Five Favourite Things about Fraser Island

At the beginning of January I travelled to Noosa to do my three days on Fraser Islands with Nomad Tours.

Even before I came to Australia I knew Fraser Island was definitely something I wanted to do. Everyone that I knew that had been to Aus had said Fraser Island and the Whitsundays are incredible. So it was only right I did it too.

These are my five favourite things about Fraser Island

 

4×4 Driving

This was something I had never done before. Growing up in the countryside of England, beach driving isn’t something you really get to experience. Unfortunately I hadn’t had my licence long enough to actually drive one of the 4×4, but that was probably a good thing (didn’t want to be responsible for killing people..). The beach driving was so different to driving I had seen before, one minute it’s so smooth, then you’re crashing through puddles and jumping across the dunes.

Nomads 4×4

 

Lake McKenzie (Boorangoora)

Wow, where do I even begin with Lake McKenzie? It is a fresh water lake on the worlds biggest sand island. The water is completely clear, and because it’s fresh water, it means you can open your eyes. I have never seen a sight as beautiful as Lake McKenzie. My pictures don’t even do it justice and I would kill to be back there now. The sands around the lake are composed or pure, white silica and the water in the lake is also so pure that it is unsuitable for many species.

Lake McKenzie

 

SS Maheno Shipwreck

The SS Maheno was an ocean liner that was washed ashore on Fraser Island by a cyclone in 1935, and has remained as a wreckage ever since. Over the years the wreckage has sunk further beneath the beach, and just the top remains. However it’s an incredible sight. In its time, it was the second largest ship after the Titanic.

Team Nomads next to the wreckage

 

Dingoes

Unfortunately we weren’t able to see any, but we did hear them. A couple of us went down to the beach at night to stargaze, and we could feel we were being watched by the dingoes from the dunes. Even if you keep completely still and silent, they know you’re there, so its unlikely they’ll come near you (unless you leave food out then they’ll probably do anything to get that off you)

google images (not my image)

Peacefullness

Although I was with a group of about 20 people, you’ll be surprised at how peaceful the island really is. Especially as it is 250km long, if you did go in a small group then there is definitely stretches of beach where you won’t find any other people. This is something I probably loved the most. Even moreso when you go up Indian Head and can sometimes see the sharks in the water if it’s calm enough.

view over Indian Head

 

There’s probably so much more I can say about Fraser Island, but the title says ‘five favourites things’ (mainly because it rhymed better than 6).

I would highly recommend doing Fraser Island as part of your East Coast trip. Although it can be pricey, it is definitely worth it, and something I would love to do again.

 

around the world in endless days