Where is Fraser Island located?

Fraser Island it is the largest and most famous sand island in the world. This is Paradise Island is located in Eastern Australia about 300 kilometers north of Brisbane (approximately 3 hours by car). Fraser Island stretches for 124 kilometers with a width of 7 to 25 km. Its area is 163,000 hectares. Fraser Island is a unique, luxurious, rich Australian natural heritage.

Climate of Fraser Island

Fraser Island is a natural paradise and has a maritime subtropical climate with rainfall of 1800 mm per year, mainly from December to May. In summer temperatures reach up to 30 ° C, however, winter temperatures range from 14 to 21 ° C and July is the coldest period of the year.

Beaches and recreation of Fraser Island

Most big beach to the Fraser Islands is about 120 kilometers along its east coast. This beach is one of the most magnificent beaches in the world. This is amazing place includes an amazing variety of scenery: long surf beaches, pleasing cliffs, dense rainforests, beautiful lakes with fresh water, huge basalt capes and salt lakes with eerie mangrove forests. Fraser Island also has many amazing sights such as the Maheno Wreck, beautiful pools, the Ely Creek Zone or the Indian Head ( a good place where you can see sharks in the surf).

Fauna of Fraser Island

The beaches and forests of Fraser Island are home to a wide variety of wildlife, including 230 bird species (Australia's largest and most diverse bird communities), such as sea eagles, ospreys, kites, falcons, gulls, cockatoos, terns, honeyeaters or endangered parrots. In addition, Fraser Island is home to the wild dog Dingo. Unfortunately, due to the threat of people on the island, the number of Dingo dogs is declining from year to year. People killed many dogs believing that these animals could be a danger to people. There are also other mammals such as opossums, swamp wallabies, sugar gliders, flying foxes, echidnas and kangaroos.

Lake on Fraser Island

In addition, there are over 100 lakes on Fraser Island. Which are one of the cleanest freshwater lakes in the world. Perhaps the most famous of these lakes is Lake. The lake is located on top of a sand dune. This is perfect place which extends over 150 hectares. There is beautiful beach, consisting of almost pure quartz sand. This place, along with the largest creek on east coast islands, are the two main symbols and place , beautiful island Fraser.

History of Fraser Island

Scientists believe Fraser Island has been inhabited for 800,000 years. Previously, this amazing island was called the "Great Sandy Island" and was occupied by the natives. They, in turn, called this island "Kigari", which means "paradise" in their native language. Aboriginal Australians have occupied this island since 5,000 years ago. On the island before the arrival of Europeans in the XVIII century, there were from 400 to 600 inhabitants.

Unfortunately, like many other parts of the world, the arrival of Europeans in Fraser Island in 1836 resulted in the death of the local population. Captain James Cook and Matthew Flinders sailed around this island in the late 18th century. However, the first British to officially arrive on the island were Captain James Fraser and his wife, Eliza Fraser. They arrived on the island because they were shipwrecked. Captain Fraser died on the island, however, his wife survived and was rescued. She returned to England and told the story, so the island is now called Eliza and James Fraser.

The British took advantage of the island's wealth, timber. They cut down forests, which was started in 1863 by the American Jack Pigotty and continued until 1991. Fraser Island has several rich deposits such as rutile, zircon, monazite and ilmenite. These developments began to be operated in 1950. However, due to environmental action, mining activity on Fraser Island only lasted until 1977.

Fraser Island was listed in 1992 world heritage UNESCO. And it is part of the natural and cultural heritage Australia. Therefore, Fraser Island is currently the most visited place in Australia. The island can be reached by ferry from Hervey Bay or by plane from Maroochydore Airport from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Fraser Island currently, is for recreation, one of the best places in Australia.

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 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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 were formed over 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 is 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 attraction.

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. For this reason, the island local residents banned from having 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 territory of 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.

Flora and fauna

West Coast the islands are occupied by mangrove forests and swamps, and the eastern one, facing the ocean, is a white sandy beach about 100 km long. In the northern part of the Fraser, intact equatorial rainforests have been preserved. Interesting and animal world islands. In small, well-heated lakes, freshwater turtles are found; on land, there is a wild dog Dingo. And this is not all the flora and fauna of Fraser Island.

Under the guidance of a forest ranger, tourists can observe raptors and electric rays during a canoe trip, and on the island itself, more than 354 species of birds. It is home to such rare bird species as the ground parrot, great needle-footed owl, and 18 species of birds of prey. While sailing, you can see dugongs, turtles, dolphins and sharks. During a walk along the beaches and along Indian Head, from August to October, you can witness the migration of humpback whales. And when you go on a night journey, you will meet a bat, a flying fox, a sugar flying possum and a frog. On the island, you should also definitely get acquainted with the life of kangaroos, wallabies, opossums and echidnas.

Island name

This charming island got its name from the married couple James and Eliza Fraser. In 1836, the ship "Castle Stirling", captained by James Fraser, was wrecked off the coast of the island, and the surviving sailors landed on the shore. The relationship between the natives and Europeans was hostile and even aggressive. And today, travelers listen with interest to the exciting story about the strong woman Eliza, who survived the death of her husband and newborn child and was captured by the natives.

Tourists

History is literally in the air on Fraser Island. Wild flowers trace 700,000 years of evolution, and huge sand dunes trace centuries of climate change. Travelers will be interested to see with their own eyes the hills formed by the household waste of primitive people, fishing gear, notches on trees and parking places that are at least 5 thousand years old.

Visiting the colored Arched Rocks, you will see the place where the male ancestors of the aborigines played the didgeridoo for migratory humpback whales, as well as the Lunar Piglet - sacred place for women where they gave birth to children. Real explorers in the Happy Valley are waiting for the wreckage of the Makhino steamship, built in 1905 and serving as a luxurious trans-Tasman passenger ship, later, during the First World War, as a floating hospital, and then was thrown ashore during a cyclone. Visit the abandoned Mackenzie Wharf, originally used by lumberjacks to the mainland and used by the famous Z Force during World War II. So, step by step, the rich history of the island will be revealed.

After all the amazing discoveries, you can stay in an eco-friendly guesthouse and treat yourself to wellness massages, exotic cocktails and gourmet dishes, or enjoy the privacy of a house overlooking the coast. The island has many hotels and individual cottages with luxurious views of the ocean and surroundings. And for a complete reunion with nature, you can put up a tent in one of the following places: at the tourist camp at the Central Parking, at the lakes of Bumanzhin, Mackenzie, Dundubara, Waddy Point, Watumba, the village of Dilli, on Cathedral Beach or on East Beach.

Having been on Fraser Island for at least a day, no one has any doubts why it is called “paradise”. Hundreds of freshwater lakes with turquoise and clear waters, ancient tropical forests, snow-white quartz beaches - all this creates a unique magical landscape, looking at which you can forget about everything.

Scattered drops of rain pound on the roof of our rusty Land Rover, where I searched the entire collapsing front panel with a flashlight this night and found a completely rotten cigarette lighter socket.
Well, of course, connecting the plug of the voltage converter from 12V to 220V gave a negative result: I will not be able to recharge the camera battery.

In an accessible walking distance, the lights of a public toilet are glowing (there may be electrical outlets there), but I imagine the picture that opens up to a respectable Australian tourist who goes there at 3 a.m. to take a piss (instead of doing it like a normal person - on the nearest tree - it still rains ) - he will be embarrassed to see the lonely Vinsky, sitting on the toilet with a laptop on his lap and entangled in black snakes of wires of all kinds of electrical devices that need to be charged ...

Jeep rental for a trip to the Fraser

The company where we got our Land Rover is in a bunch of other similar sharks of imperialism who take a lot of money: renting jeeps for a trip to Fraser Island in search of adventure is a very profitable enterprise for them. And for us - consumers of tourists - expensive ...

Jeeps are supplied with equipment for overnight stays in equipped campsites, as well as in field, wild conditions.
The day before the appointed time, Borracho and I drove up to this office to see our car, which was ordered in advance via the Internet ...

Having parked at the entrance, we went to the backyard of the office and saw the Defender hanging on the lift.
“Apparently this is our apparatus,” Borracho said.
Several people in overalls sparkled with welding from under the bottom of the car ...
- Okay, if I'm wrong...

But Valera was not mistaken.
On the morning of the day scheduled for launch on Fraser Island, we arrived half an hour before the start of the briefing, where they promised to give us very important and interesting information.
There was a lot of information.

I had to watch three videos:
- how not to spoil nature and poop in pre-dug holes
- how to behave when meeting with wild dingo dogs,
How to behave when meeting with whales and sharks
How to conduct life in general...

All this time, the office worker wrote something, called somewhere and just scratched his head in concern.

Our time was limited, because before the ferry left for the island, we had to
– return the car that we rented from the airport rental car
— buy ice for the refrigerator box
somehow catch the eleven o'clock ferry to Fraser Island.

Finally finished with the films, we went to Fresh air great and sunny Australian morning and found parked car, which should become ours:
- means of transportation
- home on the island

Two metal boxes were found in the trunk of this ruin. And everything...
Looking into one, we found a set from the nearest dump: a crumpled tin mug, several different-sized plates, rusty forks, a Made in China battery of unknown purpose packed in yellowed plastic with traces of leaked electrolyte, a can opener, a frying pan with a broken handle and traces of beatings from the face ( or heads) and a couple of pans with the remnants of rotten fat.

Another box contained a gas stove that could have been used in the Auschwitz concentration camp to dispose of human corpses.
“Fuck yourself,” was all we could say…
I forgot about the rusty sapper shovel and Raskolnikov's ax, which had been lying on the floor of the jeep since those times.
- And where is the promised table, folding chairs, sleeping bags and a tent for 3 people?
“I almost forgot,” the office worker said and threw two double tents and two neoprene rugs into the back ...
- Listen dear! We ordered 3 chairs, a table, a refrigerator... We listed a lot of things... Yes, and a gas cylinder for your miracle stove will not hurt ..

No open fires are allowed on Fraser Island and all cooking is done on gas stoves or bbqs, be it barbecue or smoked kangaroo tail.

The Australian muttered something, gave out a bottle and a small plastic box that could fit several bottles of wine and a bag of grapes ...
- You will have to pay extra for chairs, a table and sleeping bags ...
- You will not get anything from me! We must move - time is running out ...

Borracho got behind the wheel of a passenger car, and I crawled into the seat of the Defender, immediately scratching my leg with some rusty piece of iron sticking out from under the seat.

Cursing and releasing into the atmosphere a club of black smoke from the exhaust pipe and at the same time trying not to crash into the front sedan, I crawled out of the parking lot onto the road.
As a result, we still successfully manage to do everything: hand over the passenger car, buy ice and catch the barge…

Ferry to Fraser Island

The journey and adventure began.
The sun shines.
Life is getting better.
And it does not matter that the handbrake does not hold and the car almost falls overboard of the ferry, resting against its fence, after it starts moving.
It's all bullshit...
Travel time to the island is about 40 minutes.

Borracho and I are on the upper deck discussing the route, laying out a map on the bench. The map is pressed by a bottle of wine, to which we take a sip from time to time, catching the disapproving glances of those present. Upon arrival at Fraser Island, I release almost all the air in the tires of our rusty monster (up to 1 atmosphere) to drive well on the sand: there are no paved roads on Fraser Island.

All movement around the island is possible only in jeeps in directions (not roads) made by timber trucks back in the days when logging was done on the island. The main road on Fraser Island is 75 miles of beach. But you can drive on it only at low tide, so the most important paper that you are given when renting a jeep is the low tide / high tide schedule for the next 5 days.

We decided to give the first day on the island to forest lakes and movement inside the island, without going to the beach, since the tide schedule was such that it didn’t make sense otherwise: the tidal ocean cuts off an open and hard section of the beach for driving by car and there is a chance to sail away in a jeep to Easter Island in the Pacific.

What to see on Fraser Island

I described the Fraser Lakes in some detail in my report on my first trip to Australia four years ago.

Lake Mackenzie still popular and crowded.
Not only the white sand of the beach and the blueness of the water is the reason.

This lake is the most accessible, which is why there are so many day-trippers here.
Next was Lake Wabby, so my favorite lake with greenish water with the smell of eucalyptus tincture pressed by a huge sand dune to the opposite wooded shore.

Posing Borracho on one of the dunes, I rolled down from it and, falling backward, fell on the hard sandy cover with my ear. Tapping with the fingertips of my outstretched arms, I felt a clear ringing, as if a huge crystal ball was hidden under the thickness of the sand ...
This place is amazing. I highly recommend and put it in my top beaches

When tens of kilometers domestic destinations has been passed.
When it was jumped over hundreds of roots and holes ...
….beginning to get dark….

Lodging on Fraser Island

We had to decide on an overnight stay.
For some reason, I did not want to put up tents and we went to eurong, where there were several civilized places such as a hotel-resort.

After haggling and getting a room for 126 dollars (Australian), we tied our iron horse in the parking lot and transferred from Borracho to our room the most expensive thing we had: a red box.

In the red box, under a layer of purchased ice, there was meat. Mutton…
Freshest Australian lamb
I really wanted to eat.

Not far from our house there was a barbecue area: a cube made of bricks, the top was a metal cavity with a hole in the middle for draining melted fat, heated from below by the flame of a gas burner launched in a three-minute action by pressing a button.

First Dinner on Fraser Island

For dinner it was:
- salad of tomatoes and onions, seasoned with Italian sauce based on balsamic, olive oil and fragrant herbs
- squid rings marinated in sweet and sour sauce
- iceberg lettuce leaves
- marinated with onion and garlic pieces of mutton pulp on the bone (pistols)

Dinner was held under the stars burning in the sky (Australian night sky is a black veil on the head, through which a charge of small shot was once fired) and talk about parallel worlds and the afterlife. With this they went to bed.

I had nightmares and I think I cursed in my sleep.
The morning was no less joyful: the glare reflected from the water surface of the pool shimmered on the ceiling of the balcony, the taste of sweet Australian yogurt could not spoil the aroma of lime tea.

A quick scrambled egg with bacon and sautéed onions cheered us up for a day of adventure, and it started as soon as we hit the beach.

For me, a trip along the long beach of Fraser Island was not a novelty, but nevertheless, I again scored while crossing stone tongues.

At this moment, it seems that the car will now either turn over or, at best, part of the rocky rock of the props, the bottom will be in the car’s interior right between the legs ...

Photos, photos, ocean dust from the surf.
The tide has just begun, so part of the way passes through spewing salt spray, loose sand.

rusty skeleton Moheno- a dry cargo ship thrown ashore by a storm somewhere in the late thirties - became even more gouging.

Since the first time I was on the Fraser (5 years ago) salty ocean water, wind, sun have done their job.
The Australian Air Force bombing drills completed the picture:

At the northern end of the beach, it is cut by a large rock "Indian's Head".
It is quite difficult to pass in this place - a detour on loose sand and many cars sit on the bottom.

Therefore, this place was chosen by those for whom it is a kind of finish line and just a platform for landscape photography.
From here, beautiful views of the ocean surf and the sandy path of cars open.

But those who passed the test with honor and won quicksand- they are rewarded - Champagne baths.
In a place where the rocks come close to the ocean, natural baths have formed - large depressions in the rock with a smooth bottom. Size - you can bathe the truck.
And when the ocean wave hits the wall of the bath, it turns into foam, which overflows over the edge - into the bath.

Feeling. when you bathe in it - as if you are bathing in champagne: water with bubbles ...
I fell there in my slippers and swam to the border, where the ocean surf beat and the strongest waves rolled over, creating a foamy, effervescent effect, took on the streams of foam and shouted:
- More champagne! More champagne!

Robinsons on Fraser Island

After three hours the question arose: Where will we spend the night?
We decided to put up tents on the ocean shore and robbinzon.
Along the entire 75-mile beach, there are places where you can stop for a wild night.
You can not stop in places that flood the tide, where there are natural attractions: Red Canyon, Eli Creek.
We drove back from Indian Head and looked out over the waterfront.

I wanted to find a place with a view of the ocean and fresh water to wash after swimming in the champagne baths.
After 4-5 attempts, such a place was found: when there is a choice, there is always room for doubt and finding fault with an ugly bush or dry grass ...

In a pine grove on the ocean, surrounded by strange palm trees with pineapples growing on them, we parked. I parked the car so that it protected us from side winds on one side and did not block the view of the raging ocean - the tide began. At this time, the sky, which had been gloomy for a couple of hours, burst into rain. What to do? Don't sit in the car...

For camping non-professionals, everything was done correctly: an awning was tied to the windows of the car at one end, and on the other side we attached it to the trees.
It turned out, as it were, a visor stretching from the roof of the car to the side. This created a temporary protection area of ​​3 square meters from the water whipping from the sky.
Streams of water flowed down his face from his head, his shorts were soaking wet as if something had just come out of the pool.

Comfort was not at all thought at that moment. Rather, it was thought of as a goal, as a perspective. Therefore, not paying attention to the downpour, to the periodic waterfalls of water from our temporary shelter, Valera and I continued to coordinate various options for our protection from water and wind:

- we used the awning of one tent as frontal protection, tying it to the visor of the canopy from above, and pressing down with stakes from below.
- we put up one tent with difficulty having figured out its design and spending some time arguing where to fix what.

They took it outside so as not to interfere with the main process: the process of preparing dinner.
Everything was taken out of the trunk: a box of wine, a box of food. And finally, the queen of the fields - a gas stove.
They began to attach a gas cylinder to it and found that we were not given an adapter ... Hello ass new year!

Everything for which this lodging for the night was started - this romance of a wild camp and an overnight stay - everything was down the drain. It is impossible to build a fire on the island, and even if it were possible: where can I get dry firewood during a tropical downpour? There is nothing but raw lamb. What to do?

The answer was obvious - dump to a nearby civilized campsite and it was nearby, a few kilometers away along the beach. Visual memory even reproduced its name - Dundubara

High tide on Fraser Island

Everything was fine: it’s a pity for the time spent on installing protection from the rain, storing things ... Yes, and we have already tuned in to admire the ocean at night and fight with wild dingo dogs ...

But the main thing was that the tidal ocean was consuming every minute the solid expanse of beach sand, which serves here as a dear life.
A few more minutes and we can remain cut off from the civilized world. Without electricity cellular communication and gas...

The assembly took 5-10 minutes. They worked silently, harmoniously and without unnecessary talk - the specificity of the situation affected.

Throwing everything into luggage compartment, we drove down to the beach, where the ocean waves were already in full charge, rolling up to the sand dune behind which we stood. There was no way back. We were squeezed on one side by the roaring ocean surf, and on the other by a steep coast ... The road back caused me multiple graying of the hair on my head and not only.

When the waves beat on the side of the car, and the reverse flow of water washed away the wheels of our Dune Conqueror, it lurched and it seemed that it would now fall on its side with us.

Just in case, we put our money and passports in a waterproof bag. The rest ... Well, if it happens, then the kids on the islands of Micronesia will take them for souvenirs ....

And then the engine of our Land Rover stalls ... P..dets, - we said in unison. But we must have been lucky. A few more seconds and we would have been washed away into the open ocean ....

The car started up and drowning the gas pedal to the floor, I drove towards the outgoing water. Gaining speed began to turn the wheels to the shore.
The water receded and made it possible to gain additional speed, which allowed us to drive into the bed of the stream, which accidentally and fortunately appeared on our way ...

After driving along the solid bottom of the stream for several tens of meters, I stopped.
The waves were finishing here too, but at least we were not sideways and were quite far from the watershed line.
There was a flag flying over the hill - this was the campsite where we were going.

Carefully turned around - it's good that the bottom of the stream was slightly rocky. And waited for the big wave to come. As soon as she hit the front bumper, I turned on the second speed and
low gear with all the locks rushed towards the sea. Having already reached the beach, I turned left and after 50 meters I saw the desired goal: a path among two dunes leading
up to the campsite...

Yeah….. You could take a breath…
We moved in here illegally, but we didn't give a shit about it. We tested the elements… Although it rather tested us…

Camping on Fraser Island

The gates of the campsite were closed, but not padlocked.
We stopped in front of a booth that had a sign on it explaining that we were on the campsite illegally as we didn't have a reservation.

And in order for everything to become according to the law, you need to call by phone and book. Right there hung a prehistoric telephone that ate 50 cent coins.

We had one of these (mostly money was in 20 and 50 dollar bills.
So, as soon as we waited for an answer on the other end of the wire, the person asked me to dictate the number to him credit card to withdraw 15 dollars for our legal stay here - the payphone ate a coin and turned off.

We did not grieve and leave here. They parked the car. We put up a wet tent and went to fry meat in a public barbecue.

The lamb was amazing as always. After being tested by the elements, wine and a delicious dinner, we fell to sleep in wet sleeping bags like the dead.

The next morning, when we were about to leave - the ocean began to recede and we could go to the beach - a ranger passed us (I was just sitting and watching the 11th episode of Lost, which I downloaded on the mainland) and waved his hand affably.

I also saluted him with a bottle of Shiraz. He gave a thumbs up - like everything is fine and left without even looking at our permit to the Fraser campsites, which was tied to a tent ...

The whole next day we traveled through the pits, ruts and tree roots in the depths of the island, getting back to the lakes.
Well, in the afternoon we stopped at the Eurong Village, where we stopped in advance, without waiting until it gets dark.
For an overnight stay, tents already set up in the manner of an army were offered here, in which there were stationary beds with normal bed linen, a table and chairs.
There was also a toilet and a hot shower, which was very helpful. All the fun cost $25 per person.

The next morning, we had breakfast with the remnants of bacon and cheese, fusing it all in a public kitchen frying pan (kitchen, refrigerators, cutlery and other utensils are public and are included in the price).

All other products (sausages, chicken, etc.) looked unappetizing mixed with melted ice in a large coolbox and were thrown out in the evening.
We took out all our junk from the trunk. They washed it with a hose and shoved it back into its original place.

Dumps on Fraser Island

The trash bag was taken to a designated area. More about this place:

Dump on Fraser Island, is a large clearing fenced with a fence from wild dogs Dingo.

In order for the dogs not to enter the territory of the garbage dump and, God forbid, gobble something up, the only gates are equipped with a system of conductive plates on the ground through which a small, but noticeable current for the dogs passes (nothing is done to the car, and the Dingo is shocked, therefore they don't go there).

There are a lot of garbage containers in the clearing and everyone, literally everyone, arrives and neatly lays out: metal in one group, glass in another, organic matter in the third group of containers.
It remains only to applaud the people who do not litter the place where they rest. I respect the local tourists for this, remembering my dacha in Zhostovo, where savages come by car for the weekend and we, the locals, then have to collect garbage in the forest for them.

Dingo dogs

After that, as the Sun began to peep through, we went to sunbathe on Lake Mackenzie.
And there I observed a curious picture: Dingo dogs have free access to the beach - it is not fenced.
And then one of the young dogs busily ran past us along the beach. Of course, everyone began to grab their cameras, mothers build children next to them ...
But Dingo, not paying attention to the movements of tourists, began to busily sniff the bags standing on the sand.

In one pile, she sniffed something and climbed into the sack with her muzzle. The woman who was sitting on a blanket nearby jumped to her feet and began to wave a towel at the dog, but Dingo, ignoring her, pulled breakfast out of the sack and swallowed it. Then, grabbing a leather handbag lying next to her, she rushed to the leak with it in her teeth. The woman ran after her down the beach and out of sight. After 10 minutes, she came upset and without a handbag. From which I concluded that everything was gone (as I understood the money and documents) to meet.

Australian diary:
Traveling Australia:

A serene beach holiday is the main attraction of Fraser Island, the world's largest sandy island located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Queensland.

– Fraser Island, Queensland, Australia

Vacation Ideas

Fraser Island

Islands Queensland leading the way as the coolest vacation ideas. They make it possible to spend holidays like in paradise, and at the same time acquaint us with nature. queensland, of course, has exciting natural resources, which he is ready to reveal to the traveler, but this development costs a pretty penny. Therefore, the ideas I propose for recreation should be well calculated. not an exception, but we will try to minimize costs.

Fraser Island located at south coast Queensland, about 200 kilometers north of Brisbane. Stretching for 120 kilometers in length and approximately 7 to 23 kilometers at its widest point, it is considered the largest sand island in the world (area 1840 km²), because. arose as a result of centuries of erosion.

– Low tide, Fraser Island

– Shore, aerial view, Fraser Island

– East Coast, Fraser Island

Turquoise waves, long golden beaches, virgin nature, just heaven. By the way, translated from the language Butchulla, aborigines who lived in these parts before European colonization, title Fraser Islands It was - K'gari, which meant "paradise" or "heavenly".

For a short period, the island was known as "Big Sand Island". Modern name the island is associated with the name of the legendary captain James Frazier, whose ship "Stirling Castle" in 1836 crashed off the coast of the island and the surviving sailors landed on the shore.

The island has exceptional natural beauty with rainforests, eucalyptus trees, mangrove forests and peat swamps, dunes and coastal heathlands. There are more than 250 kilometers of solar sandy beaches with long, unbroken stretches of ocean, including more than 40 kilometers of strikingly colored cliffs. In the interior of the island are the majestic remains of a tall rainforest growing on high dunes, this phenomenon is unique.

– Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island

– Wanggoolba Creek

Sand on Fraser Island 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 various factors, such as the strength of the wind, the amount of humidity, and actually the plants themselves in the sand. These dunes gradually stop moving when they reach areas sheltered from the winds.

The dunes that make up the island were formed about 400 thousand years ago and have a height of up to 240 m. There are more than 40 fresh "hanging" lakes, which is one of geographical features islands. This is unusual for a sandy island, which is washed by the waters of the ocean on all sides. The largest lake covers an area of ​​​​about 200 hectares, its name is Lake Boemingen. The western coast of Fraser is occupied by mangrove forests and swamps, the eastern (facing the ocean) is a beach of fairly white sand about 100 km long. The most popular and accessible lake for swimming (you need to walk three kilometers through the forest and dunes) is the lake Webby (Wabbi), the deepest on the island (12 meters).

– Dunes, Fraser Island

Most of the island, which has preserved intact tropical rainforests (about 1645 km² in area), is part of national park Great Sandy national park) . Freshwater turtles are found in well-heated lakes, and the wild dog Dingo is found on land. Dingo, on the island, is strictly forbidden to feed (a fine of $ 3,000) and you must follow certain rules when meeting, which guides will tell you about or read on the park's website.

– Wild dingo on the beach at sunset, Fraser Island

– Dingo on the beach

Excursion opportunities on the island are small, but quite interesting. In the Happy Valley you can explore the wreck of the Mahino, a luxurious trans-Tasmanian passenger liner built in 1905 in Scotland. During the First World War, it was turned into a floating hospital. The ship was sold to the Japanese for scrap in 1935, and during transportation it got into a storm that washed it ashore on Fraser Island. All attempts to save the ship failed and it was decided to leave it on the island.

- "Makhino" (S.S. Maheno)

– Sand dunes or Sandblows, Fraser Island

The abandoned McKenzie Wharf was originally used by lumberjacks to connect with the mainland, and was used by the famous Z Force during World War II. Today, deforestation is prohibited on the island.

You can get to the island by ferry connecting the mainland and Moon Point. The island is separated from the mainland by a series of narrow, ever-changing straits that together form Great Sandy Strait and you can get to the island from three main points - the main stream floats on ferries from the town Hervey Bay- official gates Fraser Island, there is a crossing from River Heads and the southernmost route is the ferry from the sandbar Inskip Point in the vicinity of the town rainbow beach.

AT Hervey Bay you can use the services of the company Fraser Island Barges and ferry Kingfisher Bay Ferry for $175 (car and 3 passengers, peak season price)

The west coast of the island is not very suitable for driving a heavy SUV, but east coast just a real highway. If you go inland, the roads turn into viscous sandy tracks, where getting stuck in bad weather is a matter of minutes.

- "Pools with champagne" (Champagne Pools) - in this place the reef forms protected stone niches, where the wave bursts, rolling over the edge of the cliff, forming clouds of foam. This is the only place on Fraser Island where you can safely swim in the ocean water.

- Indian Head - a rock sticking out of the sand at the northern end of the 75-mile beach

Swimming on the eastern beaches is not recommended. The thing is that the dominant direction of the wind and, as a result, the waves create very insidious underwater eddies, which begin to be pulled into the ocean - a reverse current. There are no lifeguards here. Besides, Fraser Island- this is the place where the two largest tiger sharks were caught. You can swim in the ocean only in one single place in the north of the island - Champagne Pools.