Discover 6 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Fraser Island (Australia). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Lake Wabby, Lake McKenzie, and Sandy Cape Lighthouse. Also, be sure to include K'gari Great Walk in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Fraser Island (Queensland).
Table of Contents
Lake Wabby
Lake in Australia. Lake Wabby is a small freshwater, green colored lake. It is located in the Great Sandy National Park on the eastern side of K'gari off the coast of Queensland, Australia. The lake is directly adjacent to the Hammerstone Sandblow, which is slowly moving into the lake. Eventually it will disappear under the sand.
Unlike most other lakes on K'gari which are too acidic, Lake Wabby provides habitat to several species of fish. Thirteen species have been identified.
The lakes is both a window lake and a barrage lake. Barrage lakes form when water flows from a natural spring are blocked by a sandmass. With a maximum depth of 12 m, it is the deepest lake on the island.
Lake Wabby has cultural significance to the Butchulla people.[1]
Lake McKenzie
Pure water lake with white sand beaches. Lake McKenzie is a perched lake on K'gari in Queensland, Australia. The lake is located in the Great Sandy National Park.
The lake is located 6.2 km southeast of Kingfisher Resort. It is 1,200 metres long and up to 930 metres wide. It is approximately 150 hectares in area.
The sands around the lake are composed of pure, white silica and the water in the lake is also so pure it is unsuitable for many species.
Facilities for visitors around the lake include picnic areas as well as toilets.[2]
Sandy Cape Lighthouse
Lighthouse in Australia. Sandy Cape Light is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Sandy Cape, the most northern point on K'gari, Queensland, Australia. It stands about 6 kilometres southwest of the northeastern tip of the island. It is the tallest lighthouse in Queensland. Built in 1870, it is the second major lighthouse to be built in Queensland after its formation in 1859. It is one of the first lighthouses in Australia to be constructed using bolted prefabricated segments of cast iron, and one of only two such lighthouses in Queensland, the other being its sibling, Bustard Head Light.[3]
K'gari Great Walk
Island. The K'gari Great Walk is a long-distance walking track on Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia. Hikers should be fully self-sufficient and to carry sufficient water. The walk is rated easy to moderate on a difficulty scale being mostly at sea level and is traversed in one direction.
It leads from Dilli Village, an environmental education camp of the University of the Sunshine Coast, to Happy Valley. The entire 90 km walk, which includes numerous smaller walks branching off the main trail, can be completed in 6 to 8 days. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) provides 8 walkers' camps for which a booking is essential.
The landscape during the walk changes between coastal heathland, mangrove forest, woodland and subtropical rainforest. The crystal-clear lakes and sand dunes are the highlights of this track. Due to the rain season, it is better not to do this hike from January to March.
A 40-kilometre (25-mile) extension to the walk from Lake Garawongera to Arch Cliffs, was developed by volunteers in 2010 and increased the length of the main trail to 90 kilometres (56 miles).[4]
SS Maheno
Ship. SS Maheno was an ocean liner belonging to the Union Company of New Zealand that operated in the Tasman Sea, crossing between New Zealand and Australia, from 1905 until 1935.
It was also used as a ship by the New Zealand Naval Forces during World War I; as His Majesty's New Zealand Hospital Ship No. 1. It was washed ashore on Fraser Island by a cyclone in 1935 where the disintegrating wreck remains as a popular tourist attraction.[5]
Eurong
Town in Fraser Island, Australia. Eurong is a town and a locality on Fraser Island in the Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the 2016 census, Eurong had a population of 47 people.[6]