K’gari (Fraser Island) Thing to know

 K’gari is the largest sand island in the world, home to a sand rainforest and some of the purest dingos on the planet. This is just the beginning; let’s explore the things you need to know and some things to do to get the best out of your trip to K’gari Island, whether it is for the day or longer.

Where is K’gari Island and a brief history

Located on the Fraser Coast in southeast Queensland, Australia, K’gari is a 30 min ferry ride from River head and 360km north of Brisbane.

Did you know: K’gari is the world’s largest Sand island (123 kilometres long and approximately 15 kilometres wide), and it is said the sand is purer than the sand in the sharara desert? These are just facts that blew my mind.

Have you ever wondered where Fraser Island got its name? Or why it’s also now known as K’gari?
In 1835 a Scottish ship captained by James Fraser was shipwrecked on the island along with his wife and crew. When his wife was rescued after her husband had died on the island, it was named Frasers Island, with the “s” eventually dropped. For many years it was known as Fraser Island.
Before the arrival of the white man to the Hervey Bay area, Kgari Island was inhabited by the Butchulla People (an indigenous nation and meaning Sea people). The Butchulla People had called K’gari home for thousands of years. It was the Butchulla people who named the island K’gari, meaning Paradise (a very fitting name). The Butchulla succeeded in having the island changed from Fraser Island to K’gari. As of 2021, the island was officially renamed K’gari.
In 1863 logging started in the lush rainforest in the middle of the island. Today, you can visit the remains of Central station, a longing camp that grew into a small township by the mid-1920s. Logging continued through to late 1991.

This is the only sand rainforest in the world, and this area was a women-only area for the butchulla people. Under the protection of the rainforest canopy, babies were born.

How to get to K’gari Island

K’gari island is the world’s largest sand island, and in saying that, it is only accessible with a 4wd. You can only access the island by ferry. From Hervey Bay, you can board the Fraser Venture, a car ferry taking around 30mins each way from River Heads to the island. Some tours take you over to the island. These range from one-day to multi-day tours.

You can access the island from Inskip (north of Rainbow beach) on the southern tip of the island.

If you are planning to take your 4wd over to the island, you need a driving permit, and for camping, you need a camping permit.

Camping permits are not needed for resorts, but driving permits will still be required.

What to see and do

K’gari is a beautiful place to explore, and whether you are driving on your own or part of a tour, here are …. things to see and do.

We were surprised by the island, there is so much diversity in the landscape, and I can see why people spend days on the Island.

Here is a map by Parks QLD showing you where on the island things are located and some other basic things to help you start planning.

Central Station and the Rainforest boardwalk

As I said above, from 1883, logging was a thriving industry in the island forested area until 1991. During this time, Central station becomes a little community. Today you may only see a couple of buildings from a bygone era. Central station is not just about logging. And it is also the gateway to the rainforest boardwalk. This rainforest is the only rainforest growing in sand in the world.
The people of the Butchulla nation have called K’gari home for thousands of years. Many areas are significant to their culture. One of those sites is the rainforest area, a woman-only area used as a birthing site.

Lake Mackenzie

Have you heard of coffee rock? As leaf litter and other natural rubbish break down over thousands of years, compressing and becoming rock. Coffee rock can be cut with an axe; if grounded, it will dissolve in water. Lake Mackenize is one of 40 perched lakes; they were formed by a build-up of coffee rock for its water-holding base. Lake Mackenzie and other perch lakes on the island are only filled with rainwater, and evaporation is the only way water leaves the lake. The water is some of the purest in the world, and there is not much aquatic life able to survive.
Visiting lake Mackenize is a beautiful thing to do. There is parking, toilets and a safe fenced-off area for you to eat without dingoes dropping by uninvited. That being said, don’t take any food down to the lake with you; dingoes will sniff out your food and drop by for a feed (don’t do this).
While at the lake, enjoy resting on the sand, enjoying the beautiful colours of the water, swimming or enjoy a spa service by exfoliating your skin with the amazing sand. We also enjoyed a walk along the lake’s edge.

75-mile beach

I need to start by stating that on this side of the island, it is not safe to swim, but beach fishing is a thing.
Did you know that 75-mile beach is actually a national highway? So keep an eye on the speed limits as they often change between 40 and 80km. Yep, that is right; you drive on the beach. There are a few different accommodation options along the beach and access to some of the island’s splendour.

Eli Creek

What a gem is Eli creek; wander along the boardwalk to the entry point at the end and then make your way back to the main area near the beach. During our brief stop here, I saw people walking, one guy was swimming small stretches immersed under the water, and I saw a group heading up with lilos to float their way back down.
At Eli creek, you have lots of areas to park, a swimming hole, and the gently flowing creek. There are toilets, and they were a short walk from the main area.

SS. Maheno Ship Wreck

In 1935 the luxury Japanese liner SS Maheno was wrecked off the coast of K’gari Island and eventually came to rest on the 75 Mile beach. Since that time, it has slowly been rusting away. Don’t think this once luxury ship has just been left to rust. During WW2, the Maheno was used for Target practice by the Australian army. On the matter of army training, there was also a secret training base at one point on the island for the SAS.

Some trivia about the  SS Maheno is it is 123metres long and 15 metres wide (the same numbers as the island).

The Pinnacles

Not far from the SS Maheno, you will find the Pinnacles, a stunning rock formation on the beach’s edge. The pinnacles are a
This area is another woman-only area for the People of the Butchulla nation. The Pinnacles has a creation story in Butchulla history.
There was once a beautiful young Butchulla girl who fell in love with the rainbow and spent every day with the rainbow until one day she was kidnapped by a man from another tribe. He made her work hard, and one day, she ran away. He hurled his fighting boomerang at the girl in his anger, and the rainbow came to her defence. Destroying both the boomerang and himself in the process. The rainbow fell to earth and became the rainbow banded pillars that today make up the pinnacles.

Dingoes

The Dingos on K’gari are some of the purest dingos in the world, and they are wild and should be respected as wild animals.

Dingoes are protected and roam freely on K’gari Island. Their

movements are unpredictable. Stay alert, slow down and, if safe,

stop to let them get out of your way. Walk in groups, not on your own and never approach them.

Dingoes are always looking for a feed and will try to get into anything they smell as attractive, hence why there are special safe places to eat and wash up. Check out this info from Parks QLD.

Great Bird watching

If you are into birdwatching, K’gari is a place to put on your bucket list. With over 350 known species of birds that call the island home, you are sure to be blessed with some rare and vulnerable species. Nocturnal birds, birds of prey and wading bird pieces all call the island home.

Other things to do on the Island

K’gari has many lakes and creeks; whether on foot or exploring by 4wd, there are hidden gems all over the island to discover. I mentioned that 75-mile beach is a National Highway. Many other roads (with speed limits) will get you access to other less-touristed stops.

Fishing, you can surf beach on 75-mile beach. Bream, whiting, flathead, and swallowtail are what you are likely to catch. Popular fishing spots are at Indian Head and east of Waddy Point. If you are looking to do a charter, head to Kingfisher Resort.

You can visit places like the world’s latest perched lake, Lake Boomanjin. This lake is a whooping 190 hectares. There are around 350 lakes and swimming holes on the island. Check out the park’s QLD map.

Where to stay

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As I said, this is a sand island, so you can only 4wd to get around. You have a few choices for accommodation types on the island for camping to resorts, and here are a few options to get you planning.

Before you go, you’ll need to organise a permit and pick out your camping spot.

K’gari Beach Resort, formally ‘Eurong Beach Resort’, On the edge of 75-mile beach, you are on the doorstep of adventure. A haven for families comprising hotel rooms and apartments, a restaurant and bar, two pools, and the famous Eurong Bakery. We had a buffet lunch at the restaurant on our tour.

Kingfisher Bay Resort Accommodation options range from hotel rooms to self-contained units. Families promise to be bored with three restaurants, four swimming pools, Ranger-guided walks and a Junior Eco kids program. Kingfisher Resort is found on the western side of the island.

Queensland National Parks Booking Service There are 45 camping areas within the Great Sandy National Park

There are many holiday house options, including Waiuta Retreat Holiday House, which is nestled in nature. Modern, Air-conditioned, well appointed, 5 queen bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, pool table, bbq patio and huge 18m entertainment deck for up to 13 guests. Salty Towers is a three-bedroom pole abode sitting in Happy Valley. Fraser Island Fishing Units are in the prime position on Fraser Island – ‘Indian Head’. These are just a couple of the offerings on K’gari,

Looking for K’gari Island Accommodation? Check out our Booking.com affiliate link.

Tours to get you to K’gari Island

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K’gari Explorer Tours (formerly Fraser Explorer Tours) offers day and multi-day stays at Kingfisher Resort and K’gari Beach Resort. Our day tour was through this company, and the itinerary was very well thought out.

Fraser Dingo 4WD Hire & Tours Looking for a 4WD tour or want to hire a 4wd, check these guys out. They offer loads of options. I am sure there would be something to fit your needs.

Remote Fraser Island And Whale Experience If you are looking for a different type of tour, then look at this tour. Experience the west coast with some whale watching. On this tour, explore the island while bush walking, snorkelling, kayaking and swimming.

Fraser Island Hiking is K’gari Island and is the only supported hiking company with permits to support hikers along the Fraser Island Great Walk track system and walkers camps.

Air Fraser island offers a variety of tours ranging from 15 min flights from the island to multi-day flights from Hevey Bay or Sunshine Coast Airport. Seeing the island from the sky gives a whole other perspective and appreciation of this beautiful place. While in the air, remember to keep an eye out for Dugongs, whales and dolphins, and land-based wildlife. 

While on the island, we took up the chance to do a short joy flight, which was a special moment for us.

Looking for a tour to suit, why not check out our Viator Affiliate link to see a list of tours.

We did a day trip tour, and here are our takeaways.

The day we headed out to K’gari, we were excited to explore the place. Honestly, I had not done much research, but I was excited to learn more about the island.
On the day of our tour, we were picked up by bus and taken to Rivers Head to catch the Fraser Venture over to the island.
Our tour guide was lovely and gave us just enough information. He gave us time to take in each stop but had armed us with enough information.
The diversity of the landscape was incredible, and we were totally blown away by the variety, the colour of the water, pure sand and amazing rock formations. This is a ruggedly beautiful island that had us captivated at every point.
Lunch was lovely, and this was a great chance to chat with others.
You could spend days exploring along 75-mile beach.

We took a Joy Flight.

The joy flight with Air Fraser Island was worth the money. Seeing some of the hidden areas by air was so special; it may have only been about 10 mins long, but very worth it. For me, the only trade-off was spending less time at Eli creek, another place that deserves a less hurried visit. Still, it would not stop me from getting on the plane.

In one day, we hit most of the island’s highlights, and I think ending the day with time to chill at lake Mackenzie was incredible; this stop gave us time to just soak in the place.
Our biggest mistake was not taking jumpers with us, and the weather warranted an extra layer, especially on the ferry.
K’gari is so stunning; it does not matter if you only have a day or longer; you will be blessed by this sublime part of creation.

Find our adventure on Youtube.

Sometimes seeing is believing; here is the video we made of our day discovering K’gari (Fraser Island).