Published:  4 Feb 23 Updated: 4 Feb 23

Fraser Island, or K’Gari as it’s traditionally known, is the biggest sand island in the world and the only place in the world where rainforest grows from the sand. It is no wonder the Queensland island is a world-heritage listed site, with its white silica sand, crystal clear creeks and lakes, towering sand dunes and many unique natural attractions. It is one of Australia’s most iconic tourist destinations. Only accessible by 4WD, K’Gari has 45 camping areas scattered around the island, making it an oasis for 4WD and camping enthusiasts.

The Best Time to Visit:

One of the beauties of Queensland is that the weather is pretty good all year round, so you could have an enjoyable trip to Fraser Island any time of year. There are some things to consider for certain times of the year though:

• School holidays and long weekends: the island becomes extremely busy and you’ll often need to book well in advance. There will be hour or more long waits for the barges and you’ll probably be camped pretty close to people, as the camping zones will be at maximum capacity. The main attractions like Eli Creek, Lake Mckenzie and Champagne Pools etc will be chockas and if you’re wanting to cross Ngkala Rocks, a notorious spot for vehicles getting stuck, expect to get delayed as the influx of vehicles will probably result in more of them needing recoveries. With that being the only path to and from the northern side of the island, you’ll have no choice but to wait them out.

• Christmas and Easter: Obviously all of the above will apply at the absolute busiest time of the year, but on an even crazier scale! You will need to have your trip planned 6 months in advance so you can jump onto the website when the bookings open for those dates if you’re wanting to camp in the most popular areas. Camping on Fraser Island during these busy times is definitely not ideal, yet if you can only get away at those times of year and want to experience the beauty of K’Gari then go for it! It'll just require a bit more careful planning and a high tolerance for crowds but we think the beauty of Fraser will always come through on top.

• Winter: June – August will bring cold nights and you may find the water to be a bit  fresh. Yet Winter also brings the smallest crowds. The best time of year for fishing starts in July and runs through to October. Plus with an average temperature of 15 degrees, Winter on Fraser Island is still warmer than many other parts of Australia.

• Summer: Irukandji jellyfish, an extremely venomous species of box jellyfish, are known to visit the western side of Fraser Island during the Summer months. There has been an increase in people getting stung over the years and with limited medical assistance on the island, patients have to be airlifted back to the mainland. Authorities suggest swimmers wear full body protective swimwear and carry a bottle of vinegar with them if they still wish to swim in the western waters over Summer.

With all of the above in mind, we would say the ideal time to visit would be February – April and September – November, outside of school holidays. These months allow you to avoid the busy periods and stingers, have warm, comfortable temperatures and you can book campsites on the spot rather than months in advance. If you can, try to go during the week, as there are a lot of locals in the Hervey Bay and Rainbow Beach area who will head over on the weekends and turn the island paradise into a beach highway!

Vehicle Barges and 4WD Permits:

There are two vehicle barges you can catch to make your way over to K’Gari – Inskip Point and River Heads (Hervey Bay).

The barge at Inskip, known as the Mantaray, doesn’t take bookings - you just jump in the line and wait your turn. You can buy a permit easily on the barge itself. They take cash or EFTPOS payments for $130 return or up to $230 if you’re towing. The barge runs back and forwards all day and they’ll sometimes bring out a second barge during peak periods. The trip across will take you about 10 minutes. Just a tip: time your trip to catch the barge on mid to low tide. Whilst the barge still runs at high tide, you’ll often have to drive through a bit of salt water on the drop off onto the sand at Fraser. High tide also means you’ll have to take the inland route up the island which is bumpy, boring and in our opinion, not how you want to be starting your Fraser Island holiday. Wait for the tide to drop, be nice to your vehicle and enjoy the scenic drive around Hook Point at the bottom of the island then up the beach to whereever you want to go.

You’ve probably heard of the Facebook Page ‘I got bogged at Inskip Point” -  created thanks to the sheer number of tourists who get bogged on the stretch of sand where the Mantaray barge stops at Inskip. The sand at Inskip isn’t that bad, it’s more so just a case of excited tourists driving with heavy setups filled with camping gear who haven’t let their tyres down. Avoid becoming the next victim of the Facebook page and let your tyres down in the pullover bays before the sand at Inskip. You’ll also be ready to drive straight onto the island, as the barge drops you directly onto the sand. 

If you’re coming from Hervey Bay, you can catch the River Heads barge which is a Sealink ferry and a lot more expensive, starting at $205 return with additional fees for passengers, the size of your vehicle and of course if you’re towing. This one also requires you to book your trip at the ticket office prior to getting on the ferry. It can drop you at either Kingfisher Bay Resort or Wanggoolba Creek with a travel time of about 30 minutes.

Camping:

All camping sites on Fraser Island need to be booked through the Queensland National Parks websiteand these bookings open 6 months in advance. You can either camp in one of the 9 beach camping zones along the east coast or opt for one of the 19 camping areas scattered around the island; of which some are fenced and some only accessible by boat on the west coast, so ensure that you’ll be able to get to whatever campground you book with your setup. Generally speaking, the ‘camping areas’ are set out more like campgrounds with a dedicated area and often even marked out sites for you to camp in. Whereas the beach camping zones allow you to camp anywhere along the sand dunes within that zone and are a lot more spaced out. 

Here are some factors that might help you consider which spot you want to camp in:

Beach Camping Zones (9 zones that run along the East coast of the island):

• Zones 1 - 4 are south of Eli Creek. 

• Zone 4 is the closest beach camping zone to Eli Creek and therefore quite popular. You will usually have to book this one in advance.

• Zones 5 and 6 are just north of Eli Creek and close to the Maheno shipwreck. 

• Zone 9 is north of the Ngkala Rocks Bypass. Ensure you’re prepared and willing to cross through Ngkala Rocks if you want to camp up here. If you’re keen, it’s worth it, as camping at Sandy Cape, right at the northern tip of the island, would be magic! However for that reason it does book out quickly, so this is another one you would need to make sure you book in advance. 

• Besides Zone 4 and 9, the rest of the beach camping zones have a lot of availability outside of peak periods, so you can get away with booking these on the spot while you’re on the island. Just make sure you find somewhere with reception to make your bookings as you go. We found the area around Eurong, as well as zone 8 and Orchid Beach, to have excellent Telstra reception for us.

• If you’re taking a caravan, you probably could get as far up as camping zone 7 (just before Indian Head). After that, you probably wouldn’t want to be towing your caravan through the steep headland bypasses which would lead you to the other zones.

• None of the beach camping zones have facilities or dingo fencing.

Camping Areas (Campground-style camping scattered around the island):

• Always check the camping area description before you book! Some are tent only, some are walk-ins or only accessible by boat and others don’t allow you to camp beside your car. You can read the full description for each area on the Queensland National Parks website here. 

• Dingo fencing is present at the following camping areas: Central Station, Cornwells, Dundubara, Eli Camping Area, Lake Boomanjin, One Tree, Waddy Point in the top section, Wathumba and Wongai. 

• Toilet and coin-operated shower facilities are available at the following camping areas: Central Station, Dundubara, Lake Boomanjin (toilets only), Ungowa (toilets only), Waddy Point and Wathumba (toilets only).

• The western camping areas of Awinya Creek, Bowarrady Creek and Wathumba usually book out quickly, so make sure you have secured a booking before you get to the island. 

You can see more about where we stayed and why in our Fraser Island itinerary at the end of this article.

The main attractions:

Fraser Island has some pretty iconic sites to see. To experience them all properly, you would need to spend at least a week there, as the island is huge and there’s a lot of driving involved between particular sites. Your driving is also bound by the tides, meaning you can only travel during certain times of the day. If you only have a few days, we’d definitely recommend picking out a smaller section of the island to explore and enjoy the attractions in that area properly, rather than trying to do it all, as you’ll just end up spending all day every day driving and seeing everything from the car window!

Lake McKenzie:

This freshwater lake is one of the island’s most popular attractions. If you haven’t heard of Lake Mckenzie before, you may be wondering why a lake would be so popular…I thought the same! That is until we arrived and saw the bright, turquoise blue water and crisp, white sand. We’d never seen a lake like this before! Lake Mckenzie consists of pure rainwater and it’s this fact, along with the help of people wading through the water which rubs away any decaying matter on the sand, that causes it to give off this vibrant shade of blue. Lake Mckenzie is definitely a must see when visiting Fraser Island! 

There are no campsites around the area but it’s perfect to visit for a morning or afternoon swim. Pack your floaty and relax in the calm water while taking in the stellar views that surround you. This spot’s not only popular with the tourists though. Dingos are also known to be present in higher numbers at Lake Mckenzie, meaning the rangers have had to impose a ‘no food’ rule around the lake and instead have fenced off picnic areas in the bushland away from the water’s edge. These weren’t the most scenic and there are definitely better lunch spots around the island, so we’d recommend saving your picnics and platters for elsewhere. 

Eli Creek:

Eli Creek would have to be the most iconic attraction on Fraser Island. It’s a freshwater creek that meanders through the pandanus palms and out to a large, open swimming area before finally meeting up with the ocean. The water is particularly fast-flowing, making it perfect to jump in at the top and float your way down to the beach. Apparently it can take 100 years for the water to filter through the sand dunes into this creek, making it some of the purest freshwater in the world! The wooden bridges and boardwalks along the creek add to its aesthetic and it’s no wonder this has become the most photographable spot on the island.

Eli Creek is truly beautiful…and everyone knows it! This place would constantly be the busiest spot on the island and the nearby Camping Zone 4 and Eli Creek Camping Area are often the first to book out. Get here early, find a good spot and park up for the day, enjoying endless creek floats, freshwater swims or walk down to the beach and throw a line in. There are toilets nearby and no restrictions on food like Lake Mckenzie, although the dingoes still frequently visit here so be vigilant with your food and rubbish, and keep an eye on your little ones. There are no trees or natural shade for you to find a spot under when on the sand, so be prepared to pull out the awning or set up the Cool Cabana…it gets hot! If you want to enjoy this natural oasis all to yourself, it really is a case of the early bird gets the worm. Our tip would be to come here straight after sunrise for a chance to float down the creek all by yourself. 

Maheno Shipwreck:

Just 3.5km north of Eli Creek is the remains of SS Maheno; a retired hospital ship from WW1. She met her fate when she was sold to Japan for scrap in 1935. The ship was being towed to Japan when a storm came along, snapped the tow chain and caused her to end up floating to the shore on Fraser Island. That’s where the Maheno has stayed until this very day and is now a popular site to see when visiting K’Gari. This ship is fully in the water when the tide comes in, so it’s best to visit on mid-low tide so you can have a closer look.

Indian Head:

You can’t miss Indian Head, the huge headland that pokes out into the ocean, along Seventy-Five Mile Beach. There are beautiful bays of water on either side of the headland that can offer some protection depending on which way the wind’s blowing. The water is a brighter colour of blue here with plenty of marine life around. Unfortunately you can’t walk up to the top of the headland at the moment, but you can still have a bit of a look around the area.

Champagne Pools:

If you’re after a refreshing, saltwater spa bath, then Champagne Pools has your name on it! These natural rock pools on the next headland north of Indian Head are frequently flushed with the ocean’s waves, causing the once calm pools to become a flurry of bubbles and sea foam. It really is fun for all ages! Just watch the tides on this one! Swimming should be avoided at high tide, as the strong tidal surges will wash you against the rocks and probably leave you a bit bloody, battered and bruised. However it makes for the perfect family swimming pool when the tide is low. If you can’t get here on low tide or just prefer not to swim, Champagne Pools is still worth the visit for the beautiful outlook alone. They’ve done a great job of creating a beautiful walk around this headland and the views out to the ocean and down to Indian Head definitely can’t be missed!

NgKala Rocks:

To get up to the northernmost tip of the island, you need to cross the Ngkala Rocks bypass; an infamous 4WD track through coffee rock and soft sand. It’s the most notorious spot for getting bogged on Fraser and with it being the only route to the tip, you can often experience lengthy delays here while waiting for others who have gotten stuck. In our experience, it wasn’t an issue. We let the tyres down to 16PSI, walked the track beforehand planning out what lines to take and then drove through with no issues. However the day before we went, we heard of a vehicle rollover and the day after, we spoke to a guy towing a trailer who got stuck and by the time he got out, the tide had come up so he had to camp in the sand dune there that night. Sometimes Ngkala Rocks becomes impassable thanks to different weather factors. Often it will get quite chewed up by increased holiday traffic. Especially drivers ripping through the soft sand created by the harsh, Summer sun. If the conditions are good and you have the right gear, it’s definitely worth it for a bit of fun and to get to the top of the island.

Sandy Cape:

Once you make it through Ngkala Rocks, you’re well on your way to Sandy Cape - the northernmost tip of the island. It feels amazing to get up here. The water is a different, more turquoise shade of blue and the ocean is calmer, as it transforms into more of a bay. It would be amazing to camp here, however with only 30 campsites available in Zone 9, they are pretty popular and require you to book well in advance. While at Sandy Cape, you can also check out the lighthouse and WW2 bunker. However the beach becomes so narrow in some of the sections along the top where there are fallen trees and it really is only passable one hour either side of low tide. If you can’t make that time frame, save it for another time or you’ll be waiting a while on the other side of the trees for the tide to go back down.

The West Coast:

While you can’t really swim on the eastern side of the island thanks to the rough surf and large presence of sharks, the west coast is the total opposite, offering up protected bays for swimming with white sand and turquoise blue water. The western side is also popular for those with boats, as you can easily shoot across the bay from the mainland. To get over to this side, you’ll need to travel through the inland tracks which can be quite slow going, so allow plenty of time and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way!

The Dingoes of Fraser Island:

These guys are fascinating although best enjoyed from afar! They are wild animals with very different instincts to domestic dogs and are known to show aggressive behaviour. While you shouldn’t have a problem if you keep your distance and don’t leave out any food or rubbish, they have been known to target children who wander away from their family. We found each time we pulled up somewhere new, a dingo would often appear not long after and check us out, then continue on their way. Although we did see a dingo start to follow a family with young children at Eli Creek and show early signs of aggressive behaviour. The parents picked up their children, along with a large stick they found lying on the ground, then waited for the dingo to move on. 

Our 5 Day Itinerary on Fraser Island - K’Gari:

This is how we spent our time on Fraser Island, which may help you if you’re planning a Fraser Island camping trip of your own. We also made two Youtube videos from our trip, which include timestamps to help show how long it takes to drive to different places. You can watch our Fraser Island videos here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O4-jdY1YV4&list=PLAh9JOUM-_rK97vCyp-Ou7qh4bBS1yXca&index=1https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF6wowjKyg8&list=PLAh9JOUM-_rK97vCyp-Ou7qh4bBS1yXca&index=2

We’d penciled in about a week to go to K’Gari, however a strong storm system with heavy rain came through a few days before, so we delayed our trip by a couple days and ended up spending 5 days on the island. We went over in the middle of October, outside of school holidays, from Monday to Friday. We wanted to camp at a few different sites, so we ditched the caravan and packed the swag instead, so we could camp wherever we liked. We didn’t make any campsite bookings until we got over to the island. We found the weather to be a perfect blend of warm days and nights without it being too hot and the midweek crowds were pretty manageable, although Eli Creek and Lake Mckenzie were still really busy. Here’s how we spent our 5 days on Fraser Island:

Day 1 - Monday:

We arrived to Inskip Point at about 11am ready to catch the Mantaray Barge over to Fraser Island. This was as early as we could get across with the tides. After parking in line, we only had to wait one barge ride before it was our turn to take the 15 minute ride across. We touched down on the island and started the drive around Hook Point just after the midpoint on the run out tide. 

It was about a 2 hour drive from Hook Point up to our first stop for the day at Lake Mckenzie. During the drive, we passed Beach Camping Zone 1, drove through the township of Eurong, which we thought resembled some sort of hospital, and enjoyed the forest scenery for the last part of the drive inland towards the famous lake. So far we had barely seen anyone and thought Mondays on Fraser Island really must be quiet…until we arrived in the Lake Mckenzie carpark. It was chockers! People were blowing up floaties everywhere and there were streams of people coming and going from the walking tracks. We had lunch here in one of the fenced-off picnic zones before making our way to check out the blue hues of Lake Mckenzie. We spent about an hour and a half here swimming, chilling and taking it all in. We could have stayed longer, but realised we still needed to find a campsite and it was taking longer than anticipated driving around this island already. 

About an hour after leaving Lake Mckenzie, we passed Eli Creek and its nearby campsites, which looked really full. We were planning on coming back another day but could already see any day here would be busy, as there were people everywhere still at 4pm! We decided to camp in zone 5 in the Wahba section, just north of the Maheno shipwreck and got to camp at about 5pm. 

Day 2 - Tuesday:

Tuesday was our one day of the week where it was forecast to be cloudy and a bit cooler, so we decided to spend the day doing a bit of driving and tackle the Ngkala Rocks bypass. We had to stay put at camp until the tide had gone down enough, which we quite enjoyed being forced to stay still and make our own fun for a bit. By 10am we were able to get moving again, so we started making our way north along the beach. We passed most attractions without stopping, saving them for better weather on the trip back down, before finally getting to Ngkala Rocks at about 11:45am. Lucky for us, there was nobody else around, so we parked up and spent some time walking the track. By the time we got back to the ute, more cars were starting to roll in. The track looked fine and we got through unscathed, continuing our way up to Sandy Cape where we stopped for lunch at around 1:30pm. The sun came out and helped us celebrate making it to the top of the island, while we enjoyed lunch and a swim with our mates Josh and Laura (@j.l.adventures) who we met at Ngkala Rocks. We were going to go with them out to the lighthouse, but on the way there, we noticed there wasn’t much room around the fallen trees along the beach and the tide was coming in. There was no way we’d have enough time to go up to the lighthouse and make it back past these trees before the tide came up to them, so we turned around, said goodbye to Josh and Laura who had snagged a campsite at Sandy Cape in the Caree section (these ones book out well in advance), and we made our way back down the beach towards Beach Camping Zone 8, which we spotted and liked the look of earlier in the day.

As we approached Ngkala Rocks at about 3:30pm, there was a bit of a lineup this time on the track. We jumped out of the ute and saw there was a recovery mission going on a bit further down. Once that was all clear, we made our way back through Ngkala Rocks with a lot more confidence than our first time round, however we were definitely surprised at how much more chewed up the track was later in the day. We made it to the Ocean Lake camping area in zone 8 which we spotted earlier on in the day and were absolutely loving it! The water colour was a different shade of turquoise here and there was a beautiful outlook down the beach to Waddy Point.

Day 3 - Wednesday:

We enjoyed another slow morning waiting for the tide to go out before leaving camp at 9:30am. On today’s agenda was a trip across the inland track from Orchid Beach to check out the western side of the island. It was a scenic drive through the sandy track surrounded by tall trees and beautiful views. Unfortunately when we poked out onto the western side at Wathumba Creek, there was heavy fog about and we couldn’t see past a couple metres in front of us. We were a bit disappointed but also knew we weren’t going to have time to see everything on this trip anyway, so we turned around and headed back for the eastern side, where the weather was absolutely turning it on! We parked up at Indian Head for lunch and a swim (sticking to the shallows of course!) and then drove up the beach to Champagne Pools. Ths was one of the highlights for us! The views alone as you walk along the track to Champagne Pools are gorgeous, but then walking down to the rockpools and going for a dip in the natural spa baths was so much fun! We were pretty knackered after a big day in the sun and seeing as we enjoyed last night’s camp so much, we headed back there to Ocean Lake in Zone 8 for our third night on Fraser Island.

Day 4 - Thursday:

Today’s mission was Eli Creek! We had a bit of a drive down there and eventually arrived after lunch time. It was SO busy! There were cars parked everywhere like a busy shopping centre car park, gazebos were set up along the water’s edge and even in the creek itself and there were people, floaties and parties everywhere. We ran into our friends Josh and Laura again, so enjoyed some time at the creek with them, before we left to see the nearby Maheno shipwreck now that it was low tide. We were keen to try and see if we could float down Eli Creek all by ourselves really early in the morning, so we wanted to camp nearby. We headed just up the beach to Zone 5 with Josh and Laura, where we enjoyed a few drinks while we watched a massive lightning storm roll in across the ocean. 

Day 5 - Friday:

We woke up at sunrise, packed up straight away and headed back to Eli Creek. We were so excited to get there and only see two other cars, a stark contrast to the scenes from the day before. What a way to start the day - going for a float down the creek in some of the freshest water on Earth! We then made our morning coffee by the water’s edge and watched the crowds begin to roll in. 

It was our final day on the island and we still had a long drive back to the Gold Coast too, so we left Eli Creek and began the drive back down the beach. It was high tide so we had to turn off the sand and take the inland track for the last stretch of the trip down to the barge, which was nowhere near as nice as the beach! Once we did get to the barge lineup to get back across to Inskip, we noticed the barge couldn’t actually pull up all the way onto the beach due to the high tide and sandbank, and the one car that was lined up in front of us had to drive through a bit of salt water to get onto the barge. We bailed out of the line and decided to have lunch on the beach here while we waited for the tide to drop a bit. 3 return trips later, the barge ramp was finally dropping onto sand rather than in the water, so we hopped on and put an end to our first trip to Fraser Island…and what an epic time we had!

We really enjoyed our time on Fraser and it was one of our favourite places we’ve visited so far. Next time we go, we reckon we would still take the swag because we loved being able to camp in different areas each night, especially at the northern end of the island where the caravan wouldn’t be able to go. Although we’d also like to go for a few weeks next time, so maybe we’d take the caravan and the swag so we had a base with a bit more comfort to come back to. We also need to get back to experience the beauty of the west coast and some other areas we didn’t get time to visit this time like Lake Waddy and Central station. What a magical spot. We are already itching to get back there!