Tourist and travel information for Fraser Island Tours

Fraser Island, which lies off the coast of Queensland, is best seen by tour as there are so many fabulous places to visit and so many wonderful sights to see. Fraser Island is the world’s largest sand island and it is the only place on the planet where towering rainforests grow in sand. It is home to a number of unique species of wildlife, one of which is the purest strain of dingo’s anywhere in Australia. The island is famous for its magnificent ocean beach, which is also the islands major highway, its crystal clear lakes and its sensational rainforest and tall stands of Kaurie and Hoop Pine, Satinay and Grey gum. Most of the tours to Fraser Island leave from Hervey Bay at the islands northern end or from Rainbow Beach at the southern end. It is, however, possible to take an extended tour from Brisbane as well. Visitors who are staying on the island at Kingfisher Bay resort, Eurong beach resort or Happy Valley can also join tours from their accommodation.

There are several different types of tours available. The day tours are very popular with travellers visiting special places like Central Station, Lake Makenzie, The Yidney Scrub rainforest and the coloured sands and Maheno shipwreck on the ocean beach. Many backpackers tour around the island in troop carriers with their own camping gear and this is probably the most inexpensive way to see the island. There is also two day and three day extended tours of Fraser Island available. There really is a wide range of tours to choose from. Whale watching tours are also available from Kingfisher bay resort. These tours will take you direct from the jetty at the resort to Platypus Bay on the sheltered side of Fraser Island to see the humpback whales that migrate through the Bay every year as part of their annual migration.

Apart from the attractions listed above that are visited by the day tours, travellers who take extended tours can see many of the islands other special places. There are two different types of lakes on Fraser Island. There are perched lakes that are formed when rotting debris from plant foliage forms on impervious layer which traps the water above it and there are window lakes where the natural water table of the island rises above the sand. The window lakes are crystal clear with white silica sand and are sensational places for a swim or picnic. The perched lakes are Ti Tree stained and although the water is totally pure, they are not as inviting. Lake Mackenzie, Lake Wabby and Lake Birrabeen are the best examples of window lakes.

Central station should be on everyone’s tour agenda on Fraser Island. Here you can see all of the major timber types that have been milled from the island over the years. The board walk along Wangoolba Creek to Pile Valley is absolutely sensational. In the north of the island places like Indian head, the Champagne Pools and Sandy Cape are all magnificent and inland in the north, the Yidney Scrub Rainforest and Lake Allom with it tiny turtle colony are all popular attractions.

A Fraser Island tour will take you on a tour of discovery through one of Australia’s most sensational world heritage listed wilderness areas.