An Island Named K’gari

Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world, stretching 122 kilometres along the eastern coast of Australia. Its immense sand dunes are part of the longest and most complete age sequence of coastal dune systems in the world. These dunes continue to evolve, shaped by processes like longshore drift.

Located approximately 300 kilometres north of the Queensland state capital, Brisbane, Fraser Island also has rainforests, lakes, beaches and wildlife. It is home to a significant number of dingoes, Australia’s wild dog. It was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1992 in recognition of the island’s internationally significant natural features.

Fraser Island was named after Captain James Fraser of the British ship Stirling Castle, which ran aground off the Queensland coast in 1836. Captain Fraser subsequently died on the island and gave it his name.

Last year the Queensland Government officially renamed Fraser Island ‘K’gari’ (pronounced gurrie and meaning ‘paradise’) after a decade of advocacy from the First Nations Butchulla people, who have called the island and adjacent lands home for at least 5,000 years. I have no issue with this but as I once lived on the Fraser Coast mainland it is difficult for me to think of the island as anything other than Fraser Island. Many businesses that serve the island seem to have the same problem, with both names being used interchangeably. To avoid confusion I shall refer to it simply as ‘the island’ where possible.

On the mainland opposite the centre of the island is Hervey Bay, a small coastal city famous for its whale watching activities. Hervey Bay has been dubbed the whale watching capital of Australia, but perhaps more significantly it has been recognised by the World Cetacean Alliance as one of the world’s first Whale Heritage Sites, together with The Bluff in South Africa.

During whale season between July and October, thousands of humpback whales make this area a stopover on their huge migratory journey between Antarctica and North Queensland, making sightings almost guaranteed.

Hervey Bay is also the main jumping off point for Fraser Island and one of two points from where ferries leave for the island. The River Heads ferry from Hervey Bay will get you to Kingfisher Bay or Wanggoolba Creek, both on the west coast of the island.

There is another ferry departure from Inskip Point near Rainbow Beach that takes you to Hook Point on the south coast of the island. The River Heads services take 30 to 45 minutes, the Inskip Point ferry ride takes 10 minutes. See map below courtesy of Fraser Tours.

When planning a trip to the Island in a vehicle, you need to organise a couple of permits. First, a vehicle access permit, which costs $57.80 for one month or less. If you’re planning to camp, whether in a tent or camper trailer, you’ll also need a camping permit – $7.25 per person per night or $29.00 per family per night. Don’t forget your ferry ticket – a return costs from $140 to $230 depending on the service you take. You must get your permits in advance and they can all be obtained online from the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

The island boasts over 250 kilometres of clear sandy beaches, uninterrupted ocean vistas, and strikingly coloured sand cliffs. Inland are remnants of tall rainforest growing on sandy dunes, something experts believe is not seen anywhere else in the world.

Fraser Island is popular for walking and driving but you can’t take a regular sedan car to the island, only 4WD vehicles are allowed because all the roads and tracks are formed from sand, except for a few paved roads at some resorts. You can hire 4WD vehicles in Hervey Bay and at the island’s Kingfisher Bay Resort, or you can join a tour.

The terrain is rough in places for both driving and walking so something of an adventurous spirit is required. There are several relatively short walking trails on the island but the king of them all is the Fraser Island Great Walk. This 8-day self-guided walk is the best way to experience all that the island has to offer, but it’s not for the faint-hearted. The trail takes you through rugged forests and along barren beaches and wild ocean.

You’ll encounter massive trees, some over six metres wide and more than 1,000 years old. The Great Walk covers approximately 90 kilometres from south to north, making it the longest trail on the island.

Fraser Island is home to half of the world’s perched freshwater dune lakes. These lakes, formed on top of the sand dunes, contribute to the island’s spectacular and varied landscape. Beneath the island lies the world’s largest unconfined aquifer on a sand island, a unique hydrological feature.

Seventy Five Mile Beach is a stunning sand highway that stretches along the eastern coast of the island for a distance that matches its name, or 120 kilometres if you prefer. As mentioned before and for obvious reasons, you must have a 4WD vehicle to navigate this route.

Indian Head is a waypoint along 75 Mile Beach.

As you drive along 75 Mile Beach, you see a number of natural attractions including coloured sands and migratory wading birds, and also the Maheno shipwreck. The SS Maheno was an ocean liner owned by the Union Company of New Zealand. It operated in the Tasman Sea, connecting New Zealand and Australia from 1905 until 1935.

Built in Scotland in 1905, Maheno boasted excellent facilities for its first-class passengers on trips between Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Wellington. After conversion for use as a hospital ship during World War I, it departed in August 1915 for Anzac Cove, Turkey, where it took on casualties from the infamous battle for Hill 60.

Throughout 1915 Maheno’s substantial medical staff of five doctors, 14 nurses and more than 60 soldiers of the Army Medical Corps carried out life-saving duties as the ship plied between the Gallipoli battlefields, the more extensive medical facilities on Lemnos and Malta and the substantial network of hospitals in Egypt.

Refitted in 1916, Maheno was redirected to Britain, where it transported wounded soldiers from the battlefields of the Western Front to hospitals in England, before it was dedicated to carrying the wounded home to New Zealand from Europe.

In July 1935, while being towed to Japan for scrapping, the Maheno encountered a severe cyclone off the coast of Queensland. The towline snapped and the disabled ship drifted onto the shores of 75 Mile Beach, where its disintegrating hull remains to this day.

You can stop along the sand highway to fish, walk or camp and you’ll pass through or near several townships including Eurong Beach, Happy Valley and Cathedral Beach, which between them offer accommodation, fuel, bakery, takeaway foods and basic convenience stores.

It is essential to keep an eye on the tides when attempting this drive, to avoid being caught by the high tide. The driving time from Hook Point to Indian Head is approximately two hours.

Lake McKenzie is one of the many perched lakes on the island, which are naturally formed solely from rainwater. They are not connected to the ocean or to any other water source.

The compact sand and organic matter that cover the bed of the lake prevent water from seeping away, and the sand also acts as a filter making the water unbelievably clear.

Fraser Island is home to one of the purest strains of dingo in Australia as they have rarely interbred with domestic or feral dogs. Accordingly, the dingo is a protected native species on the island even though it is a declared pest elsewhere in Queensland. There are an estimated 200 dingoes on the island, contained in 25 to 30 packs.

Dingoes are an apex predator, with their role at the top of the islands’ food chain helping to keep a healthy balance in the natural environment. However, tourists trying to interact with them has led to some unpleasant incidents with dingoes displaying aggressive behaviour towards humans. Visitors should never attempt to touch or feed them.

Photo: Kingfisher Bay Resort, K’gari

Later this year the island’s premier resort, Kingfisher Bay Resort, will launch Illumina, an all-new interpretive light show that will be the first permanent installation of its kind in Queensland. The new artistic platform will showcase the island with a ‘Return to Sky’ exhibition, described as “an extraordinary journey of discovery, regeneration and growth, told in one illuminating 20-minute light show.”

Photo: Kingfisher Bay Resort, K’gari

The inspiration behind ‘Return to Sky’ comes from the light and colours within the natural environment and the constantly shifting sands of the island’s vibrant ecosystem. Illumina will debut in September 2024 and a pre-launch video can be seen here.

If you are ever in the central coastal area of Queensland you should consider a visit to the island named K’gari.