Fraser Island is one of the most unique experiences on the Australia East Coast. Many of the activities on the east coast are similar to other places in the world. That doesn’t mean they are not worth visiting, however! But Fraser Island is different. I don’t know any other site that really compares to it.

Fraser Island is a large island, about 123 kilometers in length. It is also considered to be the largest sand island in the world. The main “road” on this island is the beach on the east coast with speed limits of 80kmh/h. The other “roads” are sand paths to the lakes and other popular sights. 4WD is required to visit the island due to the sand roads. For tourists, the best way to visit the island is on a tag-along tour like the one I did.

I went with a company called Dingo’s Fraser Island. There are a few other companies that offer similar tours, but I enjoyed my time with Dingo’s. I went on the 3-day, 2-night trip. Before the tour starts, you have to sit through a safety briefing. This meeting usually occurs the evening before to go over everything required for the tour. Everyone also has to fill out some required paperwork, especially anyone who wants to drive.

Day 1 – Lake McKenzie

The next morning is when the tour properly starts. We start by packing all of the cars with the gear and then hit the road. With Dingo’s, it is a super short drive to the ferry. The ferry takes about 10 minutes before arriving at Fraser Island. Upon arrival to the island, we hit the “road,” in other words, the beach. Even though you will be driving on the beach, speed limit signs are posted. Police may be around to enforce laws.

We drove for a while on the beach before heading into the jungle to find Lake McKenzie. Lake McKenzie is one of the most stunning sights on the entire island. It has perfectly blue water at a perfect temperature for swimming. The sand is also pure white and perfect for relaxing. This lake was probably my favorite spot on the entire trip, and you can probably guess why from the photos below.

Day 1 – Fraser Island Driving

After Lake McKenzie, we headed back to the beach to head further north to reach our campsite. I drove the portion back to the beach, and it was quite the experience. Driving a manual, right-hand drive car on sand roads is no easy task. This is especially true when you are used to driving an automatic, left-hand drive car on mostly pavement. I only stalled a couple of times and felt more comfortable once we got closer to the beach. I still traded off with someone else at the beach, though.

From the beach, we made our way north to the campsite for the night. We unpacked the vehicles, picked out our tents, and then prepped for dinner. Some of us also started getting into our drinks at that point as well. We enjoyed some dinner and drinks around a campfire. Later some of us went out to the beach to enjoy the stars as well. They warned us to take a “dingo stick” to scare away any dingo’s if we ran into them. For those that are not aware, dingo’s are a kind of wild dog that can be dangerous, especially in packs. One of the two nights there, I did see a dingo, but we had no problem scaring it away.

Day 2 – North End of Fraser Island

The next day was devoted to the north end of the island. Our first stop was at the champagne pools for a swim. These pools are the only place that it is safe to swim in the ocean. There are lots of sharks and jellyfish off the coast of Fraser Island, but they do not enter the pools. After the champagne pools, we took a short drive to Indian Head. Indian Head is Fraser Island’s highest point and provides some fantastic views over the ocean.

After Indian Head, we made our way down to the Maheno Shipwreck. This ship has some fascinating history, but I won’t bore you with that here. But feel free to read up on it here if you are interested. Eli Creek is the next stop right next to the shipwreck. This creek flows from deep underground to the surface and then to the ocean. You can take a beautifully relaxing float down the stream. The water is safe to drink because it is filtered as it comes to the surface. I filled up my bottle from the top of the creek, and it tasted amazing. After Eli Creek, we made our way back to camp for a similar night to the one before. After sunset, a python bit a guy as he stepped over it, not seeing it. Luckily, pythons are non-venomous, so he has no lasting injuries.

Day 3 – Leaving Fraser Island

On the final morning, we packed up camp and made our way south to Lake Wabby. This lake is not as beautiful as Lake McKenzie but still worth visiting. It is a bit of a hike to the lake, and you will be happy to get in the water when you arrive. The lake gets deep quickly but feels fantastic. When remaining motionless, some fish will eat the dead skin on your body. It feels bizarre but can be a bit enjoyable as well. This lake was the last stop for Fraser Island. After, we had to make our way back to the ferry and Rainbow Beach. We unpacked the vehicles once we returned to the hostel. We spent the evening with new friends and some farewell drinks.

So, this concludes my Fraser Island tour. If you are considering taking a trip to Fraser Island, then I would recommend looking into Dingo’s Fraser Island for your visit. They provide an excellent tour. I know I was quite happy on my trip with them and hope you will as well. Check out more of my Australia adventures here.