In November we packed up the campervan and drove home from Alice Springs to Melbourne via the East cost of Australia.  This meant that after five years of trying to get to Fraser Island we were finally actually going to get there!!!

The largest sand Island in the world with crystal clear lakes, rainforest, loads of wildlife and long white beaches.  There are a couple of resorts on the Island but unless you want to travel on a tourist bus you need a high clearance 4×4 to get around from rainforest to beach to lake.  Given you have to take a 4×4 you might as well camp and there are several choices of campsite on the Island plus a not very simple booking system.

You also need a permit to be on the Island but you can get one of these when you buy your ferry pass in Hervey Bay.

I booked a campervan site in Central Park, the rainforest camp site in the middle of the Island.  There is really no information on the Parks website regarding the condition of the tracks leading to and from campsites, so it is pretty much left to you to make the assumption that if a camping site is available for a car with a camper van then it will be accessible… Don’t assume!!!  If you don’t have confident 4×4 skills on VERY soft sand then do not book an inland site.  You have been warned.

Getting to Fraser Island there are two choices for ferries;

• Fraser Island barges that leaves 20 minutes south of Hervey Bay and offer two different services to two different landing points on the west side of the Island. The Fraser Island barges require you to reverse on and drive off.
• Mantra Ray barge which runs from Rainbow Beach, about 2 hours from Hervey Bay and offers a service to the Southerly tip of the Island.  Mantra ray has drive on – drive off barges.

After travelling with both of them, they are both good.  Mantra Ray is significantly cheaper and easier to get on and off, especially with a camper trailer.  A beautiful drive South of Hervey Bay and you get to Rainbow beach and Innskip point.  There is a ticket box in the middle of town were you can buy your ferry ticket and permit if needed.  Let your tyres down to around 20 psi before you attempt to drive the final 50 mts to the barge because there is soft sand over the beach to the barge landing.

After 20 beautiful minutes at sea you disembark onto the beach and the drive up Fraser Island commences.  Be aware that it is advised to only drive on the beach 2 hours either side of low tide, so plan your barge journey around the tides.

All to soon we found the first marked road off the beach and onto the track to Central Park.  About 500 mts down the sandy track we came to a ‘small’ pool of water, no signs, no notifications, tyres tracks going through and out the other side.  So we drove through, I know we should have got out and walked it, but it is a marked track…. Halfway through water starts coming through the airconditioning vents and is

over the bonnet… no we don’t have a snorkel.  I’m yelling “keep driving” and holding my favourite handbag above my head.  We finally get out the other side and open the doors to let the fish out.

OMG, our first introduction to the badly signposted and  badly maintained tracks of Fraser Island.

Windows open and handbags safely stashed on higher ground we continue on up a deeply sandy, rutted and twisty ‘track’.

And meet our second problem, although Fraser Island is only recommended for high clearance 4X4 there is no policing of this.  So anyone can buy a barge ticket and access the island whether they are driving a sedan or a 4×4.  Travelling fairly fast up a section of deep soft sand we meet a bogged soft off roader, all wheel drive.  All four wheels spinning in the air, bogged.

Traffic quickly builds up behind us including a ranger, water truck and about 20 other 4×4’s.  We all try to reverse back down the hill but now we are sinking and also bogged upto our axle in the soft soft sand.  Fortunately a large truck is behind in the queue and he tows us back down the hill so that we can take another run. Four hours after getting onto the Island we make it to the camping ground.

 

In the middle of the Island in rainforest, the Central Park campsite is peaceful, cool and well laid out.  Camp sites are level, clearly labelled as for tents or camper trailers and scattered around with enough room for privacy.  There are loos, showers (coin operated) and washing up sinks.

 

 

 

Wildlife abounds with hungry Lizards and Kookaburra’s in attendance so keep your food in the car or somewhere safe!!!!  So cute.