One of the “must do’s” on the east coast of Australia is the world heritage listed Fraser Island. Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island containing giant sand dunes, ancient rainforests, crystal clear lakes, and amazing wildlife specifically Australia’s purest strain of the dingo. The island was sculpted by wind and created over hundreds of thousands of years by sand drifting off the east coast of mainland Australia. It is the only known place where rainforest grows from the sand.
We joined a 3-day tag-along tour from the beach town of Hervey Bay operated through The Palace Hostel. The tour cost about $400 including the $75 park entry fee, but not food, and consisted of 30 people divided among 5 4-wheel drive trucks giving everyone the opportunity to drive over the famous sand roads of the Island. We were guaranteed to see dingoes.
Our tag along 4-wheel drive and a sand road.
The tour and Island itself was breathtaking. Our first day we hiked through the rainforest with a crystal-clear river that was silent due to the river flowing smoothly over sand. We then took a sweltering hot hike through forest and then desert to end at Lake Wabby. We were all grateful to be able to strip down to our bathing suits and run into the cool emerald green waters.
The quite river, the water is so clear you can’t even see it.
The sand dunes before seeing the oasis of Lake Wabby.
The second day we visited the champagne pools, which are small pools of water safe for swimming on the side of the ocean. I forgot to mention, the ocean here may look nice but it is quite dangerous between the current, sharks, killer jellyfish, ocean snakes and breaking off sand masses. Basically, in Australia starting around the tropic of Capricorn the ocean is not a safe place to be adding ferocious sea crocodiles as you get further north. The afternoon, was spent floating down the risk free freshwater Eli Creek.
Champagne pools.
Stunning views of the dangerous ocean.
Eli Creek.
We spent our final day swimming at the spectacularly clear Lake McKenzie which holds more water than the Sydney Harbor.
Lake McKenzie and our fun Palace Tour Group!
The only problem with the tour was our accommodation. Our campground consisted of small tents that 4 people had to squeeze into with nothing but a yoga mat, one port-o-potty for 30 people and no shower! To make matters worse as soon as you left your tent you stepped ankle deep into sand which would not normally be too big of a deal but it happened to downpour both nights leaving your feet covered in wet sand that was impossible to get off.
Our tents.
Guess what I did not see, a dingo!
Journey with Christina 