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How to spend 1 week on Fraser Island (K'Gari)

  • carlyeaston17
  • Apr 3, 2022
  • 11 min read

Fraser Island is a world heritage listed island along the east coast of Australia and is also known as one of the largest sand islands in the world! This is our Second time visiting Fraser Island each time we have stayed for a week...... so let me show you the best way to spend your time on this amazing island.

How to get to Fraser Island - We have only ever Caught the barge from river heads in hervey Bay but you can also go from InSkip which is closer to Noosa by only 20 Minutes.

The Return Ferry for our 4wd this time around cost us $209.00 for 2 adults and takes roughly 45 minutes to get to either Kingfisher Resort Or the Wanggoolba Drop off. We have done both and we cannot see why one is better than the other. This time it was nice to leave from Kingfisher at 10:30am as we went and had an all you can eat breakfast buffet at the resort before we left.

Where to Camp - Fraser Island has so many different options of where you can stay in either the resort, Camping to renting an Airbnb in Orchid Beach. We have always just camped as that is what we love doing when on an Island.

You have kingfisher and Eurong Resort that you can stay at if you are after something a little more relaxing.

Camping is available on the Eastern Beach, Central Station, Waddy Point , Western Beaches and Sandy Cape!

Houses are for rent over the island too so make sure you check out Airbnb for other accommodation.

Fenced area's if you are worried of Dingos are situated at the Central station campground, Dundubara Campground, Waddy Point Campground, Lake Mckenzie picnic area, Cathedrals Campground and Dilli Village.

Places to Visit on the Island - Fraser Island has so many things to see and with it being the largest sand island in the world if you are not staying for long you most probably won't see it all!

Lake McKenzie - which is a perched lake meaning only rainwater feeds this lake is the clearest water you will swim in with the whitest sand (Silica - being the same as Whitehaven Beach) Due to this being one of the most popular attractions you might want to get here early to beat crowds if want a peaceful swim.

Lake Wabby - A small freshwater Lake which is the most beautiful emerald green colour is a stunning lake which is 1 km hike down and up a sand dune to get to. you can swim in this lake but be aware the sandblow that surrounds this lake is slowly moving into the water so they say that one day soon this lake won't exist any longer.

Eli Creek - The largest creek on the eastern beach of Fraser Island which pours up to 4 million litres of fresh water into the ocean every hour! this is the perfect spot to blow up the floaty and float down admiring the scenery around you. This spot is also very popular so early morning or late afternoon tide depending would be preferable.

Champagne Pools - This beautiful spot is close to Waddy Point Campground which is why it's one of our Favs as we don't have to drive far. Another attraction that if you don't like crowds go early or late afternoon and check tides, if you want the real bubbles mid to high tide would be better but if you like it calm just go at low tide.

Waddy Point Lagoon - This isn't an actual attraction but out front of Waddy Point is the perfect lagoon for you to have a nice calm swim and for kids to swim without the worry of waves. it's one of our fav spots for an afternoon swim as you watch the sunset.

Maheno Wreck - This Shipwreck that is known for fraser Island is situated on the Eastern Beach near Eli Creek and perfect for a shot or to just stop off and check it out.

Red Canyon - Is also situated on the Eastern Beach and are these beautiful colour rocks that line the coastline. Definitely worth the stop to checkout.

Sandy Cape - This spot is for your real 4wd Action readers who are up for conquering Ngkala Rocks and once you do your on the home stretch to the cape. you can either camp up here or just do a day trip and visit the Lighthouse which is a 4.8km return steep grade hike.

Pile Valley - Where the rainforest meets the sea. This section of the inland tracks are stunning and lined with palm trees and giant Santinay trees. The significance of Pile valley was recognised in 1937 when it was declared a beauty spot.

Central Station - More Rainforest settings and old logging machinery that you can check out this fenced area is safe to stop for lunch or stay overnight in the campground

Our Itinerary - We know everyone is different and people won't have as much time but below I will outline what our days looked like and when we went to the attractions.

Day 1 - Arrived to Camp on an hour and half of high tide going out, drove to camp which took us 2 and half hours from getting off the barge at Kingfisher and arriving at Waddy Point Beach Camp. Please note the beach camp is not fenced, the campground above the beach is fenced if you are worried about dingos. this campground has toilets and Showers and you can have fires in the fire rings only. We set up camp and went down to the beach for a swim and fish ( Great fishing off the beach at Waddy Point) Went back to camp to cook dinner, spray ourselves in Bushmans and crash for the night in the rooftop tent.


Day 2 - Woke up early and hung around camp until 10:00 am until high tide went down and we could drive on the beach. Once we could drive on the beach we decided to head to the Cape to check out the lighthouse so we left around 12pm. We got to Ngkala rocks and there was quite a line up to cross and get up over the super soft sand. Be sure to let your tyres down to help you in the soft sand or have some maxtraxs if you need them. Also note that you cannot come back across anytime after 6pm as the turtles use this area to cross. We made it past the rocks and we got to the cape around 1:30pm... yep it's quite a drive and with fuel being $3.06 a litre when we were there it might not be a cheap trip for you. we parked up on the beach in front of where you leave for the lighthouse and started the hike, we were the only ones at the top in the end and by the time we made it back down it was 3:00 pm so after a quick swim and kurt letting the tyres down a little more as the sand going back looks more difficult than coming over we were off. we made it back to camp by 5:00pm had a fish off the beach chilled before cooking dinner and crashing for another night.


Day 3 - This morning we decided that we didn't want to wait around for the tide and in front of the lagoon at Waddy point you can park up on the sand and swim while waiting for the high tide to start going out so we packed everything up when down the beach at 6am and set up for the morning. Kurt fished all morning, i made coffee's and Waffles for breakfast we had a few naps and swims and then all of a sudden it was 3pm, we made a beeline for Champagne pools as we wanted to go in the afternoon when the crowds were less. We got to the pools and a fair few people were packing up and leaving and right at the end it was only us.low tide meant for calm float and we packed up and made our way back to camp on the way stopping at the fenced rubbish station to drop our rubbish off. Once again made Dinner, and got in the rooftop before the Mosquitos could carry us away.

Day 4- This morning we decided to go back to the beach first thing and have breakfast again and a fish off the beach until the tide when down enough for us to make the drive back to Eli Creek on the Eastern Side. we left an hour or so after high tide hit and to be honest we were soft sand driving for a little bit and having to race the waves but you could wait longer if needed. it took us roughly 45 minutes to drive from Waddy point to Eli creek. We finally made it and boy it was busy already at 11:30am. We got the last spot to pull up next to the creek so we set the awning up, blew up the floaties and went for a dip. We stayed for a good 4 hours as I wanted to wait for the crowd to go away before I took some pictures. be warned tour buses start coming from 1:00pm to 2:30pm so it gets pretty busy. Bring bushmans as the march flies are really bad. After leaving Eli creek we stopped at Maheno wreck to get some shots and the light at 4:00pm was perfect and alot less busy too. We made it back to camp to cook some fish tacos, relax before the sun went down and crawled into bed.

Day 5 - Now this morning we had to wake up super early as we wanted to leave our camp on low tide as we wouldn't be coming back to this camp we were now going to be staying over the western side. We left camp at 5:30am which was top of low tide and it took us an easy 45 minutes from Waddy Point to the Woralie Creek entry on the Eastern Beach side. the inland track to Woralie was challenging in some areas and easy in others but just take your time. it took us another 45 minutes on the inland track to reach the entry to Woralie creek. We took this track as there isn't a creek crossing to get to the beach like there is at Awinya Creek. Once we reached the beach we pulled up found our camp out of the 4 campsite available (only 5 campsites in total) and set up for the day. One thing we noticed straight away was Darren the Dingo sniffing around and he was a lot more confident coming up to humans which made me really nervous so watch children.

We pretty much just swam, fished, slept, ate and went for a drive up towards Awinya creek for the day and then came back to watch the most epic sunset and eat a cheese platter for dinner. Note there are no amenities at Woralie creek so they ask you to bring your own toilet.


Day 6 - We had to leave Woralie Creek Early again to make it up the beach before High tide and make our way inland for our last night. It took us a little longer coming back through the track, roughly 1 hour from woralie creek to the Eastern Beach. It then took us another 30- 45 minutes up the beach with easy driving on low tide to reach the central lakes inland track as I wanted to visit Lake Wabby and Lake Mackenzie along with Pile Valley before making our way to camp at Central Station. We chose to stay at Central Station for the night as it was closer to kingfisher for our Barge the next day. We aren't going to lie the central lakes track is pretty crap! it takes a while to get to a place so leave a bit of time. We made our way to Lake Wabby first and only spent about 30 minutes taking in the view before taking off again to Lake Mackenzie, which in hindsight when we got there at lunch time was the worst time to visit as we only just got the last car park and it was sooooooooo busy! we hung out for a while but then decided we would come back in the morning when no one is around as central station is super close to the lake.

We were starving by this point and we get pretty hangry if we don't eat so we went to our campsite and set up a few things cooked lunch had a chill and then headed back down the road (10 minutes) to Pile Valley to check out the Giants of the rainforest. After going for a walk and getting some photos it was time to head back to camp where we decided on Pancakes for Dinner lol and an early bedtime for us as it was such a big day of driving.

Day 7 - After Deciding to get up and go to Lake Mackenzie super early we packed everything away the night before so all we had to do was pull the rooftop down and head off. We got to the lake around 6:45am with not a soul in sight. This was the most tranquil time, the birds were chirping not a breath of wind and the lake looked like a mirror. it was actually quite warm to swim in and you come out feeling so clean and refreshed. We made our way to kingfisher resort from Lake Mackenzie which took us roughly 40 minutes just in time for a buffet breakfast $30pp at the resort before driving the car over to the car wash and giving max a good wash ($5 for 6 minutes) before jumping on the barge!

I was super happy with how I planned this trip out ,we got to see and do everything we wanted as well as relax and take it all in with some slow mornings and early nights.

Things to Take - These are just a few items that we think everyone should take on their trip!

- Maxtrax - recovery gear

- Bushmans - Mosquito Coils

- Drinking Water 20-30 litres

- Camera

- Fishing Gear , even if you are a beginner

- Floaties

- Sunscreen

- After Sun Spray

- Warm Clothes , the nights can catch you off guard

- Secure Rubbish bag , you will need something that Dingos can not get to. ( they can still get the spare tyre bags apparently according to the rangers)

- Hammock

- Hats

- Toilet Paper - incase the rangers have not stocked the toilets

- Gold Coins if you want a shower


Things to Note -

- Check your tide times before going anywhere (Click link for table )

- Get your copy of a map at the visitor centre at kingfisher or download it on your phone before going

- Book your Beach driving permit before leaving

- Ensure all camping is booked prior as it can get booked up

- Print your camping tags before you leave so the rangers can see when you are out for the day.

- Check the Weather so you know what you are in for.

- There are shops on the island so you can stock up but remember the prices will be alot more on the island.

- Fuel is available on the island but it is very expensive, $3.06 litre when we were there. we were lucky we had a long range tank and didn't need to fill up for the whole week, but if you can carry a few Jerry cans that would be the smart way to not have to pay those prices.

- Dingos are everywhere so keep an eye on all your children, put food away and carry a stick if you are walking. If they approach you, parks advise you stand up to them and stare them in the eye and they will back away. They more so come out at night so if you are not in a fenced area be aware of your surroundings and look for the green eyes in the dark.

- There are a few Rubbish Refuges over the island so when you can throw your rubbish away so your gear doesn't smell and attract the Dingos.

- If you see any rubbish on the island please help and pick it up so we can keep this part of Australia Beautiful and we can all enjoy it and visit for many years in the future.

- Let your tyres down, we run them at around 15-18 psi the whole time on the island and Kurt drops them a little more when we go to cape just to get over the soft sand.


PLEASE SEE BELOW MAP OF FRASER ISLAND TO HELP YOU PLAN YOUR TRIP!


We hope our week on Fraser island has made you want to jump on the barge and head over to see its beauty for yourselves. if you have any questions please reach out as we are happy to help!


If this has been of great help to you we would appreciate a share and a comment to let us know.


As usual Travel Safe xx


Kurt and Carly


 
 
 

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