Fraser Island.

Fraser Island is just off the coast of Hervey Bay in Queensland, about 3½ hours drive north of Brisbane, is World Heritage Listed, is the largest sand island in the world and is the only place on the planet where rainforest grows on sand!

Over 120 kilometres long and 30 kilometres across at its widest point, the Island has developed over 800,000 years and is a unique natural environment.

Fraser Island is a place of outstanding natural beauty with its long uninterrupted white beaches flanked by strikingly coloured sand cliffs, and over 100 freshwater lakes, some a dark brown colour 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.

Approximately 600,000 tourists flock to Fraser Island each year to see its variety of beaches, its many lakes and creeks, towering rainforest, and native wildlife.

Guided eco tours by four-wheel drive vehicle are available from several operators based in the city of Hervey Bay but many visitors prefer to self-drive, in a four-wheel drive vehicle of their own, or in a hired one.

Three days is about the time most visitors find necessary to see all the tourist attractions, but there are also one day tours to the most popular spots for people unable to spend longer.

For those really pressed for time, a couple of hours spent in a light plane can give a bird's eye view of the island and the bay but it’s not the same as getting your feet into the sand or swimming in those crystal clear lakes.

Named 'K'gari' (meaning paradise) Fraser Island was home to the Butchulla people who lived on the island for over 5,500 years.

Their heritage is evident in archaeological sites, midden heaps, ceremonial bora rings, and stone implements.

European history credits Fraser Island's discovery to Captain James Cook and the island was named after Eliza Fraser in remembrance of her dramatic shipwreck.

The immense sand blows and cliffs of coloured sands on Fraser Island are part of the longest and most complete age sequence of coastal dune systems in the world and they are still evolving.

They are a continuous record of climatic and sea level changes over the last 700 000 years with the highest dunes on the island reaching up to 240 metres above sea level.

The Great Sandy Strait, separating Fraser Island from the mainland, is listed by the Convention on Wetlands as being of International Importance.

The wetlands include rare patterned ferns, mangrove colonies, sea-grass beds and up to 40,000 migratory shorebirds.

Rare, vulnerable or endangered species include dugong, turtles, ant-blue butterflies and eastern curlews.

Rich Aboriginal heritage and a colourful European history are integral to Fraser Island and this combination makes Fraser Island one of the most rare and mysterious features of Queensland’s coastline.

There has been some controversy of late about the wild dingoes that inhabit Fraser Island.

The 'Fraser Island' Dingo is believed to be the purest strain of Dingo in Australia; they roam the beaches, bushland and rainforest freely and have become quite accustomed to the presence of locals and the thousands of tourists.

The dingo is a scavenger and will act quickly to steal anything unguarded that smells like a bit of good tucker, particularly fish and its remains and with the numerous dingoes, the island's plentiful goannas and the odd crow, it certainly isn't advisable to leave food in the open or even inside your tent where the wildlife can get at it, you’ll come home to a wrecked campsite and an empty larder.....

In the past, I have often returned from a day's fishing to find a goanna or two searching inside my tent for anything that smells like food.

Fish offal must also be buried at least 30cm deep in the sand below high tide to discourage them from scavenging.

Dingoes are naturally lean looking, somewhat like a greyhound, so don't be fooled into thinking they are starving, they’re not, and they’re not particularly fussy about what they eat and will eat everything from berries to small animals.

It is illegal to feed the dingoes as this upsets the natural balance of the ecosystem where they should forage for their own food and the animals then tend to hang around campsites waiting for handouts.

There have been several attacks reported over the years and you should always respect the fact that though they may look friendly, they are still wild and you should keep your distance

These animals are wild dogs, if you leave them alone they won’t come near you but many tourists feel the need to feed them and that causes problems, not only for the tourists but also for the dingoes.

They are quite capable of getting their own food and it’s much healthier for them than table scraps or discarded fish heads.

NOW, when you come to visit us on Fraser Island you'll need somewhere to stay for a day or three won't you?

Well we've made that easy for you, just follow the link to find your Fraser Island accommodation, the prices, facilities, pictures and just about eveything else you could want to know.

Go there now and check it out.

Fraser Island's World Heritage listing ranks it with Australia's Uluru, Kakadu National Park and The Great Barrier Reef as a precious part of Australia's natural and cultural heritage, it is protected for you to appreciate and ……………enjoy,

John.

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