The good news about fishing on Fraser Island is you rarely have to exaggerate.
Talk to a group of fishermen who line up along Seventy Five Mile Beach and they describe the fishing in one word – awesome.
The world’s largest sand island, is also a nature lover’s paradise, with loads of attractions from ancient rainforests, mighty sand dunes, pristine saltwater lakes and freshwater streams, to an abundance of birds and wildlife.
Seventy Five Mile Beach seems to go on forever and is where a lot of the action takes place.
In peak season it turns into a mini highway, as holidaymakers in four-wheel-drives enjoy the novelty of beach driving.
But be warned – check the tide times as many vehicles have been bogged in the sand and abandoned over the years.
It was Captain James Cook who discovered Fraser Island in 1770, but he didn’t stop to explore it after naming the best lookout point, Indian Head.
He assumed there was little fresh water, but how wrong he was, as there are more than 100 freshwater lakes.
He also never got to know what great fun it is to float down Eli Creek, through the dunes to the beach, washed along by the fast-flowing freshwater rising from the sands, or make a splash in the beautiful Champagne Pools.
Cook also missed out on a swim in the clear blue Lake McKenzie and Lake Birrabeen, the jewels in the crown of Fraser’s freshwater lakes, and emerald green Lake Wabby, which nestles at the foot of Hammerstone Sand Blow.
Fraser Island has not always been a tourist attraction though, with a chequered past.
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Timber loggers discovered the rainforest wilderness and plundered it for its bounty of soft and hard timbers, which were used for everything from butter boxes to ships’ masts, polished furniture and piles to line the banks of the Suez Canal and to build London dockyards.
Logging fortunately stopped in 1991 after great protests.
As you walk through the remote rainforests at Central Station and Pile Valley and marvel at the giant trees, look out for rainforest birds and follow the clear Wanggoolba Creek as it meanders along the forest floor, you feel grateful that logging stopped when it did.
The beach was also plundered for sand, when miners came in for a short time in the 1960s and ’70s.
Now, tourists enjoy seeing the famous coloured sands and the island’s mighty sand blows, where you can watch the sand being powered by the wind across the dunes.
Fraser Island has also had its share of shipwrecks, with the rusted remains of the cruise ship Maheno, which was washed ashore in 1935, well photographed by tourists.
Kingfisher Bay Resort is an ideal place to stay on a visit to Fraser Island. It is in harmony with its natural surroundings and is perfect for relaxing after a busy day of touring.
Hidden among tree-covered dunes on the edge of the calm waters of the Great Sandy Strait, it is a wonderful holiday retreat and busy all year.
There’s so much to see and do on Fraser and the resort offers a variety of eco-tours and lots of advice about what not to miss.
Children are well catered for with an entertaining junior eco-ranger program, which features orienteering, rope courses, canoeing, animal spotlighting, astronomy and campfires.
The rooms are linked by timber walkways meandering through the natural surroundings. There are also self-contained two and three-bedroom villas, perfect for families, which have large decks where you can sit and watch the local wildlife.
For the best sunset viewing, you would struggle to beat the resort’s jetty hut near the foreshore, where you can order a drink and sit back and watch the bright red sun sink into the Great Sandy Strait.
One of the best ways to enjoy the island is to join a personalised guided tour to ensure you see its many attractions, and some of its hidden secrets. Rangers also give informative talks about dingoes on the island, stressing the importance of not feeding or confronting them.
World Heritage-listed Fraser Island is a great holiday destination for all age groups, and you can’t help but marvel at its many amazing natural attractions.
