#23 Fraser Island

With an area of 1840 square kilometers, it is the largest sand island in the world. It is located about 190 kilometers north of Brisbane off the east coast of Australia. In the language of the Aboriginal people it is called K'gari, which means "paradise". The island has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1992.

Fraser Island is 124 kilometers long and an average of 15 kilometers wide. [...] On the east coast of the island is the 75 Mile Beach. It is considered an official highway, is accessible by four-wheel drive vehicles, and also serves as an airport for small planes.

Source: Wikipedia

During our trip, people repeatedly told us that a visit to Fraser Island is an absolute must. After all, it is the largest sand island in the world, with even a rainforest and various freshwater lakes and rivers.

On the island, one can only get around with a four-wheel drive vehicle (also called 4wd or awd), and the beach is used as a highway. There are also official road signs, which was a strange sight.

We booked a tour on February 10th at the tourist information center in Noosa for the following day. Originally, we wanted to drive in a smaller 7-seater 4wd, because we thought a smaller car would be more exciting than a bus, but unfortunately these tours were fully booked well in advance.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, we were picked up by a specially converted Unimog with 25 seats. Our group consisted of about 15 people.

Max, our bus driver, who reminded me a lot of Crocodile Dundee, drove us about 1.5 hours to Rainbow Beach. On site, he let the air out of the tires on the asphalt so that he would have better grip in the loose deep sand on the island. Then we went to the ferry, which was already waiting for us. The crossing was quite quick (less than 5 minutes), and you can even see the island from Rainbow Beach.

Once we arrived on the other side, it quickly became clear to us that we hadn't booked a boring bus ride. Max left all the other 4wds behind with the bus. We sped down the overtaking lane towards Lake Birrabeen, one of the many freshwater lakes on the island. While we were looking at it and strolling through the water, Max prepared coffee, tea, and cookies for us.

For a change, we tried to take pictures without sunglasses. I noticed that we almost always have our sunglasses on in all the pictures, and that's somehow silly. But the Australian sun is so strong that you can hardly keep your eyes open. I managed to do it for a short time, but Meykel didn't. And that's why I find the following pictures so funny.

After a while, we continued our journey into the dense rainforest, along roads that shook us up quite a bit. When we arrived at the "Central Station", Max prepared the BBQ. Chilled drinks including beer and wine were also available :-)

While the food was cooking, we had the time to take a walk through the rainforest along the Wanggoolba Creek. The water in the river is so clear that you can hardly see it. At first, I thought the riverbed was dry, from a distance you couldn't see any water in it at all. See for yourself:

The rivers and lakes on Fraser Island are created by rainwater that is filtered through the sand. As a result, it even has drinking water quality and is super clear.

Back at the picnic area, we were served steaks, sausages, and other delicious side dishes.

Then we continued to the wreck of the Maheno.

"In 1935, the former luxury liner S.S. Maheno ran aground on the east coast of the island during an unseasonal cyclone. The Maheno was to be scrapped in Japan and was being towed there by a smaller ship. In order to reduce drag, the Maheno's propellers and rudder were removed, making it unable to maneuver in the storm. Attempts to free the stranded ship failed. In the early years, the Maheno was used by the island's residents for weddings and celebrations, among other things."

Source: Wikipedia

We stopped here only for a few minutes to take pictures.

The second to last stop was at Eli Creek. We walked a few hundred meters up this narrow, waist-deep river and let ourselves float back down in the crystal clear water.

Many people bring a swim ring here and let the current carry them away. Just like these three guys, who chilled out in the cool water with beer and chips.

Meykel casually floated about a meter past a dingo, which was peacefully grazing on grass by the shore and was unfazed by our presence. The people on the island have been accustomed to the dingoes for decades, but it's important to remember that they are wild and dangerous animals and that you should actually keep your distance from them.

At Eli Creek, Max served coffee and Australian lamingtons. No one was hungry on this tour.

The last stop on the list was Rainbow Beach again. Max showed us the cliffs, which look like a rainbow due to the different colors of sand.

Around 6:00 p.m., Max dropped us off in Noosa again.

Our conclusion: We really liked the island and the trip with Max was very informative and exciting. The bus rides were unexpectedly wild and we were shaken up for hours. Nevertheless, or maybe because of that, it was a very great day.

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