The most unique 4×4 adventure destination and largest sand island on earth lies off the sunny Queensland coast and should be top of your list if you love remote camping, fishing & off road driving.
K’gari (Fraser Island) is UNESCO world heritage listed and belongs to the Great Sandy National Park filled with sand highways, wild beaches, jaw-dropping lakes, thriving dense rainforests and rushing creeks just waiting for you to explore. The name K’gari is derived from the Aboriginal dreamtime and translates to ‘paradise’ in the local Butchulla language and they were not wrong in naming this island oasis.
K’gari is wild and continuously changing, mostly due to the extreme tides and each time we’ve experienced something different.
☼ K’gari Must See’s ☼
☼ EAST COAST ☼
rugged and wild. sand highways.
S.S Maheno shipwreck: washed ashore from a cyclone and now the islands most iconic landmark.
Eli Creek: bring a floaty and walk up the boardwalk before floating your way down the natural lazy river back to the beach.
Red Canyon: another natural attraction on the island are these striking red sand cliffs.
The Pinnacles: located on the sand highway known as 75 mile beach is where you’ll find the coloured sand cliffs
Indian Head: a lookout and great place to spot sharks, turtles and whales when in season.
Champagne Pools: naturally formed tidal rock pools that turns into ‘champagne’ when the waves bubble over the rock wall.
Orchid Beach: a mecca for boating, fishing, swimming & a popular place to spot wild dingoes
☼ WEST COAST ☼
pristine perfect. creek crossings. a world away.
Awinya creek. Bowral. Wathumba. Kingfisher Bay. Fishing. Sea turtles. Whale watching.
☼ THE MIDDLE ☼
dense rainforest. emerald lakes. sand dunes.
Lake Mackenzie. Central Station. Hammerstone sandblow. Lake Wabby. Lake Birrabeen. Lake Allom & the resident turtles. Lake Boomanjin.
☼ SANDY CAPE ☼
absolutely worth the hype. bluest water. whitest sand. absolute remoteness.
A challenge to get there, you’ll be tackling the infamous N’gkala Rocks & the tides to make it to this camping spot in time. Sandy Cape lighthouse. Sand dunes. Where the ocean meets the calmer waters.
☼ How to get there ☼
There are two car ferry’s that will get you to the island, the Manta Ray Barge from Inskip Point (near Rainbow Beach) takes you to Hook Point, the southernmost point of Fraser Island. The trip takes approx. 10 minutes and runs daily between 6am til 5pm. Prices vary so check the website. The other is Sealink from Hervey Bay. The trip takes approx. 20 minutes and takes you to Kingfisher Bay or Wanggoolba Creek on the Western Side of the island.
☼ Must knows before you go ☼
Tides: the beaches on Fraser Island are completely tide dependent and should only be driven at low tide, or 2-hours either side. Anything out of this and you are risking your car to rising salt water waves and soft dunes to get bogged in, especially when there is a king tide. The tides also affect the creek crossings on the island. Too high and you risk flooding your engine. Allow plenty of time on your driving days and know the tides! Print a tide chart before you go.
Passes & Permits: A vehicle access permit is required to drive on Fraser and needs to be purchased online before you go. Print this out and put on your vehicles dash for the park rangers.
Camping: It’s also recommended to book all of your campsites before going to the island as phone reception is limited. Check the weather (including the winds) before you go to pick the best camp spots for the conditions. Camp tags should also be printed or saved on your phone to show the park rangers.
Dingo safety: Dingo’s are wild animals and should not be approached. Always keep food and rubbish bins locked away or high above ground to avoid enticing them into camp and rummaging through your food.
Water and fuel: It’s recommended to bring multiple water drums and enough drinking water for your stay. Drinking water is available on the island at Eurong, Kingfisher, Orchid Beach and Happy Valley however these places are generally not near your camp spot. Fuel is expensive on the island but is available from Eurong, Happy Valley, Kingfisher and Orchid Beach.
FWD musts: Ensure to bring a tyre pressure gauge and recovery gear including maxtraxs, shovel and snatch straps. Walkie-talkies are a must and a great way to communicate when travelling in a group as reception is sparse.
☼ Camping ☼
The main attraction of K’gari is the freedom of camping at the many beautiful spots around the island. When booking, you don’t pick a set camp site but a zone where you can choose your own spot within that zone when you arrive. Some camping spots are fenced for dingo safety, have toilet ammenities or are completely off-grid where you need to be fully self-sufficient. Please note that fires are prohibited on K’gari.
Our favourite spots to camp are the West Coast and Sandy Cape. We found the East Coast to be open to the elements and there is absolutely no swimming in the ocean as the seas are super rough however still good for beach fishing and camping close to the sights such as Eli Creek, Maheno and the Pinnacles.
the sun setting over the ocean on the west coast is hard to beat.
A guide to the beach camping zones
Beach Camping Zone 1, 2, 3 & 4 – East Coast. Personally I wouldn’t book these zones unless you are wanting to be close to the township of Eurong or are getting on the island late or wanting the first barge off in the morning. Nothing wrong with the campsites and still good options if you choose, they just aren’t the highlight campgrounds of Fraser.
#1 Dilli Village and Eurong: Closest to the barge at Hook Point.
#2 Eurong to Poyungan Rocks: closest to Eurong & Poyungan Rocks.
#3 Poyungan Rocks to Happy Valley: close to Yidney rocks and Happy Valley.
#4 Happy Valley to Eli Creek: South side of the creek crossing to Eli Creek so check tides if wanting to visit Eli from the campground.
Beach Camping Zone 5, 6, 7, 8 – East Coast
#5 Eli Creek to the Pinnacles: Best for Eli Creek, the Pinnacles & Maheno Wreck. Choose between Maheno and Wahbah.
#6 The Pinnacles to Dundubara: Close to the Pinnacles & Red Canyon. Choose between Eugarie, Yurru and Guruman.
#7 Dundubara to Indian Head: Close to Indian Head & Champagne pools. Choose between Wyuna and Burad.
#8 Waddy Point to Ngkala Rocks: Best for Orchid Beach, Waddy Point and Ngkala Rocks. Choose between Marloo, Ocean Lake and Duling.
Beach Camping Zone 9 – Sandy Cape
#9 Browns Rocks to Sandy Cape. Choose from Diray or Carree.
Whilst very remote, Sandy Cape is completely worth the hype and is even better if you have a tinny or boat. Best for Sandy Cape Lighthouse, fishing and remoteness. Camping spots are limited so book in advance and ensure you leave enough time for the tides as this spot gets completely cut off 2 hours outside of the low tide.
Central Station (fenced): in the middle of the rainforest and great for a non-beach camp spot. Close to Lake Mackenzie
West Coast Beach Camping
Choose between Woralie creek, Bowarrady Creek, Awinya Creek, Bowal Creek, Wathumba
The west coast is our favourite place to camp on K’gari. Allow plenty of time to drive the cross island track. There are many camp spots to chose from along the west coast with some getting cut off at the high tide due to the creek crossings (which makes it all the more magical). Again, the west coast is even better if you have a tinny or boat. Great place for beach camping, fishing, swimming and marine life watching like turtles, whales and sharks!
☼ Best time of year to visit ☼
Summer in Australia can be harsh and Fraser Island is no exception. From November to March, the harsh summer sun is joined by biting sandflies & the possibility of Irkandji, a deadly jellyfish that’s sting can kill. It’s also cyclone season for Queensland. Personally, we think the shoulder seasons are best. You’ll still find beautiful warm days yet cooler and more comfortable nights, especially when camping. Across winter from June and into September is also a lovely time of year for whale watching as they swim off the coast during migration.
Our biggest advice would be to avoid the school holidays, including NSW and Queensland. The island gets incredibly busy!
☼ How long to go for ☼
K’gari is a lot bigger than most anticipate. Due to the tides and road conditions with driving on beaches, through river crossings, rainforests, over sand and rock bypasses, you really need to allow as much time as possible on your travelling days, especially if travelling between the East and West Coast and Sandy Cape. With that, I think at least 7 days is required as a minimum to really get an insight of K’gari, allowing 2 days relaxing on the west coast, 2 days exploring the rain forest drives and the lakes (such as lake Mackenzie), 1 day on the east coast and 2 days at Sandy Cape.
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 