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Fraser Island, Qld March, 2016
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world and quite possibly the most beautiful. We took advantage of an excellent deal through Luxury Escapes and, with our neighbours, spent three nights at the Kingfisher Bay Resort on the west coast of the island. We had a wonderful time and only wish it could have been longer.
We got an early morning start to make the four hour drive north to River Heads where we left the car in the resort's secure car park and caught the ferry for the 40 minute ride across the Great Sandy Strait.
We got an early morning start to make the four hour drive north to River Heads where we left the car in the resort's secure car park and caught the ferry for the 40 minute ride across the Great Sandy Strait.
Fraser Island is World Heritage listed and stretches 123 kilometres in length and 22 kilometres at its widest point. Long white beaches are flanked by coloured sand cliffs and natural bushland. There are over 100 freshwater lakes, some tea-coloured and others clear and blue, all ringed by white sandy beaches. Ancient rainforests grow in sand along the banks of fast-flowing, crystal-clear creeks. It is popular with fishermen and campers, but our stay was a little more luxurious.
The Kingfisher Bay Resort blends beautifully with the surrounding environment. Our room was spacious and well-equipped. The view from our timber deck made us feel almost alone with nature. Wooden paths threaded through the grounds and the property was fenced to keep dingoes out. Despite the large numbers on the island, we did not see any, though we did see plenty of paw prints on the beach.
Many walking tracks are available ranging from a few kilometres to over 20 kilometres. The Fraser Island Great Walk is about 90 kilometres in its entirety. Our favourite track was the one that led down to the beach and jetty where we took our wine and cheese each afternoon to catch the sunset.
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A highlight of our stay was taking the Beauty Spots Day Tour from the resort - a trip I would highly recommend to see and learn more about the history and magical places of this amazing island. We travelled on Number 1 bus, Agathis, also known as the couch. Because the roads are very sandy, the ride was quite bumpy at times, but we were told by our guide, Martin that the other buses were far bumpier and not nearly as comfortable as Agathis. Agathis, a sturdy four wheel drive beast, was named after an evergreen tree of the island, commonly known as kauri or dammar.
Our first stop was Stonetool Sandblow, named after Aboriginal artefacts found in the area. The picture below explains how sandblows are formed.
Next we hit Seventy-Five Mile Beach, wide, white and sandy, running along the east coast of the island. This is actually a National Highway and landing strip for light aircraft, the speed limit is 80kph, and patrolling police vehicles enforce this.
We stopped for morning tea at Eli Creek, a spring fed, fast flowing creek that runs into the ocean and makes an ideal place to float down and leisurely enjoy the surrounding bush. The water is crystal clear and icily refreshing.
Fraser Island has claimed many ships. 23 wrecks have been recorded between 1856 and 1935. The Sterling Castle whilst enroute from Sydney to London struck a coral reef north of the island in 1836. Survivors included Captain James Fraser and his wife Eliza. The Captain, whom the island is named after, died, supposedly from a spear wound. Eliza was rescued about three months later, but because of her exaggerated accounts of her ordeal and conflicting accounts from others we don't have a true picture of what actually happened.
The Maheno, washed ashore in a cyclone in 1935, is probably the most famous of the island's wrecks. It stands, still somewhat majestic, in the sand washed by the Pacific Ocean. Its rusty colours against a blue and white backdrop make it a very popular photo stop.
The Maheno, washed ashore in a cyclone in 1935, is probably the most famous of the island's wrecks. It stands, still somewhat majestic, in the sand washed by the Pacific Ocean. Its rusty colours against a blue and white backdrop make it a very popular photo stop.
After a quick stop for lunch at Eurong Beach Resort we headed inland again to Central Station, the historic heart of Fraser Island on Wanggoolba Creek. Wanggoolba Creek was a Butchulla woman’s area and birthing place where men were excluded. This large clearing was later the headquarters of Fraser Island’s forestry operations from 1920 until the late 1950s. An old logging village of about 30 houses and a school was located here from days when tree felling was permitted. Today it is a lovely picnic area with mature Kauri Pines, Bunya Pines, Satinays and Flooded Gums that were planted 95 years ago to create a display botanical garden.
From Central Station we walked for about an hour through the Pile Valley, first following the clear waters of Wanggoolba Creek. The water was in fact so clear that it was hard to believe it was actually there. Many satinays stood in the Pile Valley. The massive trunks of these rough barked trees were once felled for use in heavy construction and telephone poles. They were also prized for marine piles once it was discovered that the bark was resistant to marine borer attacks. Satinay timber was used in the construction of the Suez Canal. |
Our next, and final, stop was the pinnacle of the day. Lake McKenzie is one of Fraser Island's 40 perched lakes and these lakes make up almost half the world's perched dune lakes. The lake bed acts like a mirror backing and reflects the colour of the sky, with parts appearing a lighter blue or even clear where the lake bed has been worn away by people paddling close to shore.
Lake McKenzie, like all perched lakes is full of rain drops. No stream or underground aquifer feeds into or flows out of the lake. The water is slightly acidic and the pure-silica sand is soft underfoot and so fine it is ideal for skin exfoliation. We scrubbed our bodies and scalp and hair till they felt silky smooth. We came out clean and glowing, and any jewellery we had on sparkled from its dipping. I wish I could do this once a week it felt so wonderful.
We didn't want to leave this picture perfect spot, but were consoled by a bottle of wine and another glorious sunset back at Kingfisher Bay.
The rest of our time was spent on short walks, lazing around the pool and spa, and eating. We enjoyed a free ranger-led bush tucker walk around the grounds one morning and I also tantalised my tastebuds with an afternoon talk and taste of bush tucker. The $20 cost for this was well worth it. The talk by a ranger (a descendent of the Butchulla people) and one of the restaurant's chefs was most interesting and entertaining, and the variety of foods we tried was excellent including emu, crocodile, kangaroo and many different nuts, berries, fruits and seeds.
The rest of our time was spent on short walks, lazing around the pool and spa, and eating. We enjoyed a free ranger-led bush tucker walk around the grounds one morning and I also tantalised my tastebuds with an afternoon talk and taste of bush tucker. The $20 cost for this was well worth it. The talk by a ranger (a descendent of the Butchulla people) and one of the restaurant's chefs was most interesting and entertaining, and the variety of foods we tried was excellent including emu, crocodile, kangaroo and many different nuts, berries, fruits and seeds.
If you have never been to Fraser Island, then go. It is a must see for Australians and foreigners alike. There are camping spots and a few low key resorts, but we couldn't fault where we stayed at Kingfisher Bay Resort. On our final evening, despite rain, we wandered down to the Jetty Bar and toasted our time with a final treat provided by the resort as part of our holiday package - a fine bottle of wine and a rather large cheese platter. We look forward to returning to Fraser Island another time.