If there is a paradise, there’s a good chance Fraser Island might be it.
After three months in Australia, it was time for me to do some actual sightseeing and explore one of the World Heritage Listed Islands on the East Coast: Fraser Island, also known as K’Gari, ‘Paradise’ in the Butchulla’s people language. In its length Fraser is about 120 km long and therefore the largest sand island in the world.
I booked a 4WD trip with Dingo Tours and got to cruise around the Fraser beaches with 30 other backpackers.
We boarded the ferry on Friday and after dropping our bags at our ‘resort’ in Happy Valley, we left immediately to go explore the island. Our first stop were The Pinnacles and The Shipwreck Maheno. Our guide, who goes by the name The Captain, told us the story how the once luxury steamer was sold for scraps to a Japanese crew and ended up on Fraser Island in 1935 when a number 5 tornado hit. The Captain explained to us that the ship will most likely not be around 20 years from now and that we should treasure the time visiting it.
We visited a lot of places: Eli Creek, where you could float in clear water through a small stream, Waddy Point, a quiet and deserted lake where we went swimming, the stunningly Lake Mckenzie, where the freshwater is clearer than any swimming pool, Indian Head, a sacred place for the Aboriginals where they buried their death, the Champagne Pools, and so much more.
The only sad part about Fraser Island is that you cannot enter the ocean, as there are too many deadly sharks and stingers around. But the Island itself is not entirely safe either; as it is the home of the Dingoes. Dingoes look like dogs but are actually descended from the Lupin race. We were told not to wander the beaches alone, during the day or at night and explained us what to do if we would encounter a dingo; not to run away, not to kneel down and not to feed it.
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