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Fraser
Island
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Things to see
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Tourist Information
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Hotels
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Resorts
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Apartments
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Cottages & Cabins
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Restaurants
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Fraser Island
Spectacularly beautiful sand island
full of hidden delights and wonders.
There is no doubt that
Fraser Island ranks as one of the true wonders of Australia. It is
the largest sand island in the world and has such a range of
attractions and activities that it is a must for anyone travelling
along the Queensland coast. It is on Fraser Island that the visitor
can see extraordinary freshwater sand dune lakes, beautiful quiet
streams, white beaches, rainforest, eucalypt forest, cliffs with
remarkable coloured sand horizons and rugged headlands.
Located just off the coast from Hervey Bay (which
is 300 km north
of Brisbane and 37 km east of Maryborough) Fraser Island is 123 km
long and varies from 7 km to 22 km wide. It covers an area of 184 000
sq. km and has sand dunes which rise to a height of 240 m. It is
estimated that the sands which make up Fraser Island reach over 600 m
below the sea.
The first European to sight Fraser Island was
Captain James Cook
who passed along the coast of the island between 18-20 May 1770 and
named Indian Head after seeing a number of Aborigines assembled
there. He was not impressed with the island observing that 'The land
hereabouts which is of moderate height, appears more barren than any
we have yet seen on this coast, and the soil more sandy'.
In 1799 and 1802 Matthew Flinders sailed past the
island. He
mapped it both times but on neither occasion did he confirm that it
was separated from the mainland. He suspected that it was an island
but was unable to sail around it.
Like Cook before him, Flinders was far from
impressed with the
land noting: 'This part of the coast is very barren; there being
great patches of moveable sand many acres in extent through which
appeared in some places the green tops of grass, half buried, and in
others the naked trunks of such as the sand has destroyed.'
The most famous early contact with the island was
that of Eliza
Fraser (after whom the island is named) and her shipwrecked
companions from the brig the Stirling Castle. On 13 May 1836, while
travelling from Sydney to Singapore, the Stirling Castle struck the
Great Barrier Reef about 320 km south of Torres Strait. Captain James
Fraser, his pregnant wife Eliza, and 18 passengers and crew launched
the ship's longboat and pinnacle and set course for Moreton Bay.
During the next six weeks Eliza gave birth (the baby survived for
only a few hours) and the pinnacle was cut adrift and, although
Captain Fraser had been trying to avoid the coast for fear of the
Aborigines, it was forced to land for water on the Great Sandy Island
(Fraser Island) on 26 June.
The local Aborigines stripped the survivors and
separated Eliza
from her husband. For the next two months the Frasers (the Captain
was to die) and the other survivors were put to work and forced to
live in arduous conditions.
Eventually a search party from Moreton Bay led by
Lieutenant
Charles Otter was sent out to search for the survivors. John Graham,
a remarkable convict who had once lived with the Aborigines, found
Eliza and escorted her back to Moreton Bay. She subsequently sailed
to Sydney where she was feted as a heroine. The people of Sydney,
impressed by her bravery, raised a considerable amount of money for
her by public subscription.
Before Eliza departed for England she married
Captain Alexander
John Greene of the Mediterranean Packet. In England she published a
book of her adventures which went by the delightful title of The
Shipwreck of Mrs Fraser, and the loss of the Stirling Castle, on a
Coral Reef in the South Pacific Ocean. Containing an account of the
hitherto unheard-of sufferings and hardships of the crew, who existed
for seven days without food or water. The dreadful sufferings of Mrs.
Fraser. who, with her husband, and the survivors of the ill-fated
crew, are captured by the savages of New Holland, and by them
stripped entirely naked, and driven into the bush. Their dreadful
slavery, cruel toil, and excruciating tortures inflicted on them. The
horrid death of Mr. Brown, who was roasted alive over a slow fire
kindled beneath his feet. Meeting of Mr. and Mrs. Fraser, and inhuman
murder of Captain Fraser in the presence of his wife. Barbarous
treatment of Mrs Fraser, who is tortured, speared, and wounded by the
savages. The fortunate escape of one of the crew, to Moreton Bay, a
neighbouring British settlement, by whose instrumentality, through
the ingenuity of a convict, named Graham, the survivors obtain their
deliverance from the savages. Their subsequent arrival in England,
and appearance before the Lord Mayor of London.' Yes, that was the
book's title!
It was a huge best seller in England. After such a
dramatic life
Eliza slipped into quiet obscurity. She and Captain Greene returned
to the Antipodes. Eliza was accidentally run over and killed in
Melbourne in 1858.
The story has captured the Australian imagination.
It has been
made into a TV program and a film. Sidney Nolan did two series of
paintings based on the story and Patrick White's novel A Fringe of
Leaves is based on the events.
For people who are seeing the island's rainforests
for the first
time, White's description is evocative: 'Now it hushed the strangers
it was initiating. At some stages of the journey the trees were so
densely massed, the columns so moss-upholstered or lichen-encrusted,
the vines suspended from them so intricately rigged, the light barely
slithered down, and then a dark, watery green, though in rare gaps
where the sassafras had been thinned out, and once where a giant
blackbutt had crashed, the intruders might have been reminded of
actual light if this had not flittered, again like moss, but dry,
crumbled, white to golden.'
The first European to sail between the mainland
and Fraser
Island was Lieutenant Robert Dayman. He had been one of the survivors
of the Stirling Castle ordeal. He managed to complete the journey
upon his return to the area in 1847. Dayman Point at Urangan (see
Hervey
Bay) was named after him.
The history of Fraser Island through the latter
half of the
nineteenth century is one more sad example of the decimation of
Australia's original inhabitants. It has been estimated that the
Aboriginal population of the island was between 2000-3000 in 1850. By
1890 it had been reduced to 300. The combination of diseases brought
by passing sailors (Fraser Island was used as a kind of trading post
for Maryborough), alcohol, the exploitation of the island's timber
reserves from 1863 and the enslavement of the Aborigines, wreaked
havoc on the population. The 1860 decision to gazette the island as
an Aboriginal Reserve meant nothing. By the turn of the century most
of the Aborigines had been dispersed to the mainland or had died in
the dubious missions which were established on the island. The last
of the Fraser Island Aborigines to be removed to the mainland was
'Banjo' Henry Owens who was sent to the Cherbourg Mission in the
1930s. The island's population had been as totally destroyed. The
situation bore remarkable similarities to the genocide of the
Aboriginal population of Tasmania.
In 1870, as a result of a series of shipwrecks, a
lighthouse was
built at Sandy Cape. This was the first permanent European settlement
on the island.
There have been a number of excellent books
written about the
island. The best, in terms of the history, flora, fauna and
geomorphology, is Discovering Fraser Island by John Sinclair (one
time President of the Fraser Island Defence Organisation and The
Australian's Australian of the Year in 1976) which is detailed,
comprehensive and informative. No serious visit to the island should
be attempted without it. It lists all the major fauna and flora to be
found on the island as well as providing a detailed geomorphological
explanation of the island's formation.
Sinclair's list of twenty places of interest on
the island is
definitive. There is Woongoolbver Creek which carries clear water
through the island's rainforest at Central Station (Central Station
was once the home of over 100 people and the centre of the forestry
industry on the island), Lake Wabby, the island's deepest lake which
is rich in fish and surrounded by ancient melaleucas (it is slowly
being filled by a giant sandblow), Rainbow Gorge with its coloured
sand formations, Eli Creek, the wreck of the Maheno (after thirty
years of service in Australian waters it was being towed to Japan as
scrap when it hit cyclonic conditions off the coast and was washed
ashore on 9 July 1935), the rocky outcrops at Indian Head, Middle
Rocks and Waddy Point, the multi-coloured 'Cathedrals' and
'Pinnacles' which lie to the north of the wreck of the Maheno, the
various lakes on the island which include Lake Bowarrady (120 m above
sea level), Lake McKenzie, Lake Boemingen (reputedly the largest
perched lake in the world), Ocean Lake, Hidden Lake, and Coomboo
Lake, the scrubs and swamps, and McKenzie's Jetty which was
originally built as an access point to the mainland for the timber
cutters and subsequently used by the Z Force during World War II (see
Hervey Bay). It is now derelict.
Since the 1960s Fraser Island has been at the
centre of a series
of bitter environmental battles. The first battle, in the 1970s,
focussed on sand mining and most recently there has been a battle
over the logging of the island.
The environmental history of the island is not
something which
Australians can be very proud of. The first attempt to establish the
island as a National Park was made as early as 1893 but the timber
interests which were already on the island managed to dissuade the
government and for the next 60 years the island was logged. In 1961
there was a move to give the island to the Nauruans to compensate
them for the wholesale destruction of Nauru by phosphate (bird
droppings) miners from Australia and New Zealand. The timber industry
managed to ensure that this proposal did not proceed.
By the mid 1960s a number of mining leases had
been taken out on
parts of the island by Queensland Titanium Mines Pty Ltd and
Murphyores. The wealth of the island lay in its rich deposits of
rutile, ilmenite, zircon and monazite. The battle raged through the
both the state and federal courts and resulted in the historic Fraser
Island Environmental Inquiry which, in October 1976, decided that all
sand mining should be banned and that the island should be recorded
as part of the National Estate. The inquiry concluded that: 'The
natural environment of Fraser Island is of great significance,
complexity and fragility. The island possesses individual features of
great attraction and importance - such as its perched lakes, immense
beaches, cliffs of Teewah (coloured) sands, sandblows and
rainforested sand dunes. But the inevitable highlighting of the
presence and importance of these individual features of its natural
environment should not be allowed to obscure the links and
interdependency of its many fragile elements, while, overall, an
impression of wilderness gives unity to the broad spectrum of the
particular natural features of the island.'
It may have seemed like the fight over Fraser
Island was over but
in 1990 there were still battles going on over the logging of the
island's rainforest. The arguments of the timber lobby were
predictable. Timber had been logged on the island for over a century
so how could further logging damage an already damaged environment.
The environmentalists argued that the island was simply too valuable
for logging to continue. Today Fraser Island is World Heritage listed
and almost the entire island is protected National Park, ideal for
camping, 4WD and bushwalking. The island is visited by around 200,000
travellers each year, yet it does preserve a sense of remoteness. It
preseves ancient Aboriginal sites and a a range of wildlife including
over 200 bird species, brumbies, dingoes, wallabies and echidnas.
Accommodation ranges from flats, motels and holiday houses to
campsites. Happy Valley and Eurong Resorts cater for fishing guests
and can arrange 4WD hire.
Apart from Hervey Bay there are two other mainland
centres which
offer access to Fraser Island: Rainbow Beach
and Tin
Can Bay.
Things to see:
Ferries
Ferry services to Fraser Island depart from
three different locations: Rainbow
Beach, River Heads (an outer southern port for Hervey bay located
east of Maryborough) and Hervey
Bay. Services from Rainbow Beach are as follows:
There are currently three vehicular barges which
all operate on
demand from Inskip Point (7 km north of Rainbow Beach) on the
mainland, and Hook Point on the island. Departures kick off at around
7.00 a.m. and conclude at about 6.00 p.m., with extended hours in
peak times. There is no need to book. Two of the vessels - the
Rainbow Venture and Elmer's Barge - are associated with Eurong Resort
on Fraser Island (tel: 07 5486 3227). The other is the Manta Ray,
tel: (07) 5486 8600 or (0418) 872 599 or Manta-ray@rainbow-beach.org.
In September 2002, a price war was raging and the cost, per vehicle
(driver and passengers included), dropped to as little as $20 return,
but this may well not last long.
Services from Hervey Bay Boat Harbour and River
Heads all require
advance bookings. The Fraser Dawn departs from Hervey Bay Boat Habour
at Urangan for Moon Point at 8.30 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. daily, returning
from Moon Point at 9.30 a.m. and 5.00 p.m. daily. The trip takes
about one hour and, in September 2002, the price was $82 return for
one vehicle and driver plus $5.50 for each additional person at
school age and above. For walk-on passengers the cost was $16.50
return per person, tel: (07) 4125 4444.
Also departing from Hervey Bay Boat Harbour, at
Urangan, is a
passenger service bound for the Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser
Island. This is NOT a vehicle barge. It departs at 6.45 a.m., 8.45
a.m., midday and 4.00 p.m. daily, plus an additional departure at
6.30 a.m. from Sunday to Thursday and at 7.00 p.m. on Friday and
Saturday. The return trips depart Kingfisher Resort at 7.40 a.m.,
10.30 a.m., 2.00 p.m., 5.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. daily. The cost is $35
return, per adult and $17.50 return, per child aged over four, tel:
(1800) 072 555.
The Kingfisher Resort also has a passenger service
which departs
from River Heads at 7.15 a.m., 10.00 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. daily, with
return services departing from the resort at 8.00 a.m., 1.30 p.m. and
4.00 p.m. The prices are the same as from Urangan.
It is also possible to take a vehicle barge called
the Fraser
Venture from River Heads to Wonggoolba Creek (a thirty minute trip).
They depart at 9.00 a.m., 10.15 a.m. and 3.30 p.m. daily, with an
additional service at 7.00 a.m. Saturday. The return trips depart
from Wonggoolba Creek at 9.30 a.m., 3.30 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. daily
with an additional service at 7.30 a.m. on Saturdays, tel: (07) 4125
4444. The prices for the Fraser Venture are the same as those for the
Fraser Dawn.
Maps of the island are for sale at all ferry
points. It is
important to remember that a permit is required to drive on Fraser
Island, for which a fee is payable. They can be obtained from the
Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service offices. One is
located at Rainbow Beach and is open from 7.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.
daily (tel: 07 5486 3160) and another is located at River Heads.
There are also fees for usage of the camping facilities on the
island.
Stonetood Sand Dune
This huge dune is currently moving
across the island burying everything in its way. The movement, driven
by the prevailing winds, is very slow. The size of the dune is
remarkable. It is not possible to walk across the dune. Although the
island has been used for over 100 years by Europeans there is now a
genuine environmental concern which recognises the delicate ecology
of the region.
Eli Creek
Eli Creek is the largest freshwater stream on
the eastern coast of the island. It is an area of exceptional and
pristine beauty. There are a number of wooden walkways and a short,
circular route runs up one side of the creek and down the other. It
is possible to swim in the lower reaches of the creek. On a hot day
it is very cool and refreshing.
The Wreck of the Maheno
After thirty years of
service in Australian waters the Maheno, a huge cruise vessel, was
being towed to Japan as scrap when it hit cyclonic conditions off the
coast and was washed ashore on 9 July 1935. The past 60 years of
waves and weathering have reduced this once huge vessel to a small
rusting hulk.
The Pinnacles and the Cathedrals
These coloured sand
cliffs have been sculptured by the wind and rain blowing in off the
Pacific Ocean. The colours - red, brown, yellow and orange - are
spectacular. The size of the cliff faces is a reminder of how large
the sand dunes on the island are.
Central Station
The Woongoolbver Creek which carries
clear water through the island's rainforest at Central Station
(Central Station was once the home of over 100 people and the centre
of the forestry industry on the island) is one of the most beautiful
retreats on the whole of the island. It seems as though this area
inspired the Australian Nobel Prize winner Patrick White whose
description of the island in the novel A Fringe of Leaves includes
the lines: 'Now it hushed the strangers it was initiating. At some
stages of the journey the trees were so densely massed, the columns
so moss-upholstered or lichen-encrusted, the vines suspended from
them so intricately rigged, the light barely slithered down, and then
a dark, watery green, though in rare gaps where the sassafras had
been thinned out, and once where a giant blackbutt had crashed, the
intruders might have been reminded of actual light if this had not
flittered, again like moss, but dry, crumbled, white to golden.'
Lake McKenzie
There are a number of freshwater lakes on
the island including Lake Bowarrady (120 m above sea level), Lake
McKenzie, Lake Boemingen (reputedly the largest perched lake in the
world), Ocean Lake, Hidden Lake, and Coomboo Lake. Each is notable
for the clarity of the water, the purity of the white sands on the
surrounding beaches and the peacefulness of the area. They are ideal
places for picnics and fishing.
Tours
Fraser Island Adventure Tours are located at 4
Mooloola St, Minyama, tel: (07) 5444 6957 or
www.fraserislandadventuretours.com.au
Horseriding
Clip Clop Treks operate lengthy horse rides
from Rainbow Beach, across the ferry to Fraser Island, and also
around the hinterland, tel: (07) 5449 1254.
Tourist Information
Fraser - South Burnett Regional
Tourism Board
1st
Floor Hervey Bay
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4122
3444
Facsimile: (07) 4122 3426
Hervey
Bay-Fraser Island Visitors Centre
Maryborough Rd Hervey
Bay
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4124 8741
Facsimile:
(07) 4124 8743
Hotels
Eurong Beach Resort
Eurong Beach
Fraser
Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4127 9122
Facsimile: (07) 4127
9178
Rating: **
Fraser Island
Retreat
Happy Valley
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone:
(07) 4127 9144
Facsimile: (07) 4127 9131
Rating: ***
Kingfisher Bay Resort and Village
North White
Cliffs
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4120 3333, 1800
072 555
Facsimile: (07) 4127 9333
Rating: ****
Resorts
Cathedral Beach Resort &
Camping
Park
Cathedral Beach
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone:
(07) 4127 9177
Apartments
Fraser Sands Holiday Apartments
Happy
Valley
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4127 9147
Cottages &
Cabins
Ashcrofts Fraser Island
Accommodation
Happy
Valley
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4124 0991
Yidney Rocks Cabins
Yidney Rocks
Fraser
Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4127 9167
Rating: **
Restaurants
Eurong Beach Resort
Eurong Beach
Fraser
Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4127 9122
Facsimile: (07) 4127
9 178
Fraser Island Retreat
Happy
Valley
Fraser Island QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4127
9144
Facsimile: (07) 4127 9131
Kingfisher
Bay Resort and Village
North White Cliffs
Fraser Island
QLD 4655
Telephone: (07) 4120 3333 or 1800 07
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