5 Days on Fraser Island: the Ultimate Guide

K’gari, or Fraser Island as it is otherwise known, is a gem on the east coast of Queensland. The largest sand island in the world, covered in rainforest, is a four wheel driving dream. We camped for 5 days on Fraser Island and had an absolute ball. From crystal clear waters to cross-island 4WD trekking, this is everything we did, and everything we learnt so you can know before you go and have an even greater time than we did.

The main things to see on Fraser Island

Lake Mackenzie

Lake Mackenzie is always in the top 3 sites to visit on Fraser Island and for good reason. Despite most all of the sand on the island is a typical darker, courser grain, Lake Mackenzie has that pure white silica sand that makes photography easy. This creates a perfectly clear azure water that is as refreshing as it is beautiful.

The beach is about a 3 minute walk down from the car park and is large enough to accommodate the inevitable crowds that it attracts, so even when it is busy, you can still have your little piece of paradise.

Eli Creek

Another popular stopping point on Fraser Island is Eli Creek. It is the ultimate place to stop for lunch or maybe a few afternoon bevs. In particularly busy periods the creek will lined back with 4 or 5 rows of cars deep so get there earlyish to get a spot by the creek to use your awning.

Either that or do what we did and arrive at lunch time and make a dash when you see someone in prime position leaving (i.e. get lucky).

The Fraser Island highway (the eastern beach) has many outlets with water escaping the island to the ocean, but Eli Creek is the largest, strongest and most permanent of the lot. It is deep enough to swim and the current is strong enough to carry a floating passenger down effortlessly. Bring something to float on to make it a bit more fun. There is a boardwalk so it is easy to walk up and then float down.

Champagne Pools

About half way up the east coast of Fraser Island is Champagne Pools, which is a large sand-filled rock pool that is constantly battered by waves. The first time we visited I didn’t know what the fuss was about because it was during a king high tide and we couldn’t even see the rocks or the pool.

We timed it better a day later and enjoyed the bubbles. Pick your time well and it’s quite a safe place for a swim with the rocks acting as a protective barrier to the waves.

The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles can be a brief stop but it is worth pulling over, especially since you’ve by now realised how much driving you do on Fraser Island. The Pinnacles look down over a flat beach and you’ll wonder how, on a sand island, these dominating rock formations came to be.

After reading the informative sign you’ll then be asking, “what the heck is fortified sand?”

Lake Wabby (or just the lookout)

Lake Wabby is a fairly remote lake, but not because it far by driving distance, but because you can’t park anywhere close to it. You therefore have to hike over soft sand to get there, which can be exhausting. The plus side is that you’ll score the place all to yourself.

Alternatively, you can do what we did and just check it out from the lookout above. Do so and you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

Stop at one of the many fresh creeks

Like I mentioned above, there are many water outlets you’ll cross while driving on the sand highway. Some of these you can paddle in. On a hot day, why not stop and get wet? If you have kids they’ll appreciate the break and your team will appreciate the sponteneity.

Wathumba

If you have a day to spare I recommend getting across to the western side of Fraser Island. We aimed for Wathumba, which was about a 2 hour drive going at about 40km/h. Because it is more remote you are rewarded with comparatively more solitude.

The time we went we didn’t have great weather. It was as Cyclone Seth was still winding down, so we were lucky not to have more rain than we did. Anyway, this impacted some of the imagery but the sand was soft and water was warm so it’s well worth checking out another part of the island. And because the western side faces the mainland, it is far more protected than the ocean-facing east coast, making it much safer for swimming.

Central Station

Central Station is a former logging settlement where workers and their families would live. All the original buildings are still intact and you can learn a little about the industry before the island became a tourist attraction.

I don’t know that I’d go too far out of my way to go here but if you are staying at Central Station Campground (which I recommend), it’s well worth wandering around for half an hour.

Maheno Shipwreck

You’ll probably pass the Maheno several times if you are staing on Fraser Island for a few days so it’s kind of useless including it in lists. But nonetheless, here is my tip. If you know you’ll drive by multiple times, pick a good tide at which you’ll stop. You probably want something about mid-tide so you have the waves crashing nicely through the sides of the ship.

My best tips for staying on Fraser Island

Keep an eye on the tides

You will spend a lot of time driving up and down the east coast beach highway and a high tide might change how this goes. We visited during a king tide and at times during high tide there were places we couldn’t pass. Sometimes it meant taking an inland bypass road, sometimes it meant driving over the rocks instead of sand. So if you’re planning a big day out, beware of the tides.

Don’t feed the dingos

I cannot sress this enough. Dingos have been thriving on this island for hundreds, probably thousands of years, they don’t need your scraps. This goes for unintentionally feeding them too. Keep food in the car, and if you are camping keep all food in tightly sealed plastic boxes.

This should also go without saying but keep your distance from the dingos too. Every so often there is another report of someone being attacked or killed, so keep your children close. We saw 6 or 7 dingos on our trip and found that if you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone.

Take 4WD recovery gear and know how to use it

Or at least go with someone that knows what they’re doing. That’s the option we chose, but we still took all the gear like Maxtrax’s, a spade, air compressor etc. So if we got into trouble we knew we’d be ok.

There are plenty of other drivers that will help you if you get stuck, especially if you are on the main paths, but if you are able to help yourself as much as you can others will be far more willing to help.

If you’re going with kids, stay in fenced campsites

The Fraser Coast Council has done a great job in installing these dingo-proof fences around the major campsites. We stayed in Central Station Campground and Dundubara for this very reason. It gave us peace of mind that while in the campsite, we were safe and could let our guard down a little.

There are many beachside campsites marked by zones, none of these are dingo-proof.

How to pick a campsite

Speaking of which, I was overwhelmed when booking because there are many zones and campsites and they are all very confusingly labeled if you don’t know what you’re looking at.

Basically, along the beach on the east coast there are several zones that you can camp at. Each zone has a certain number of visitors allowed but the sites aren’t marked, you just setup on the beach.

Bear in mind, if it is windy like it was when we were there, these beach side zones will get absolutely hammered by the wind. I couldn’t imagine anything worse. The inland campsites are very protected.

See below for more information.

If you don’t want to camp

There are plenty of options if you don’t want to camp. Probably the most popular is Kingfisher Resort. This is a lovely resort with modern rooms, a pool, restaurants, and all the amenities a resort should have. The only downside is it is on the west side of the island so there is some extra driving to get to a lot of the attractions.

There are other options though if you are happy to be a bit more self sufficient. The towns of Eurong, Happy Valley, and Orchid Beach all have various acommodations, mostly private owned that you can book on sites like Airbnb or Stayz.

How to get to Fraser Island

Even the idea of getting to Fraser Island might be intimidating for some, especially those that like to plan ahead like me. There are two car ferries that will take you across to Fraser Island. One goes from Inskip Point, near Rainbow Beach. The other is from the more developed Hervey Bay.

Which one you choose may depend on where you are coming from.

If you are already around the Hervey Bay area, or are coming from the north, it may make sense for you to catch this ferry, which is about 45 minutes on the water. The Hervey Bay Ferry lands at Kingfisher Bay resort, so if you are staying there, that is also a very good reason for you to get the Hervey Bay Ferry. As well, if you are coming without a car, you will probably also need to come from Hervey Bay as the Inskip Point Ferry simply drops you on the beach, near nothing.

We came from the Gold Coast to the island so we went to the more southern Inskip Point, which is much closer to the mainland and only took 15 minutes on the ferry to cross. They had 3 ferries going at a time so it was quite efficient. You land at the very southern tip of the island and it is about a 15-20 minute drive around to Eurong, which is where things start to get interesting.

You may have heard that Inskip Point is infamous for getting bogged. What a way to begin your adventure that would be! When we arrive and departed Fraser Island, both days the sand was very compact as the tide was going out so there was no chance of being bogged. However, on days with lower tides when the sand dries this may be a different story. Just be sensible, do all the normal things like let your tire pressure down and you should be fine.

You can buy your ferry ticket on board or at the fuel station in Rainbow Point.

Where to stay on Fraser Island

Fenced Campgrounds

If you have kids, you’ll absolutely want to camp in a fenced campground. This just takes away some concern over whether or not there is a predator lurking. Fenced campgrounds on Fraser Island include:

• Central Station. We stayed here for our first 3 nights and it is stunning. Set in the thick of the rainforest with clearly marked campsies. Highly recommend. There are toilet and shower facilities.
• Dundubara. This is further up the coast and we picked this to provide a base to explore the sites further north for our next 2 nights. It is less picturesque but is set just back from the beach so it isn’t far to start your day. There are toilet and shower facilities.
• Cornwells Camping Area. Just north of Eurong and close to Lake Wabby. This is a small campsite that is sheltered by dunes. No showers or toilets.
• Eli Camping Area. Located near Eli Creek, north of Happy Valley, Eli Camping Area has 6 sites and no toilet or shower, so BYO.
• Lake Boomanjin Camping Area. Located above the fairly large Lake Boomanjin, which is a fair way south, this is a quiet campsite, with most day trippers opting for the idyllic Lake Mackenzine instead of Boomanjin. It’s a large open area with no defined campsites and there are toilets but no showers.
• One Tree Camping Area. Located just to the north of Eurong, One Tree has 10 campsites but no toilet or shower.
• Waddy Point Top. Waddy Point would be a good option if you wanted to stay a fair way north, as it is around the point past Champagne Pools. It has all the bells and whistles including flush toilets, showers, picnic tables, and even allows fires. Sites aren’t marked but it allows for 25 tent groups and 6 trailers. I didn’t stay there but it sounds pretty good.
• Wongai camping area. A small campsite just to the south of Eurong, which has 9 campsites but no toilets or showers.

Unfenced campgrounds

You may choose an unfenced campground for several reasons. You may not be worried about dingos (fair enough, some like to live life on the edge). The fenced sites are all booked. Or perhaps you have a trailer or caravan, and there are fewer fenced sites available for the extra set of wheels.

Unfenced campgrounds are all beachside, and you see them as you drive. There’ll be a sign that says “so and so beach zone this way” and one pointing the opposite direction saying “no camping this way”. There are 9 beach zones that can accommodate over 1600 people.

I won’t list them out, but you can see the list on the Queensland Parks website here.

If you only want to setup camp once, I’d recommend somewhere on the middle of the island like near Happy Valley and Eli Creek. That way you’ll save yourself a lot of driving compared to if you stayed further south.

Non-camping accommodation

Like I said, if you don’t want to camp, that can be accommodated as well. There are several options but there are a little more spread out.

Kingfisher Bay Resort. This is the flagship resort on the island and will feel very familiar if you’ve ever stayed at another beachside resort. There are pools, modern restaurants, fuel, souvenir shops, and other amenities. The rooms are regulation hotel rooms that are smallish but modern and comfortable. Some in our party stayed here while we camped at Central Station, which is about a half an hour drive. Click here to book Kingfisher Bay Resort.

Eurong. Eurong is a small township built around a large resort, now called K’Gari Beach Resort (formerly Eurong Beach Resort). It has regulation resort rooms and two bedroom apartment options and has several dining and bar options as well as a pool and tennis court. K’Gari Beach Resort in Eurong is a little further north and east than Kingfisher Bay so staying here would get you closer to the action.

As well as the reort, there are also several holiday rentals if you’d prefer to be fully self-contained. Check them out on Stayz or Airbnb.

Happy Valley. Happy Valley is a smaller township but with no resort. Instead you have more holiday rental options, which you can explore on Stayz or Airbnb again.

Cathedrals on Fraser. Located about half way up the east coast of the island, Cathedrals on Fraser is a private resort that can accommodate any budget. Accommodation options include 1, 2, and 3 bedroom cabins, permanent tents, as well as powered and unpowered BYO tent/trailer campsites. While I haven’t stayed here, it sounds like a great option to be close to attractions while having the full K’Gari experience.

Orchid Beach. Much further north, you are more remote now. Orchid Beach is the smallest township and has a handful of holiday rentals as well. Have a browse on Stayz or Fraser Island Holiday Rentals.

Where to eat on Fraser Island if you don’t want to cook

Surprisingly, there are several places to eat on Fraser Island if you don’t want to cook. Maybe you are staying at a resort and aren’t prepared for cooking. Or maybe it’s your last night camping and one more meal on a butane stove is one too many. Either way there are options.

• Kingfisher Bay Resort
• Eurong
• Happy Valley
• Orchid Beach (lunch only)

What are you waiting for?

Fraser Island is one of the best places to visit in Queensland. It is full of adventure and is absolutely stunning. We spent 5 days on Fraser Island. I could easily have spent more, but you can still have a great time in less. Camp, trek, swim, resort. There is something for every travel style and budget on Fraser Island.