Platypus Bay. However, it’s not recommended you swim here anymore due to the arrival of Irukandji jelly fish.

9. It’s not all about the beaches and lakes. Fraser Island also have stunning rainforests to explore and our favourite is the ‘Valley of the Giants’. Some of these trees are thousands of years old and they are huge. It’s a really great scenic drive through this area with many different varieties of trees and wildlife. There are also walking tracks all over the island with ‘walkers campsites’ in a few different locations.

10. The Western Beaches. As well as Platypus Bay, Awinya Creek and Wathumba are also up there with our favourites. Drive to Woralie Creek and drive up the beach to Awinya Creek. The water is usually calm, the sand is soft and white and it’ a great spot for a day trip and/or a lazy fish. The fresh water tannin-stained Awinya Creek is nearby so you’ve got the best of both worlds for swimming.

There are so many more places to visit on Fraser Island. We’ve been there so many times now and every time we visit we manage to find something new we haven’t seen before.

Central Station is also a great place to visit on the island. You’ll find out a lot about the island’s history and there’s a great little bushwalk to stretch the legs. There are picnic tables and flushing toilets, making it a great place to stop for a break or lunch.

Lake Allom is a dark tea tree lake filled with little turtles (also great for swimming). Lake Boomajin is another safe lake to swim in. The water is a rich, clear amber colour and quite shallow for a long way out. Ocean Lake is a tea tree lake not far from Orchid Beach. It has a rope swing which the kids always spend hours on!

SUP’ing on Lake Allom which is also filled with hundreds of little turtles. If you stay still and quiet for long enough, they will swim right up to the water’s edge and you will see them poke their heads above the water.

Lake Boomanjin - a clear, dark, amber colour.

Another way to see the island is from above. Air Fraser offer short flights off the beach and run all day most days. Just turn up and book your spot.

As well as the shop at Cathedral Beach, you can stock up on supplies at Orchid Beach, Happy Valley and Eurong. Eurong also have an excellent bakery where you can get everything from freshly baked bread to pies, sausage rolls, jam doughnuts and sandwiches.

Happy Valley have a pub and bistro and we’ve been there many times for lunch.

Fuel is available at each location.

Kingfisher Bay Resort have a separate pool and bistro for campers or people just day-tripping to the island. It’s a nice break if you’re on the island for a while, but give us the freshwater lakes over a swimming pool any day!

A note about dingoes:

Fraser Island is home to Australia’s most pure bred dingoes. They are a wild animal and it is so important you keep away from them and absolutely do not feed them. Unfortunately, there have been a few dingo attacks over the years and sadly, some of them have been fatal. Keep your children close to you and do not let them out of your sight. Small children are an easy target for dingoes and once an adult (the alpha) walks away, a dingo will sometimes make a move. We have seen it happen! If you see a dingo do not run away, stand your ground and shout! Often this is enough to scare them away. Also, don’t be tempted to go for a run along the beach alone – this has also been a magnet for dingoes in the past.

Fraser Island is home to Australia most pure breed of dingo.

Make sure food is packed away securely and not left out. Pack food inside a plastic box inside your tent or in your car and remember to move your rubbish bin at night. They are scavengers and quite often come around looking for food!

It’s not all bad, humans and dingoes should be able to co-exist in relative harmony on Fraser Island. You just need to know how to protect yourself and your family. Some people prefer to stay in the fenced off campgrounds so they can relax with the kids without the worry of dingoes about. Our kids are a little older now, so we prefer to camp out in the open. However, whenever we arrive on the island, we always do a ‘dingo drill’ with the kids so they are prepared!

How to get to Fraser Island –

There are two options for getting to Fraser Island in your own car or hire vehicle. You can take the Manta Ray Barge from Inskip Point or the barge from Hervey Bay. We usually take the barge from Inskip Point as it’s closer to Brisbane and is best if you are camping along the east coast. Payment is paid at time of passage and expect to pay around $150 return per car or $230 return if you are towing a trailer or caravan.

If you don’t want to self-drive, there are many tour companies that provide action packed day trips and tours (including tag along tours) to Fraser Island. These tours depart from Kingfisher Bay Resort, Eurong Beach Resort and mainland Rainbow Beach and Hervey Bay.

Vehicle access permits are required for all vehicles on the island. Camping Permits are also required in advance for camping - https://parks.des.qld.gov.au/parks/fraser/camping.html or do so over the counter at Rainbow Beach Tourist Information Centre or at Hervey Bay Visitor Information Centre.

Please consider the tides when planning your driving on the island. We have seen quite a few cars come to grief over the years. There will only be certain times of the day that you will be able to get along the beach to some areas and if it’s a full moon tide, that can also have a big affect on your trip. One year we were stuck at our camp until around midday each day - not great when all you want to do is explore!

This new model Discovery got stuck on the rocks at high tide!

Be sure to let the air out of your tyres before you exit the bitumen at Inskip Point. It will vary for all vehicles and will also depend on how soft the sand is. We usually let the tyres on our cruiser down to about 20-25psi (have had to let them down to 12psi on occasion when it was super soft) and our caravan down to about 25-30psi. Everyone has a different opinion on this and it depends on specific type of vehicle you own and what you’re towing!

With a caravan, we don’t recommend you go past Dundubara for a camping spot as you’ll quite likely get stuck on the inland track. Each to their own though! There are many other beautiful camping spots beyond this point and we’ve seen a caravan or two at Waddy Point and camper trailers as far as Sandy Cape!

We usually stop at the Rainbow Beach 4wd Underbody and Complete Car Wash on the return journey to get the bulk of the sand and salt out of the undercarriage and to also re-inflate the tyres. Of course, we give everything a good go when we get home too!

Hope you enjoy this beautiful island as much as we do! Please be mindful of your rubbish and make sure you dump it at the numerous rubbish collection points on the island. Also, please think about using environmentally friendly sunscreen and repellents when swimming in the beautiful freshwater lakes. It would be great if the island’s eco-system could continue to prosper.

Happy travels!