Fraser Island......camping

[ttcelica]

I will be on Fraser from 12th-17th January. have booked a camping permit (ie, to camp where ever on the island bar the big sites), just want to find some nice out of the way spots (and tracks if any!)

Anyone??

Phill

[baby_troupe]

I know of a couple of people heading up to Frazer around the same time.
Just look out for a standard Blue 90 Series Prado.
I am not sure who he is travelling with yet.

[simsy]

You can do plenty of k's aroud fraser, maps are avalible.
This time of year there tends to be more people on the island due to school hols etc. but a mate has just come back and said it wasn't as bad as he expected. it's a pretty big place. In a week i would tend to stay down the southern to middle section and check out the sights rather than drive right to sandy cape or up that end. To you base yourself around the eurong to dundaburra area and camping on the beach behind the dunes would be good. Lake mckenzie and eli creek are great for a swim. and check out the sand blows. the other little lakes are also good and not so busy. Indian head and the champagne pools are nice as well. keep an eye on the tide times as you can get caught after a day inland, you can come back out onto the beach and find some parts impassable until the lower tide. the terrorist buses can be a pain they make bigger wider ruts. but it's paradise in my opinion.
you'll have a great time
cheers 8)

[zook37]

I live less than an hour from the Barge to Fraser, Have done for the last 25 years but am still yet to visit the island. Now that is slack!! :-[ From what I have been told by plenty of mates who do the trip often, Eurong is defianately the place. And central station is apparently a good area to avoid in the busy season. ;)

[chopper]

Well, 2003 was my new record year of 14 visits to Fraser.

The best beach camping IMHO is around the Maheno area, and the best (bloody fantastic) established campsite is the new site at Central Station, this really is world class and has set a very high benchmark for other places to follow.

If you wanna play with the backpackers then you should head to Dilli Village (there is no noise curfew down there!)

Fraser Island is a big place, some pouplar areas can be uncomfortably crowded during peak times, butthere are plenty of other places to see.

My recommendation if you wanted to see Lake McKenzie at this time of year would be to aim to get up there about 3pm, this way all of the bus groups have gone, and those were stopping there before heading to te barge have also left.

Enjoy the Island

I'll be over there for the first time in 2004 with the QAFWDC Clean up Fraser Island day over the Australia Day Long Weekend

[Mick015]

I'd love to hear all aboout your trip when you get back, send some pics too if you can.

I plan to head up there a little later in the year.

Mick015

[Nomad]

Just returned yesterday from my first trip to Fraser. Never been much of a beach person but gotta say this trip was fantastic. ;D ;D

Camped behind the dunes about 1k past Poyungan Rocks. Got there Boxing Day mid arvo. Weather was fantastic for the first couple of days. Caught a 4-5 lb GT and a small Dart on my first fishing effort. Had great dinner that night.

Unfortunately the weather turned and we had a SE wind up to 30 knots and a 3 metre swell. Chopped up the water badly. Fishing was rather poor after that although saw some blokes with lures get onto some tailor for about 1/2 hr down at Waddy Point.

With the heavy swell, we had fun getting around Hook Point on sunday on the way to the barge. Even at low tide we were waiting to dodge waves in several places. However, all part of the fun.

Certainly take the trip into Central Station and Lake McKenzie. Absolutely amazing. We also took a trip over to Woralie Creek. The track leaves the east coast about 2k South of the Maheno. A trip down to Waddy Point and the Champagne Pools is well worth while.

Be aware that whilst the beach is usually quite good to drive on, the inland tracks are generally rough and very soft sand. You need to drop the tyres down. And that goes double for the bypass around Indian Head on the way to Waddy Point. Very soft on the entry to that track.

On the way over I dropped my 16" tyres to 30psi and the 15" trailer tyres to 18psi. Had no trouble on the beach at all. Going inland I dropped the 16's down to 25psi. I'm running 270/75R16's.

Eurong is certainly the cheapest place to buy things on the Island. Diesel $1.24 lt, bread $3, Ice $3 and XXXX Gold about $45 crt. Happy Valley further down the beach has a wider range of goods including papers and mags but is dearer. Like Diesel $1.36lt :o :o :o, Ice $3.30, Bread $3.30. That will give you an idea.

Anyway don't let anything above put you off. It's a great holiday, plenty of 4WD'ing, drinking, fishing, drinking etc etc. Beware of speeding and drink driving. The local coppers are now permanently stationed over there and the do check you out. The beach is a gazetted highway, so all road rules apply, although the terroist buses don't seem to think so. But then they're bigger than us.

Oh, and yes, Eli Creek, don't miss it. Absolutely great (and cold). Even on a half fine day, the place is packed. Take some refreshments and food and make a day of it.

Have fun. Look forward to your thoughts when you get back.

[splodge]

We camped at Dundaburra for 10 days & it was great. We just looked at the map & the tide charts every night to plan when we had to leave the next morning. Indian head is a good place to spend the afternoon watching the backpackers getting bogged. Rainbow beach has a car wash that sprays a fine layer of oil under the car that the sand sticks to. When you come off the beach just go back there & wash it all off (the water comes up from under the car). When we needed fuel we just took our jerry cans with us back to the main land & it worked out cheaper by about $25. There was a barge war on at that time but if you talk to the operators you might be able to do a deal. Good luck it's a great place.

[bigjules]

I am heading to Fraser in October and was wondering if it is possible to camp near facilities with a camper trailer?

My wife is not a keen camper (will trade for younger, more outdoorsie model) so I plan to hire a camper trailer, but still want to be near showers, toilets etc.

[chopper]

yep!

Central Station is for you!

[bigjules]

Thanks.

I have spent a bit of time checking it all out, and may have to cancel 'cause I haven't been doing enough work while I ponder the delights of QLD, plus there's fish and sand. :)

[roughstuff]

if you dont want sand in the sleeping bags then definately central station ;)

[BLU-125]

Its been about three years, but I've always loved the Waddy Point Camp Ground...........must book though.

BTW, we started going there in the mid '80's because they had the first HOT showers on the Island.

14 times in one year? I think I'm about 14 times in 20 years!

[94 Hilux]

im going to head up to fraser in january in my school holidays how long should i stay and what sort of budget should i be lookin at

Matt

[Bundy]

Depends I think that a week would allow you to see everything though you may find it a little rushed. Spend a bit longer to give you a couple of bludge days/fishing and drinking. Budget is about how long is a piece of string. I havnt been for awhile so I dont know how much fuel and stuff is but I would at least have $1500 - $2000 for everything. But I do drink lots ;D

[bigjules]

One of the things frustrating me is the requirement to book everything in advance.

How the hell would I know where I want to camp, I haven't been there before.

Taking the good advice of people in this thread I had planned to stop at Central Station, but then the EPA gals tell me that Waddy Point or Mundaburra are more family orientated camping sites, with dingo fences for the kiddies etc.

I think I will have to go over, have a look around, and then try to book over the phone.

[Bundy]

Central Station is a good place to camp however you have to drive to the beach no matter where you are going. Try and stay at one of the places along the beach but not at Woddy point as its soooo far up the beach and its a hell of a drive back down the beach to where most of the attractions(lakes, creeks etc are).

[chopper]

Central Station is fully fenced!

you do not have to drive to the beach to get anywhere, for example, lake McKenzie is only 20 minutes away, lake birrabeen is about the same, the western side of the island is close by, lake Boomanjin, Kingfisher Bay.


Unless you are going to the island to fish, then there is no reason that Central shouldn't suit your needs, it's the closest site on the island to a majority of the features.

[94 Hilux]

can you camp on the beaches and any pros and/or cons to doin this

[chopper]

yes you can, but not within 500 meters of any creek, or in other closed areas.

There are some great, sheltered spots near the maheno.

When i've been there chasing fish, the beach is a great spot to camp!

[roughstuff]

are you sure its 500 metres as i thought it was only 50 what is your source ???

[kitch76]

Have a look at http://dkd.net/fraser/camping.html

(Extraxt-:Beach camping is permitted along sections of the east and west coasts. Some areas will be periodically closed to camping to allow revegetation and to prevent excessive erosion. These areas will be clearly signposted. Camping is not permitted within 50 metres of a lake, watercourse or stream.)

[Go the Nissan]

Might run into me there!!!!!!!!

Wife and I will be in a beach house at Eurong from the 5th ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;Dand camping at central station from the 12th. Might go to the beach, not sure yet.

2000 TI Patrol. Maroon and Gold with matching bullbar. Say hi if you see us


I will be on Fraser from 12th-17th January. have booked a camping permit (ie, to camp where ever on the island bar the big sites), just want to find some nice out of the way spots (and tracks if any!)

Anyone??

Phill

[bigjules]

I just got back from Fraser on Sunday, my first trip there.

For those who haven't been, it is an awesome piece of Australia, and easily accessible from anywhere on the east coast of Australia. You don't need a heap of equipment or a highly modified truck to go there.

We stayed at Central Station, thanks to the good advice from members of this forum, and although we had planned to move once or twice in our 5 day trip, we couldn't find anything we liked more than Central. The tall trees provide excellent shade, the camp sites are well set up and spaced apart enough so you can be as friendly or as comfortable from the other campers as you choose.

The showers there are one dollar for 6 minutes, but be sure to put your money in the correct meter or the bloke next to you will get the benefit of your coin. Obviously I know this because I had a cold shower whilst the bloke next to me complained about it being the longest 6 minutes he had ever experienced.

We met some great people camped at Central and all over the island, and our only hassle was the possum and three fat little bush rats that decided to party around our camper every night. Not a mossie in sight, and not even any dew to wet outside.

The features of the island are well covered elsewhere so I won't go into those, except to say that it is worth taking the time to see as much as you can because there is so much diversity on Fraser, and every lake is quite different from the others.

There seems to be three kinds of trip to Fraser:
(1) The family trip, often in groups it seemed which looked like an excellent idea,
(2) The backpacker trip. 10 or more foreign tourists oacked into a troopy or landy, with beer, food and more beer, and bogged at every soft spot, and
(3) The blokes fishing trip. Nobody had caught a fish on the East coast of the island because of weed, so there were plenty of hairy, pissed blokes looking at some of the gorgeous backpackers.

I suppose there is the resort or house trip as well, but I didn't look at them myself, ad can't offer an opinion (doesn't happen to often).

Driving around the island was terrific, and I found that 20psi was the right pressure for my 100 series. All the renta-trucks had 35+, and it must be some sort of hire joke as to how many times these poor buggers ca get stuck. I wonder if it should be like the snow; you can't go past here unless you've dropped your tyres below X. If you are only on the beach however you mightn't need to go very low at all.

Some of the tracks were rough as guts, but nothing to stop you. I was amazed to see some really lightweight AWDs in spots I would not have credited them with reaching.

The facilities across the island are a credit to the QPWS, and the lack of rubbish and destruction you might see elsewhere is a credit to those who use Fraser.

We would have liked to pass through to Hervey Bay from Kingfisher Bay, but had already booked our return barge trip at Hook Point and the cost would have been horrendous, but for those doing a loop, consider it before you pay, and see if you can get a deal. We drove the longer way around the wide Bay MTA. I was trying to get to the Coastal 4x4 opening whilst keeping it all on the QT from my wife, but forgot to take directions to the store and my wife started to suspect something when I kept suggesting sightseeing tours of the more industrial areas of Pialba.

There was no worries about getting fuel or supplies on Fraser, at Eurong, Happy Valley or Kingfisher Bay, but you would pay $1.40 per litre, and more for everything else.

Out trip was capped off nicely as we drove towards Hook Point and the barge when we saw a massive whale 80m off the beach and a dingo taking a dip, the only dingo we saw.

We hired a camper trailer for the trip, and what a great move that was. We got ours from Coast and Country just south of Brissie, a Trackabout unit, and it towed like a champion. I was amazed that it just followed us everywhere without a hassle; no jumping around or cutting corners. We took Cooloola beach up from Noosa, another terrific drive, and couldn't believe how easily we towed it, it probably even improved the ride.

The bes bit of camping gear I took though was not the camper but the green rubber camp mat I got from Bunnings. This is perforated and spongy, a bit like shade cloth with mumps, and is great around your cooking and camping area, as it keeps all the sand out of your tent, and if you drop anything you don't have to crunch through dinner. The damn bush rats kept nibbling holes in it though.

Enough of my ramble, get ye to Fraser and enjoy a fabulous parrt of Queensland.

[smac]

we went to fraser earlier this year. it was our first time (except when i was about 3), but man, it was awesome. We only stayed 2 nights, but definately will be making our way back when we can.
the only thing that i thought was a little annoying was the german tourists that had hired Toyota Troopies and had no idea how to drive them. Im no 4wd expert, but i know that when your driving up a hill and there are 4wds behind you, you dont slow down so much that you actually start to roll backwards - yes, almost hit us.

but, mckenzie lake was absolutely beautiful.

i think you almost need a week to spend there really.

enjoy.

[smac]

BTW, we went in June, so it was very quiet. We stayed at Dilli Village, and i think there was 2 other couples there.

When i said a week, i definately believe that is pretty much minimum to see most things. I didnt realise the place was so big.
ive know of a guy that used to live there, and he reacons that you need 6months to see it all (he did live there about 20+years ago)

great 4wding though, we had a great time.

[Utemad]

I reckon the best place to see the island would be to camp but in a different spot every 2nd night or so. Otherwise you spend most of your time driving to or from your campsite.

We stayed at Kingfisher for a week and at first i was hesitant about staying on the western side as it is so far from the beach. However we went to the beach twice in the week and spent the rest of out time at various lakes.

I'll be back in January hopefully.

[squeek]

i have worked and lived on fraser island for over 4 years and i think most of the quieter spots are on the western side. try around awinya or warallee creeks but dont try crossing coongul creek to get there it is very deep even at low tide and very soft. take the bullok track wich brings you out north of coongul. on the eastern side the further north you go the quieter it gets although at xmas time its bussier anywhere. on the eastern side try ocean lake camp grounds north of orchad beach. although DO NOT go past nagala rocks above half tide unless u plan to stay there until the next low tide. if you or any one has any questions about the island email me at squeek225@yahoo.com.au ;D ;D ;D ;D ;)