Fraser
Island Pictures
Australia Beaches
Fraser Island, a typical track.
200
miles north of Brisbane, Fraser Island is accessible mainly from Hervey
Bay by ferry, taking around an hour, but also from Rainbow Beach or
Noosa.
Many visitors bring 4WD vehicles with them or rent them on the island.
There are no hard roads on Fraser, mostly bumpy, deep sand tracks
winding through the trees (as in the above picture) or long straight,
flat stretches on the wide eastern beaches.
Possible accommodation on the island ranges from camping, through
simple timber lodges up to a couple of pricey resorts.
Tree huggers be warned, exciting trunk alert, Central Station.
Walking a forest track from Central Station. Nice in a group, but better a deux.
Central Station, the loggers old home and now focus of forest walks. More Fraser Island.
Fraser Island beaches are huge - especially 75 Mile Beach (which is, in fact, 58 miles long!), but swimming is discouraged as the Tiger sharks are hungry and the riptides are mean. However, swimming in the spectacular freshwater lakes of McKenzie and Birabeen is incredible and the powder white sand is awesome. Local myths claim you come out of the water ten years younger but we'd like to know what happens to 9-year olds.
If salt is an essential part of your exercise diet then Champagne Pools offer safe tidal seawater for bathing.
Popular activities - apart from sunbathing, lake fooling and digging the motor out of sand drifts, are whale watching (August-Nov) fishing and walks in search of flora (amazing trees and ferns) and fauna (dingoes, wallabies, possums, turtles and snakes).
This island is remarkable and stunning in the right places, just try not to go there on time-wasting day-trip.
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