Back in March we took a week holiday to Fraser Island. We have been to Fraser Island countless times, both of us camped over there as kids ourselves, and now we take our kids. The traditional name, K'gari, means Paradise and it truly is! It's changed over the years and now a lot more accessible. Most tracks now have boards or rubber matting under the sand to help with traction and prevent getting your vehicle bogged, but even so some still manage to get stuck so it's best to go prepared.
Planning your Holiday
Fraser Island isn't a place to go unprepared, you will be semi remote - there are no sealed roads. You can get most basic supplies like fuel, water and groceries - at a premium of course. For example fuel was $3.20 p/L this trip (March 2022) compared to around $2 on the mainland. Fresh water for showering/dishwashing can be found in one of the many creeks or from taps dotted around the island (see map for locations), treat before drinking. Toilet dump points are also accessible. Phone service is intermittent with all providers depending on your location.
Tides
You will need to plan your driving around the tides. It is best to drive 2hrs either side of low tide if possible - some sections of beach are completely under water at high tide and there is no use struggling in the soft sand if you can avoid it. For tide time info use Waddy Point times for the Eastern Beaches and Urangan for the Western side - there is approximately an hour difference between the two. Find the tide times here.
Permits/Tickets
You will need a vehicle permit, a camping permit (if camping) and barge tickets to go to Fraser Island. Permits are available via the Qld Parks website. If camping you will have to pick a "Zone" to camp within. This map shows all your options and is handy to have on hand for planning your day trips.
If coming from the south, the barge leaves from Inskip Point and takes 10mintues to arrive at Hook Point. You can purchase your Manta Ray barge ticket from the Rainbow Beach servo or pay cash onboard. Find current pricing & operating hours here. Other barge options are available if coming from the North, via River Heads to Kingfisher Bay or Wanggoolba Creek on Fraser Island Barges.
Plan your drive
The last stop to fuel up on the mainland is at Rainbow Beach (if coming from the south) or Hervey Bay (if coming from the north). Once you've topped up you'll make your way to Inskip Point (if coming from the south) and find a spot to deflate your tyres before hitting the sand. Aim to get to the barge prior to low tide to give yourself plenty of time. You could drive straight onto the barge or wait hours in the line at peak times. If camping along 75 mile beach, give yourself between 1/2hr to an hour to get to your camp zone. The trip from the East side to the West side is 1hr via Woralie Road just to give an idea of timing. The speed limit is 80km p/hr along most of the beach and 30km p/hr along the inland tracks as these are mostly single lane/2 way and you often have to find room to let another car pass. A good rule of thumb is to give way to those towing campers or boats or to a group over a single car. As you can see, time can blow out very easily depending on all these variables.
Dingoes (Wongari)
Not to be feared, just be aware. Just remember at all times that you are sharing your space with the locals, even if you can't see them. Especially if you have young children. Dingoes are natural predators and they are NOT dogs. They DON'T need feeding even if they seem scrawny - they are naturally lean and have an abundance of food around the island.
Feeding the dingoes can create a problem of harassment for others, sometimes aggressively. You must always keep food and rubbish (plus bait or anything smelly) locked away while camping - they can get into closed plastic tubs/containers if given the chance. Have these stored in your car or camper - not the tent! If fishing, keep your eye on your bait and catch, dingoes know how to get an easy meal!
Dingoes can also become aggressive during mating season (March - May). While we have never personally had a negative dingo experience, we do know others have. We always do a "dingo count" each trip, this time we had 14 sightings (which is the most we've counted on a trip).
Fires
You cannot have fires at Fraser, unless you are camping at Dundubara or Waddy Point camping areas and use the provided fire rings. You must bring your own clean/milled firewood and firelighters as you cannot use any wood/kindling from the national park.
You can however use a fully enclosable "cooking appliance" that is a minimum 20cm off the ground and use heat beads/eco timber (available at bunnings). Perfect solution for those camp oven cook ups! Below is what we use and it has been ranger approved.
The exception to this is obviously total fire bans. You can find more information here.
There are so many things to see and do on Fraser Island. We love camping on the beach, fishing out the front of camp and visiting different swimming spots each day. I hope this blog has been helpful towards planning your own trip?! Check out our Fraser Island Itinerary for more information.
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