What are the best things to do on Fraser Island?

The best things to do on Fraser Island include tubing on Eli Creek, swimming in the Champagne Pools, driving on 75 Mile Beach and walking Rainbow Gorge.

Fraser Island/ K’gari is the world’s largest sand island and a staple on the backpacker route up Australia’s east coast. All that sand is the headline act, but it becomes quickly apparent that there’s much more to Fraser Island than beaches.

How to get to Fraser Island

First things first: How to get to Fraser Island. The two access points are Rainbow Beach at the top of Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, and Hervey Bay further north. The Brisbane to Hervey Bay drive takes just under three-and-a-half hours.

Ferries to Fraser Island leave from River Heads, just south of Hervey Bay, going to Wanggoolba Creek or the Kingfisher Bay Resort. From Rainbow Beach, the Fraser Island barge leaves from Inskip Point. There are two Rainbow Beach holiday parks if you want to stay cheaply the night before.

If you’re on an organised tour – and there are dozens to choose from – you won’t have to worry too much about what comes next.

However, if you’re self-driving, you’ll need a 4WD vehicle, a permit and a heightened sense of awareness about driving on soft sand and rough tracks. There are also certain sections of Fraser Island that get cut off at high tide. The happy medium is a Fraser Island tag-along tour, where you get to drive a 4WD around the island, but in convoy with a guide who knows what they’re doing in front.

Best things to do on Fraser Island: 75 Mile Beach

Much of Fraser Island’s appeal comes from driving along the sandy tracks and – in particular – the beaches. 75 Mile Beach on the west coast is Fraser Island’s main highway. In the winter months, there’s a decent chance of seeing whales breaching off the coast.

Along 75 Mile Beach, you’ll find some of the best Fraser Island attractions. One of the best things to do on Fraser Island is floating along Eli Creek, which flows out of the island’s interior. The current of the freshwater creates a lazy river effect. Some backpacker tours bring inner tubes with them, so passengers can float along Eli Creek in a tube.

Shortly after Eli Creek comes the Maheno Shipwreck. This evocative shipwreck juts into the sand, although it’s rusty, roped-off and dangerous to climb, so just take photos.

Should you wish to stretch your legs, there’s a 1.9km return walking track leading from the beach to Rainbow Gorge and the Kirrar Sandblow. This walk shows off both the multicoloured sands of Rainbow Gorge and the high, sweeping sand dunes of the Kirrar Sandblow. The latter have accumulated over thousands of years, blown up from New South Wales by prevailing winds.

The best Fraser Island lookout is arguably Indian Head, near Champagne Pools at the northern end of 75 Mile Beach. Walk to the top and you can look out over the ocean in search of turtles, rays and sharks.

Swimming on Fraser Island

Champagne Pools, meanwhile, is one of Fraser Island’s great swimming spots. These pools in the rocks are particularly splendid at sunset.

This is about as far north as most Fraser Island tours go, although adventurous self-drivers can continue towards Orchid Beach and Sandy Cape.

Most of the best swimming on Fraser Island, however, is found inland. Fraser Island has a series of lakes with pristine, clear water, courtesy of the sand’s filtration abilities. Lake Wabby is a perennial favourite for a swim, but the star is Lake McKenzie. Signs around the edge of the lake request that you don’t go in the water with sun cream on. This is part of an attempt to keep the water as pure as possible.

Things to do on Fraser Island: Walking trails

The most extraordinary thing in the centre of Fraser Island, however, is the rainforest that grows there. For a rainforest to grow on sand, and with such sturdy tree species as hoop pines and satinay doing so, is incredible. This unique eco-system is best explored on a walk from the Central Station campground. Amble the boardwalk along Wanggoolba Creek.

Camping on Fraser Island is the traditional way of staying there, although you’ll need to sort your Fraser Island permits in advance. But there is more comfortable Fraser Island accommodation for those who don’t fancy tents. The plushest Fraser Island accommodation is at the Kingfisher Bay Resort on the west coast. The resort runs a whole host of activities, experiences and walking tours, including a Fraser Island bush food walk. Kingfisher Bay is also home to the new K’Gari World Heritage Discovery Centre. This is the best place to learn about the unique properties of Fraser Island’s ecology and wildlife that won it a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

If planning a Fraser Island holiday, the Hervey Bay weather is at its best in September.