I stood at the end of a pitch-black pier at the end of the day, covered in dried sweat and flaking spider webs staring at the silvery fish reflecting in the moonlit water. I had a sudden urge to jump in the water, to let the depths envelope me and brave the mysteries beneath, but of course I didn’t. Instead I sat at the end of the dock, my family some distance away from me as I watched the flashes of golden lightning dance across the horizon reflecting on the beauty we had experienced today.
A lot of decision had gone into taking a tour of Fraser Island instead of braving it ourselves. I am currently travelling with my parents and my grandpa and it was the easiest and best option given our limited time. But in the future I would say, rent a 4WD and stay at the Eco lodge. Though for those looking for ease of seeing this amazing UNESCO heritage site the Fraser explorer tour is the way to go.

A Beautiful Morning to start the day at the gorgeous Fraser Island. Just look at that sun!
It was an early day as with any pre-organized trip, waiting patiently outside of the hotel for a pick up with the other people who were also going on a tour. There is no need to think about where you’re going next, that’s the joy. You just go and sometimes I like that.
We were off after a short ferry ride in the blazing sun followed by clambering onto our 4WD and headed to “Central Station”. This is a small area that used to house the center of a logging town. You can still see the imprint of where the now vacant town used to lie, and they have eerily empty houses preserved as their information stations. Well worth the read.
As a group we walked through the massive trees and shrub onto the perfected wooden path. Sturdy and strong, our footsteps were silent as we walked through the sub tropical forest, the noise around us could have been from a rainforest recording. It was perfect, with the sudden inexplicable ringing of a high-pitched sound from the tree.
Our guide told us to stand on a bridge over a river and listen to the creek. We listened and all I heard was silence. Ear ringing deafening teeth shattering silence, so I listened harder.
I looked at my guide, puzzled, as he said, “What did you hear?” There were murmurs of confusion from the group. “Good, you were supposed to hear nothing. The water is running over sand and therefore you don’t get any of the noise that a stream usually makes as it goes over the rocks.”
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. It was formed around three volcanic rock formations and the sand came from Antarctica where a mountain range used to rival the Himalayas. Over time these mountains were worn away from glacier movement and ocean currents towards the edge of Australia moved the sand. Some of the sand also comes from Australia’s eastern coast and the island is constantly growing.
Fraser Island is home to the SS Moheno shipwreck and our guide told us all about it. The ship was washed onto shore in 1935 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Maheno and left there after the buyer sold the propeller in order to get both the ships he bought to Japan. Unfortunately a cyclone washed her ashore and they were unable to save her. It’s a very cool shipwreck especially considering that it could originally carry 420 passengers! Shipwrecks have always fascinated me, from the sinking of the Titanic to unknown stories such as these.
Of all the geologic there are some cool ones. The first is the rainbow sands, which consisted of many shades of reds and yellows. These were created from the oxides that create the bands of colours. Apparently many a scientist has tried to count the number of colours.
But the best part of Fraser Island is Lake Mackenzie. Which is an acidic freshwater lake that is in the middle of the island. Sand hardened and thickened allowing the lake to collect water. All the water comes from the rain and the sand is AMAZING! The white sand is apparently great for exfoliating. But it is a trek to get there. Straight out of Indiana jones was our 4WD ride to the top.
By the end of the day we decided to take the dining option and spend our sunset at the Kingfisher Bay Resort. Now the tour guide said that the food was way better at Seabelle so he called ahead to get us a reservation.
The hotel itself is so cool looking, and it is an Eco hotel. So the next time I head back to Fraser I am definitely staying there and hiking around the island. However, if you are coming from a tour prepare to be HOT. There is no AC so take advantage of the pool.
As our reservation time approached we looked at the menu for Seabelle and if you like foo foo food that is over prices then eat here. We decided to change to the aptly names Moheno and I had the best barramundi in curry ever. This restaurant is always way more casual, still really nice food, but you can be in a tank top with your swimsuit underneath.
The day drew to a close with an 830 ferry back to the mainland, and that’s where my story started for today.