Fraser Island was the first adventure I had on my 8-month trip. I first heard of it from a friend of mine who had been there. Another friend of mine had recommended it exploring it on a 4×4 tour, so I was intrigued. Fraser Island is really unique place; it’s basically an enormous sand dune (100 km long!) with lush rainforest, white sand, lots crystal clear freshwater lakes, lots of wildlife and even wild dingos.
I flew into Brisbane and hung out with a friend I met in New Zealand a few years before, then took a bus farther north into Queensland where I caught a boat ride over to the island.
Here are a few links if you want to research it further:
https://www.fraserisland.net/
https://www.australia.com/en-ca/places/brisbane-and-surrounds/guide-to-fraser-island.html
Most people explore the island in 4×4 vehicles but that’s not my thing, so I hiked to McKenzie Lake in the middle of the island and used it as a base to walk around for a few days. Although I only saw a small part of the island, I was really impressed and would like to go back and explore more of it. Lake McKenzie was an awesome place to camp. The sand is almost a pure, almost impossibly white and the water is a clear blue. It was really refreshing to swim and get out of the humid heat. It is an oasis in the middle of the island and worth lingering for a few days. Just make sure to wear sunscreen! If you are a pale ginger like me, you will burn in no time as I learned the hard way.
The campsite has a fence and food lockers to keep out dingos as well as a toilet block. The lake is accessible by 4×4, so don’t expect to have it to yourself but having said that, there was lots of room on the beach to get some privacy.
Just a little tip…if you use one of the outhouses, make sure you check it for critters before you do your business. There was a massive, scary looking tarantula hanging out on the toilet dispenser in one of them. Good thing I saw it before I went in! I wish I had the nerve to go back to take a picture but I didn’t want to push my luck.
From the lake campsite, there are lots of trails to explore the rainforest and head east towards the coast. I only scratched the surface but it’s a huge island with lots to explore.
