Fraser Island has it all, gorgeous beaches, lakes, creeks, forests, even shipwrecks! I've put together a Fraser Island Itinerary so you can easily plan your days. Keep in mind the weather and tides may affect what days you do things.
Day 1 - Drive and set up Camp
The first day is always about getting here and setting up. An afternoon beach walk / shell collecting and the first of many happy hours for the week!
Day 2 - Southern Lakes Scenic Drive
Start via Dilli Village, through to Lake Boomajin, which has tea tree stained water. Then onto Lake Birrabeen which is a great spot for lunch and a swim/paddleboard. It has beautiful white sand and clear water, very similar to lake McKenzie. Find some pipis on the way back to camp and have an afternoon fish!
Day 3 - Explore around the Maheno Shipwreck and spend the day at Eli Creek.
Eli Creek
The kids favourite swimming spot! Eli Creek is the largest freshwater creek on the Eastern side on the Island. Walk up the boardwalk, approximately 400m to the "top" of the creek and float back down to the car! Boogie boards or floaties are great to have here, the kids spend hours skimming and floating though the creek. You will most likely see a dingo here at some point and it can get very busy. The creek mouth direction is ever changing and can be an impassible crossing when travelling along the beach at high tide.
Maheno
The Maheno shipwreck is an impressive sight and to learn about the history of the ship is interesting (I'll leave that for your adventure!) It's a good landmark when travelling along the beach and a good spot for a family pic! The kids enjoy exploring around the wreck at low tide.
Day 4 - Awinya Creek
One of the best day trips is over to Awinya Creek on the Western side of the Island. Take Woralie Rd and follow the signs, it takes about an hour, unless you do some sight seeing along the way. You can stop at the Knifeblade Sandblow lookout and Lake Allom along the way. Lake Allom is home to heaps of little freshwater turtles and the kids love to see them!
Aim to get to the Western side around low tide as you have to drive through the creek to get onto the beach. Great spot for fishing and paddle boarding. Beware when swimming in the summer months as Irukandji jellyfish have stung people over here.
Day 5 - Sandy Cape
A day trip to Sandy Cape can include some fishing at Waddy Point, a drink at the Orchid Beach pub, the notorious* Nkgala Rocks headland track and a walk to the lighthouse. Make sure to time the tides right for this day.
*The Nkgala rocks track has soft boggy sand along a cliff edge for about 500m, you cannot get to Sandy Cape without driving through here.
Day 6 - Lake McKenzie & Central Station
Lake McKenzie
This is one of my most favourite places to swim! Lake McKenzie is a perched lake, meaning it is only fed by rainwater. The water is so clear and pure because of the natural filtration of the soft, white silica sand. It is completely safe for swimming and a perfect place to relax for the day.
Central Station
A beautiful inland drive brings you to Central Station either before or after your swim at Lake McKenzie. A great little walk through the rainforest along the edge of Wanggoolba Creek for about 700m along a boardwalk. You feel at the heart of the rainforest here, completely under the canopy of ancient trees and listening to all the birdlife. The Staghorn plants in the pine trees are always impressive to see. A nice spot for a picnic.
Day 7 - Champagne Pools
At the end of 75mile beach you will find the Champagne Pools. The boardwalk from the carpark, down the headland to the pools isn't the easiest but it is worth it. The waves crash onto the rocks then into the pools creating the "champagne bubbles". A safe salt water swimming spot and a great place for kids to explore around all the rockpools and see little fish swimming in the pools.
Day 8 - Pack up and Drive home.
Aim to drive down the beach as the tide is going out. If you have time, stop at Eli Creek for one last swim! Lunch at Rainbow beach is often on the cards and sometimes we drive home via Teewah Beach just to enjoy as much beach as possible!
You can fit in as much or as little as you want in your Fraser Island Itinerary. There is plenty more to see than the places I have listed above, but they are our top spots. A few extra days lazing around camp or Eli Creek are good to break up the driving. You can easily mix up the days to suit the weather and tides you have on your trip. Hopefully this itinerary helps with your planning, and if you haven't already; check out our Fraser Island blog for more information.
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