Hot tours to Australia

Fraser - sandy island east coast Australia, separated from the mainland by vast swampy areas. The natives who inhabited this island before the arrival of Europeans called it Kgari, which means "paradise". And they can be understood - the place is truly heavenly: snow-white sands, mangroves, lakes and exotic flora and fauna.

The modern name of the island was given by the name of Captain Fraser, who was wrecked off these coasts and, together with his wife, was forced to settle there.

Fraser is the world's largest sand island. It is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a unique natural site.

How to get there

Closest to Fraser Island international Airport located in Brisbane. There are no direct flights from Russia, a round-trip flight with one transfer costs from 1017 USD per person. Further from Brisbane - to the small town of Harvey Bay on the coast. There are many ways: an airplane, several trains, buses or a rented car.

The fastest way is by plane. The journey will take just over 2 hours, the ticket price is from 110 USD per person one way. You will spend about the same amount on a train ticket, which takes 4.5 hours. A slower train (6.5 hours one way) will cost half as much. The most budget option is a bus, a one-way ticket costs from 30 USD per person.

There are piers in Harvey Bay, from which barges leave for Fraser several times a day (approximately from 6:00 to 18:45). A ticket costs about 60 USD per person, you can buy them at the pier.

A barge ticket alone is not enough to get to Fraser Island. You also need a special permit - "permit". It is issued by default if you rent a jeep at the Harvey Bay resort, or if you have a reservation at any of the hotels on the island.

Find flights to Fraser Island

Hotels

The island has several hotels and guest houses for tourists. The average cost of a night in a hotel is about 100 USD per night for a double room. Hotels are usually located in picturesque place, on the territory there is a swimming pool, a garden, gazebos and other amenities. Guest houses a little cheaper: from 70 USD per night for a double room, the location is also great, but there may not be a pool and a garden area.

The beaches of Fraser Island

The Fraser Coast is over 100 km sandy beaches. Most of them are wild, but even on popular beaches there is practically no tourist infrastructure. Swimming in completely deserted places is not recommended, since they are deserted for a reason: there may be sand dunes, dangerous currents, jellyfish, dingo dogs and other not very pleasant neighborhood. The most popular beaches among tourists are Orchideyny, Indian Head (it is so called for its intricately indented coastline), Cathedral, quartz sand beach and Happy Valley beaches.

It is much safer to relax on the shores of freshwater lakes. There are more than 40 of them on the island, the most famous of them is the bright blue Lake Mackenzie. No one lives in it - the water in the lake is distilled. There are always a lot of people here (a lot by local standards - on any European beach resort the beaches are uncommonly crowded), and if you want to enjoy absolute silence, you should arrive before 16:00, when the buses with tourists are already leaving.

Entertainment and excursions

People go to Fraser primarily for relaxing on snow-white beaches and observing wildlife. In the west - mangroves and swamps, in the east - sand, and in the north - impenetrable equatorial forests (there is also located national park Great Sandy National Park.

Diversity is not only found in vegetation, but also in animal world. Live in local freshwater lakes sea ​​turtles, and on land the wild dog dingo lives in large numbers. She is not wild in the full sense of the word: once she was already domesticated, but after that she became wild again. Dingoes can be found almost anywhere on the island, they live peacefully in their flocks and are never the first to attack people. But it’s better not to disturb them: they will certainly defend their territory. About 350 species of birds live in the local forests, many of which are protected, such as the ground parrot and the needle-footed owl.

Directly at the hotel you can book day and night excursions to get to know the nature of the island. Another option is to go to boat trip and look closely at sharks, dolphins, humpback whales and others marine life. At night you can see bats, foxes and many colorful frogs.

From August to October, humpback whale migrations can be seen on Fraser Island.

There are no cultural and historical sights on the island, but tourists are usually impressed by the huge pyramids of household waste, consisting mainly of fishing tackle and boat wrecks. In the Happy Valley, you can still see the wreckage of the Makhino, which sank off the coast of the island during the First World War, and visit the abandoned McKenzie Wharf, where the Zed Assault Force was based during the Second World War. On Lunar Cape preserved sacred place where Aboriginal women gave birth.

Most of the entertainment offered on the island is active. You can ride a jeep along the sandy Cathedral Rocks or fly over them in a mini-plane, raft down the Ely Creek and go out into the open ocean, go sailing and fishing. You will probably have to dig the worms yourself, but this is very easy: after low tide, they lie right on the shore.

Traveling on Fraser Island

Fraser Island

Fraser Island (Eng. Fraser Island or Great Sandy Island) in itself is one of the attractions of Australia. This is large island, completely consisting of sand, which has no analogues in the world. In 1992 he was included in the list world heritage UNESCO.

The area of ​​the island is 1840 square kilometers, territorially it belongs to the state of Queensland. Fraser Island stretches along the coast of the Coral Sea. Scientists claim that the island was formed by huge sand dunes that formed more than four hundred years ago.

Among the local natives, the name of the island originally sounded like Kagri, which means “Paradise” in Russian. It was renamed in the last century, today its name is consonant with the name of Captain Fraser, who crashed on his ship near the island.

Fraser photo

For several years, Captain Fraser and his wife lived on the island with the rest of the surviving crew members. In 1840, European colonizers came to the island and formed a new settlement. A war broke out between the natives and Europeans, during which almost the entire local population was exterminated. Today, only 400 people live on the island, eleven of them are surviving descendants of the aborigines.

The whole nature of Fraser Island is unusual and attractive. For example, here you can see high sand dunes rising almost 150 meters. One of the main natural attractions of the island are its sandy lakes, there are more than forty of them. Basically, these are small lakes, from which streams flow into the Coral Sea.

There are also several large lakes, for example, Lake Boemingen. By area, this lake occupies more than 200 hectares. A small river also flows through the island, called Eli Creek. Tourists visiting the island always wonder why the lakes and rivers don't soak into the sand? The fact is that at the bottom of these lakes there is a dense “litter” of peat, which makes them stay on the surface. This is truly a unique phenomenon.

Tourists are attracted to Fraser Island, first of all, by its magnificent sandy beaches. They are surrounded by exotic vegetation, which can also be considered a local landmark.

Near the beach there are small groves of palm trees and eucalyptus trees, and if you go inland, you can find an untouched rainforest with thickets of lianas and eucalyptus trees. The record-breaking eucalyptus grows in this forest, its height is 70 meters. This eucalyptus gave reason to declare the forest on the island a protected zone. In this reserve, you can observe more than eight hundred species of tropical plants, as well as animals that inhabit these places.

Wild dogs Dingo live on the island, however, their number decreases year after year. This comes from the fact that they interbreed with domestic dogs, and the purity of the species disappears. In this regard, on the island, local residents were forbidden to have dogs.

As for other representatives of the animal world, here you can meet such exotic animals as possums, echidnas, fruit bats, or flying foxes. On the territory of the island there were horses that were once brought here by Europeans, however, they are all feral.

Of the reptiles on the island, combed crocodiles, many different lizards and snakes are found. One of the rarest animals here is the marsupial wallaby. This is a type of kangaroo, which is smaller in size.

The coastal waters of the island are inhabited by tiger sharks, humpback whales, dugongs, dolphins and many rare species of jellyfish and fish. Of the rare species of birds, it is worth noting the ground parrot, honey plants, kingfishers, gulls, cockatoos.

Fraser is owned by the State of Queensland world's largest sand island which is located off the east coast of Australia. The natives of the island called this piece of land "K'gari", which literally translates as "paradise".

in 1992 included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is not surprising, because the dunes of this unique natural monument formed over 400,000 years ago. There are forty lakes with fresh water on the territory of Fraser, as well as the famous Hanging Lakes.

This amazingly beautiful island Australia was named after the married couple Eliza and James Fraser, whose ship was wrecked off the coast of the island in 1836.

Today, the story of a woman named Eliza, who survived the death of a newborn child and husband, and was also captured by the natives, excites the minds of travelers around the world who go to this island for unforgettable experience.

For a long time, the natives and Europeans were at enmity, dividing the Fraser territory. Today, the island is a peaceful place, the main focus of which is conservation of pristine nature and tourism.

Flora and fauna

To the east, the Fraser coast, where the island faces the ocean, its territory is covered white sandy beaches.

A mangrove forest grows in the west of the island, and virgin equatorial forests have been preserved in the northern part.

See all the beauty of flora and fauna islands can be led by a forester. Tourists have the opportunity to watch electric stingrays and predators while walking.

Fauna of Fraser Island especially interesting. So, on land there is a wild dog Dingo, and freshwater turtles live in well-warmed shallow lakes.

Also on Fraser Island lives more than 350 types exotic birds, including 18 species of birds of prey. A great needle-footed owl, ground parrot, sharks, dolphins and other representatives of the fauna of the island can be seen during a walk along Indian Head.

It is important to know! From August to October, humpback whales can be seen migrating on Fraser Island.

Also found on the island:

• sugar flying opossum;
• flying foxes;
• kangaroo;
• wallaby;
• echidnas;
• the bats;
• exotic bright frogs;
• opossums and other animals.

hanging lakes

The Fraser Hanging Lakes is an Australian landmark that really is unique of a kind. Fresh lakes, which are called "hanging" lakes, surround the waters of the ocean on all sides.

Interestingly, as such, these lakes do not receive nutrition from glaciers or rivers, so they seem to hang above the salty water surrounding them. The Hanging Lakes of Fraser Island today are under significant threat due to pollution caused by a large flow of tourists.

Note to tourists

The peculiarity of Fraser Island is that the history and centuries-old climatic changes of this territory can be traced through wild flowers and huge sand dunes.

Hills, notches and fishing tackle on trees formed by domestic waste of aboriginal people, as well as places where the first people stopped impress everyone who visits this piece of land for the first time.

In the Arched Rocks, tourists have the opportunity to look at a sacred place for women called Lunar Piglet, where they gave birth to children, as well as the location where the ancient ancestors of the natives played the didgeridoo.

The saturation of the history of this island will be enhanced by a visit to an abandoned pier called Mackenzie. Initially, this place connected lumberjacks with the continent, and during the Second World War it was used by the famous Zed assault squad.

Explorers from all over the world in the Happy Valley of Fraser Island are a must will attract the wreckage of the steamer "Makhino", which was built in 1905 and served as a trans Tasmanian passenger ship, and then became a floating hospital and was washed ashore during a cyclone.

After visiting important historical sites islands, you can rent a room in an environmentally friendly boarding house, where tourists are offered wellness massages, cocktails and fine dining local cuisine. You can also spend the night in secluded houses overlooking the coast.

In addition to boarding houses and houses, the island offers tourists a number of cottages, hotels and hotels with ocean views. Some travelers spend the night in tents.

Attention! Not everywhere on Fayser Island you can put up a tent. Permitted locations are the territory of the Cathedral Beach, parking near Lake Mackenzie, Bumanzhin, Waddy Point, Dundubara, Watumba, as well as the territory of the village of Dilli and the tourist camp at the Central parking lot.

Fraser Island is real paradise Australian territory, which offers tourists not only to plunge into the atmosphere of unusual unique nature and wildlife, but also to trace the history of not only this place, but also the evolution in general. There are traces of primitive people living here, which everyone can see with their own eyes.

In addition, Fraser is an island that is popular with travelers who prefer a relaxed holiday. Snow-white beaches, hundreds of freshwater lakes with clear and turquoise water, tropical forest and protected species of Australian fauna attract lovers every year exotic vacation from different parts of the earth.

We are offering to you watch video about the unique sandy Fraser Island:

Welcome to Australia. The land of eternal summer and the warm ocean. Many islands surround this unique continent. One even has the surreal Pink Lake. The islands are reminiscent of white sandy beaches and tropical vegetation. Here is one of them you will now learn. This is Fraser Island.

It is unique in that it consists entirely of sand, and this is as much as 1840 km2. Fraser is recognized as the largest sand island in the world.

It is located off the coast of Queensland in the Coral Sea.

Fraser Island on the map

• Geographic coordinates -25.295827, 153.134729
• Distance from the Australian capital city of Canberra is about 1170 km
• The distance to the nearest Brisbane airport is approximately 230 km.

According to scientists, sand dunes appeared here about 400,000 years ago. Sand hills can reach 240 meters in height. On the island you will find more than 40 so-called "hanging lakes". But these lakes do not hang in the air, and do not even look like Lake Sorvagsvatn. In this case, the name is associated with the fact that all these lakes are fresh, and the island is surrounded by salty sea water. It turns out a kind of metaphor - fresh lakes as if hanging in a salty ocean. And besides, the lakes feed only on rainwater, there are no springs in them.

The largest of the Boemingen lakes covers an area of ​​200 hectares. You can swim in the lakes, the water is warm and shallow. Most deep lake Webby has maximum depth 12 meters. But now, due to the influx of tourists, some hanging lakes are a little polluted.

Fraser Island in numbers

• Length 120 kilometers
• Width from 7 to 25 kilometers
• Area 1840 km 2

The name of the island comes from the name of the courageous lady Eliza Fraser. In 1836, a ship sank off the coast of this island. James Fraser - Eliza's husband, was her captain. Full version you can hear this story from the lips of local natives or guides. In short, it is this: having survived the death of her husband and newborn child, Eliza was captured by local residents for 6 weeks, but she survived and was able to later tell about it (it must be clarified that in those days, relations between the natives and the colonialists were, to put it mildly, far from friendly). In honor of her, the island began to bear the name Fraser. But long before these events, the natives of the Batchulla tribe who lived here called it K'gari, which means "paradise". That is, these people actually lived in paradise.

stroke the whale

And how else to call this unearthly corner on Earth. Sand dunes and magnificent tropical forests coexist perfectly here. Seemingly incompatible natural areas, but not on Fraser Island. Tropical thickets with eucalyptus and palm trees, bamboo and mangrove trees are adjacent to beautiful beaches, desert dunes and the attractive ocean. An amazing place to relax and unwind. The island has become a home not only for the natives, but also for many species of plants, animals and birds. Here you can meet kangaroos, wild Australian dingoes, opossums, echidnas and even mustangs. More than 350 species of birds live on the island. Whales, which usually swim nearby from August to October, give travelers a special joy and delight.

In 1992, UNESCO added Fraser Island to its list of World Heritage Sites.

Things to do on Fraser Island

• At the local national park"Great Sands" you can see a giant eucalyptus 70 meters tall. This is the real pride of the park and the island.
• visit passenger liner Makhino washed ashore in Happy Valley in 1935 during a storm
• Jeep rides along the sandy hills
• Flying on small planes along the 100 km paradise beach will fill you with special delight.
• Rafting enthusiasts will love rafting Ely Creek straight into the ocean.
• Sailing on yachts will allow you to see marine life in their natural habitat, and if possible, then giant, but graceful migratory whales

Fraser Island photo

Fraser Island is located along south coast Queensland, Australia, approximately 200 kilometers north of Brisbane. Stretching 120 kilometers in length and approximately 24 kilometers at its widest point, it is considered to be the largest sand island in the world.

The island has exceptional natural beauty with rainforests, woodland, eucalyptus trees, mangrove forests and peat swamps, dunes and coastal heathlands. The area has over 250 kilometers of clear sandy beaches with long, unbroken strips of ocean, including more than 40 kilometers of strikingly colored cliffs. Inland are the majestic remnants of a tall rainforest growing on high dunes is a phenomenon unique in the world. Half of the world's freshwater dune lakes are on Fraser Island. The world's largest unconfined aquifer on a sandy island was also found here.


The sand on Fraser Island has accumulated over approximately 750,000 years on a volcanic base that provides natural drainage for precipitation. These dunes move across the island, often covering forests and other vegetation. The rate at which the dunes move each year depends on factors such as the strength of the wind, the amount of humidity, and the actual plants in the sand. These dunes gradually stop moving when they reach areas sheltered from the winds.

The young dunes along the eastern beaches are covered with grass and other coastal plants adapted to the harsh salt and wind conditions. In the sheltered central areas of the island, where the dunes are stable and there are more nutrients to grow, diverse plant communities and rainforests thrive.


Unlike many dunes, plant life is abundant here due to the natural fungi found in the sand. They release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by vegetation. Fraser Island is home to a small number of mammal species, as well as a wide range of birds, reptiles and amphibians, including the saltwater crocodile. The island is part of the Fraser Coast region of the Great Sandy National Park.


Fraser Island has been inhabited by humans for as long as 5,000 years. Explorer James Cook sailed here in May 1770. Matthew Flinders landed near the northernmost point of the island in 1802. For a short period the island was known as Big Sand Island. He became known as Fraser because of the story of shipwreck survivor Eliza Fraser. Today the island is a popular destination for tourism, one of the most prominent natural