Chasing Horizons #34: On Fraser Island Safari with Ranger Phil – Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia

On Fraser Island Safari with Ranger Phil

If it was at all possible, the surrounding sugar cane fields became even more vast and thicker, all in various stages of harvest. The bus approached the large town of Bundaberg, famous for its rum. The town attracts a steady stream of travellers looking for harvest work, picking everything from avocados to zucchinis, but I was only stopping for breakfast.

After leaving Bundaberg, we drove through a heavily forested region. I spotted yet another variety of eucalyptus tree; this one was dotted throughout the gullies and was distinguished by the dusty red/brown bark that flaked of in piles around the base of the trunk. They looked like they had been dusted with the red sands from Uluru or brown aboriginal ochre paint.

We passed briefly through Hervey Bay, which was once a sleepy settlement. What I saw was shopping malls, car dealerships and wide strip malls, all a result of the astronomical growth the town has experienced over the last decade. Hervey Bay is now the major stopover on the backpacker circuit which the main access point to Fraser Island.

I had indeed arranged a trip to Fraser Island but I wasn’t stopping in Hervey Bay and pushed on through to Maryborough. This is an industrial town on the Mary River, which I noted for its Main Street lined with Victorian colonial buildings and old-style, wooden framed houses in its suburbs. My journey southwards has brought me into the rural, eastern coastal corridor of Queensland. The land around here is worlds different from the Australian Outback that starts when the Great Dividing Range is crossed to the west. Despite the well advertised lack of rain, everything looked lush green and wooded. This is cattle country with large ranches and locals wearing tight jeans, Stetson hats and cowboy boots. Australia even has a Dallas-esque type TV soapie called McLeod’s Daughters and is set on ranches and communities just like those found in this area.

We came to Gympie where I had a 40-minute wait for a bus transfer. I was a bit peckish so popped into the town centre looking for a sandwich and a quick look around. The main shopping precinct is called Mary Street and was busy with mid-week shoppers. Although a rural town, which serves the surrounding forest industry, Gympie once served Queensland richest goldfields. An indication as to the popularity of Country and Western music in these parts was the number of posters advertising gigs of local bands.

Well, country music is not a favourite of mine and I was glad to be high-tailing it out of there. The next bus headed north-east of the main highway. Abruptly the farmlands and green fields came to an end and were replaced with the typical dry bush and indigenous eucalypti. We were driving through the Cooloola or Great Sandy National Park towards Rainbow Beach, a quiet settlement on an arcing stretch of coast called Wide Bay. This is the lesser-used southern access point onto Fraser Island and finally, at the northern extremities of the park we drove into the sleepy surfing village set against a quaint bay.

Fraser Island

This was to be my last group trip before leaving Australia. I had been up and down the country and been fortunate enough to have met up with many wonderful groups of travellers since arriving in Perth over two month ago.

Fraser Island is 125km long, averages 15km wide and over 160,000 hectares in area. It was formed during the ice age when the prevailing winds transported the vast quantities of sand from New South Wales and deposited just off the coast of Queensland to form the largest sand island in the world. Although discovered by Captain Cook the island is named after shipwreck victim Eliza Fraser. It was listed as a World Heritage site in 1993 and joins the ranks of the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and Kakadu National Parks as being of universal significance. It is one of the largest coastal dune systems in the world and is the only place on the planet where rainforest grows on sand. The islands Aboriginal name K’Gari appropriately means paradise so travelers flock to see this precious part of Queensland’s natural and cultural heritage. The unique qualities of Fraser Island and novel self-drive 4X4 safaris made it a destination I had to see!

Dingo’s is a relatively new, all inclusive hostel dominating the centre of Rainbow Beach. It is next to the main hotel right across the road from the beach. These guys organize everything from your pre- and post-tour accommodation, arranging travelers into groups and the hire of the 4X4 vehicle. They even have a really good “make your own didgeridoo” program whereby you start off the process adding in your preferred design and they will finish it off whilst you’re on safari. The didge’s are reasonably priced too.

After checking into my room I apprehensively made my way to the afternoon briefing, arranged for 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Remember, these Fraser Island trips are totally self-drive with no professional tour guide to control the group dynamics and ensure that everybody remains happy. What sort of group would end up with me? Who knows how a slightly crazy bunch of irresponsible backpackers would act when left to our own devices. We were being let loose in a wilderness environment requiring us to be self-sufficient for three days.

Firstly we were giving a lecture and video on responsible off-road driving. It was then explained that although there is a suggested itinerary we could chop and change things any way the group wanted. We were even given shopping lists that would provide us with enough food for the trip. Finally, we were split into groups of about eleven and sent to congregate at separate corners of the room. Our group consisted of four young Swedish lads, two British lads as well as two elderly English women, an Irish couple and, of course, a lone South African. Understandably, everyone was a bit tentative and slightly withdrawn to begin with. It needed someone with some leadership initiative to take up the rains and run with it. Who could that be?

Drivers needed to be designated and only one of the English ladies and myself felt comfortable handing over our credit card numbers and signing the hire agreements. I suppose it is a bit risky because the insurance waiver covers the actions of the entire group. After we had introduced ourselves the group soon got into the swing of things. In no time we had arranged collections for food and drink, sorted out people’s preferences and dispatched couples to purchases our provisions. Thankfully, the guys didn’t disappoint me and a vast quantity of beer was ordered for the trip. Our diverse group had gelled together well and everyone was looking forward to an enjoyable three days on Fraser Island.

That evening the two English lads, Mark and Chris, and I wandered into the hotel where it was the local pub’s trivia night. We were invited to join a team of girls from Brisbane who seemed to be struggling with one or two of the answers. I gave these girls the nickname “Cut Snakes” because they were that mad and not too intelligent either. Nevertheless, we were quite successful at the quiz and after contesting a few hotly disputed answers it took a couple of recounts and we were eventually declared winners. Our prize of a $50 drinks voucher was quietly slipped to us, which was of no use to us guys so we donated it to the “Cut Snakes”.

Early the next morning there was a hive of activity in the Dingo’s car park. Forty-four people were packing in their supplies of food and drink into four newly arrived 4X4 Toyota Land Cruisers which had magically been delivered overnight. The vehicles came equipped with all the camping and cooking gear we would need for the safari. Everything had to be unpacked and inventories checked and signed, then repacked along with the food and drink onto the roof racks. Us designated drivers were given a crash course in basic 4X4 maintenance before the group loaded into the truck. It was a bit of a squash, three people on the front seat and 8 packed on the two bench seats that run along the length at the rear.

I got to drive in the convoy of Land Cruisers north out of Rainbow Beach. It was a short distance though bush and we came out onto Inskip Point. A big, white, vehicle barge had run up on the sand and was waiting in the shallow waters with its ramp lowered to the sandy beach. In quick time, the 4X4’s were loaded from the beach with no dramas and we were crossing the short stretch of sea to the southern tip of Fraser Island. It only took ten minutes when we hit the soft sand on the other side. When the ramp was once again lowered, I launched our vehicle onto the beach and we were off on our safari.

Fraser Island Barge

Timber felling and sand mining for minerals became big industries on the Fraser Island during the late nineteenth century. The cutters were after the rainforest Satinay tree, which only grows on Fraser and is highly sought after because it is highly resistant to the marine life that rots timber. The whole of the Suez Canal is lined with Satinay. All mining and timber felling has ceased since the island attained its World Heritage Listing. Once on the island we drove north on the remnants of what was once a sealed inland road which served the old sand mining and logging station. In no time we had split up from the other 4X4 vehicles and were now truly on our own.

We found our way to a long, exposed beach. With the tide on its way out it left a smooth, flat and hard driving surface of damp, compacted sand that stretched on to the horizon. For good reason this is called Seventy Five Mile Beach and runs up just about the entire eastern coast. Our group was really having fun as we sped along the perfect conditions – the deep blue sea was on our right and lush, forest covered, sand dunes on the left and the car stereo blasting our favorite tunes.

Fraser Island is a popular destination for 4X4 enthusiasts and we spotted a number of vehicles traveling up and down the island but we still got the feeling of being isolated. Riding at highway speeds on the beach between the high tide mark and the water line required a bit of getting used to, normal rules of the road must be applied and everyone keeps left. To be even more courteous it is better to indicate well in advance which side of the beach you will choose to pass on. Other traps that regularly claim vehicles are sand washouts where streams cross the beach to empty into the ocean. The vertical banks can be difficult to see when traveling at high speeds, yet are quite high enough to cause suspension damage to vehicles plunging over them, television advertisements for 4WD vehicles notwithstanding.

We sped past Dilli Village and Eurong without stopping. These are two of the few resort settlements that are located on the island where fuel and basic supplies can also be purchased. We chose to ignore these signs of civilization and drove fast for 50km up the beach until we came across the wreck of the Maheno.

Maheno Shipwreck

The Maheno was a luxury trans-Tasman liner. During July 1935, whilst being towed to Japan to be scrapped it hit an unseasonal cyclone. Just off Fraser Island, the towrope snapped and the gale force winds drove her onto Seventy Five Mile beach. This former sleek liner is still a conspicuous landmark and a strong attraction for tourists, despite being used as target practice by Allied bombers during World War II. I clambered over its rusted bulk trying to imagine the ship back in its glory days. The forces of nature are gradually reclaiming the Maheno, much of the superstructure has been eroded away by endless tides and storms and it is extremely holed and battered. Five decks are buried beneath the sand.

A bit further up the beach the group we decided to turn inland onto a track of loose sand. The road wound through some lush vegetated hills and thick rainforests. Up and down the dunes and around blind hairpin bends like some giant roller coaster. The fine sand of the road was a real test of my off-road driving skills and negotiating the loose sand was hard work, but the Toyota Land Cruiser is perfectly suited to the conditions.

Freshwater lake

Fraser Island has an abundance of pristine, fresh water lakes and crystal clear creeks. The scenic 4WD circuits and tracks take in many of the more attractive lakes. We were heading for one of these, Lake Allom, where we eventually made it to a shady clearing and parked our truck. After a short walk through tall trees and thick bush I came out at a attractive small lake with a beautiful forest backdrop. The group decided to jump straight into the cooling waters whilst I took a walk around the entire perimeter of the lake to try and get some perfect photo shots. It was hot going and thirsty work – I was gasping and desperate for a swim myself when I eventually made it back to the starting point.

Unique in the waters of the lake are some special inhabitants – fresh water tortoises. We were lucky these inquisitive creatures periodically popped their heads above the water at the edge of some reeds, checking out what all the fuss was about. When we cleared out of the water, in no time at all the cute tortoises would come out and frolick themselves in the open water. Lake Allom was wonderful, a welcome oasis on the hot summer day.

On the way back to the beach, we stopped at a lookout over the Knifeblade Sandblow. Fraser is, of course, one large sand island and sand blows is the local name for sand dunes and there are major sand formations occurring throughout the island, resulting from the gradual action by which the wind shifts sand across the island. The Knifeblade Sandblow is one such formation and were it not for the rainforests and being able to glimpse the ocean, you could be forgiven for thinking that you were in some far off desert.

Then it was back to the long stretch of beach and we pushed further northwards. Finally, in the late afternoon we made it to the rocky outcrop called Indian Heads.

Indian Heads

As per the suggested itinerary, we camped in an area behind Indian Heads, just off the beach. This doesn’t mean to say that there was less sand because it was very sandy, though there was some shelter being offered by the unusual Banksia scrub and Casuarina trees. It seems that the entire island had been suggested the same itinerary because there were many groups camping out there that night and despite being in possession of top notch 4X4 vehicles a contact stream were getting bogged down in the soft sand. (I would like to mention here that our group, with me driving, rode around the entire campsite until we picked out our spot without getting stuck.)

The group set about unpacking and setting up camp. We had two large dome tents and all manner of cooking utensils. Our organization was good and with everyone mucking in our camp was set up and dinner was under way. After dark, a friendly ranger came around and had a chat with the various groups. A permit is required to drive around Fraser Island and we duly produced ours, which all came part and parcel with the hire of the vehicle. The group chatted away with the ranger and it was probably because of the information they managed to extract from him that the rest of our trip took shape. As you can imagine, with so many groups all camping together in the wilderness it didn’t take too long before all the separate camps amalgamated into a one huge festive group. Music was miraculously produced and with ample stocks of beer and wine, a late night party ensued.

One of the rules, which is strictly enforced, is that no hire vehicles are allowed to ride in the shallow surf whilst on the island. This is strictly enforced and could result in the loss of your deposit, i.e. a hefty charge being made on your credit card. It was high tide when we woke up early the next day so that meant we were pretty much stuck where we were until the tide had retreated sufficiently to allow us access to drive down Seventy Five Mile Beach.

A breakfast of fruit and cereal was consumed before the group trickled off in two and threes for a morning climb up the Indian Heads. Volcanic outcrops have existed in the ocean long before the islands were created. It is around these fingers of basalt that caused the seaborne sand to be deposited and the sand islands were formed. A short climb to the apex of Indian Heads revealed 180� panoramic views. The South Pacific Ocean was a deep blue and we spotted dolphins, rays, and turtles swimming in the clear shallows. Breakers rolled in around the point and the surf line curved north around the bay of Orchid Beach. Southwards stretched the never-ending and straight eastern coast of the island.

On Orchid Beach we drove north, keeping well above the high water mark and the soft white sand came almost up to the axles of the land cruiser. A short way up at Middle Rock we eventually found what we were looking for, a track that took us inland across covered dunes and through sparse woodland. Tucked away we found a little visited store and petrol station where we wanted to replenish the jerry cans with fresh water. It was blistering hot and with no regard for the expense, we gorged ourselves on cold Coke and frozen ice creams.

We retraced our steps back to Middle Rock which is not far from Indian Head to swim in the Champagne Pools. The volcanic rock has formed a barrier that partially shields the beach from the pounding ocean surf. It is the only place on the entire Fraser Island where it is relatively safe to swim in the sea. We overlooked the beautiful rock pools filled with bubbling seawater to discover that most of the camping mob had ventured this far up the beach. We had an excellent swim in the many holes, as the tide turned the high waves surged over the rocks, filling the pools and providing a unique bathing experience.

Giant Kauri

By midday, the tide had abated enough to allow us access to the island’s main highway to once again drive back south, and continue to discover the amazing treasure of natural wonders. It was a long drive to Eurong where we once again turned inland towards the heart of the island. At the old forestry department Central Station, we entered an even denser rainforest pocket. The magnificent kauri and rough barked satinay push upwards towards the sun. In places, they are so dense that light does not penetrate their canopy. The forest is further adorned with a liberal decoration of screw ferns, vines, brush box and airy piccabeen palms that tangle their way upwards among the stately trees. We drove through an area called Pile Valley, named after the giant Kauri, their straight trunks with branches limited only to their tops makes them highly prized for timber, and made them wonderful masts for ships during the days of sail.

There are more than 40 lakes on the island, each with special appeal. Some are windows into the water table, but the majority were formed in a unique way and are, in effect, giant rainwater puddles held in sand dune hollows by a layer of sand rendered impermeable by reed humus rotting into it over centuries. These are called “perched” lakes because they are perched high up in the dunes. We were just about in the centre of the island when we came upon Lake McKenzie, the best known “perched” lake, although not the island’s biggest. We had a late lunch and we relaxed around a peaceful forest setting. This lake has pristine, white, sugary sand, not for nothing is Lake McKenzie considered to have one of the world’s best beaches and I can vouch for that. I had my diving mask and snorkel with me and I took a welcome swim in the blue freshwater. It was most disorientating to peer down through the crystal clear water whilst “hanging” on the surface and see the bottom drop away suddenly to 15m and still be visible.

It was getting late when we left to drive once again though the stately rainforest. It is popular for most groups to spend the second night of their trips camped at Central Station but as a result of the conversation with our ranger chum the previous evening we decided to head back north and camp a second night at Indian Head. Driving along the beach at dusk was very stressful – visibility was not the best and I could so easily have not spotted a high bank caused by a stream washout. Coupled with the added pressures of the tide once again washing in I was exhausted when we eventually reached the campsite. The rest of the group was very relieved to have made it in one piece and thanked me profusely. A new batch of first night campers had arrived and whilst the rest of the group busied themselves with the process of cooking the night’s meal, I made new friends that I knew would invariably end up as another late night session.

Fraser rainforest

The next morning we broke camp but were once again limited by the high tide on Seventy Five Mile Beach, meaning we had to remain at the northern extremities of the island. We once again went back to the Champagne Pools to kill the time. I had the opportunity to do some bushwalking on the high rocky ground above the beaches. Fraser Island’s vegetation is not all tall forest. Heathlands occupy much of the lowlands and the coastal vegetation was as varied as it was exotic. Fortunately the task of identifying the trees and shrubs was made very easy by the information boards that line the pathways. I identified scribbly gum, cypress pine, wild cotton trees, and wallum banksias with its spiky flowers filled with nectar that resembles a toilet brush. The ground was covered with a goat’s foot vine which grew profusely.

As soon as we could we made tracks down the beach. The elements have exposed areas where compacted sands have been bonded by silt and clay to a hard consistency. These multi-coloured sand cliffs front onto the eastern surf beach. We made stops to photograph the magnificent scenery of Cathedral Rocks and the Pinnacles. Over the previous two days, we’d ignored these landmarks choosing to speed past in a mad rush to get elsewhere.

Seventy Five Mile Beach is not only the main highway on the island for four-wheel drive vehicles, but acts as an aerodrome for light aircraft. These shuttle tourists to and from the mainland as well as taking up passengers on joy flights to view Fraser Island from the air. If there wasn’t already enough to be mindful of whilst driving on the island, you need to be vigilant to the takeoffs and landing of these aircraft. As I drove, I wasn’t paying attention, having become distracted by watching the many varieties of birdlife when I almost collided with a plane which had just landed. It was a close call and I am sure the pilot had a few choice words to say about the “bloody tourist drivers”.

The final stop on the island was where Eli Creek carves its way across the beach. The area is one of exceptional and pristine beauty. We walked a short circular route on a number of wooden walkways that run up one side and down the other side of the creek. Again, it was a hot day and the clear water looked cool and refreshing. This popular freshwater stream pours 120 million litres of fresh water a day into the sea. There is a case to “harvest” this precious commodity for consumption in water hungry Hervey Bay instead of building dams that destroy large tracts of land. Here we had an invigorating swim whilst lunch was prepared amongst the picturesque surroundings.

We had a pre-arranged booking off the Fraser Island on the three o’clock vehicle barge at Hook Point at the southern tip of the island. It was getting late when we got underway one last time. I really had to drive the Land Cruiser hard and take some gambles on which directions to take. Thankfully, we made it just in time. We crossed back into Rainbow Beach and returned our faithful 4X4 to the hire company. I was interested to see that before handing back my deposit one of the first things the mechanic checks is for salt crystals on the underside of the truck, as this indicates whether we were recklessly diving through the surf and sea water. We hadn’t and all was well.

The group

I wearily checked back into Dingo’s for one more night. Despite a number of parties being arranged in the village that evening, I chose to have a few quite drinks with a few of our group before turning in early. Next day, I prepared at a gentle pace for my departure on the 11am bus out of Rainbow Beach.