ToowoombaBlue Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Hi all We are starting to plan our next holiday and have decided on a camping holiday to Fraser Island. Has anyone tried this? Did you go to the fenced area or did you brave the dingos? Did you hire a 4x4 or take your own? Any help or recommendations appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I have been there recently but not camping. The dingoes seem to hang around the beach areas and didn't seem to be a problem at all. You are not allowed to feed them of course and I had the sense they had been heavily culled. The roads are not crash hot and I wouldn't want to take my own vehicle personally. There is not much in the way of food, I would take most of my own. Actually, to be honest, I found it a bit disappointing, would rather go to Magnetic Island but that is me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peachy Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 We went last year. Camped in designated camp ground. Despite a torrential downpour it was one of our best experiences as a family. Astonishingly beautiful. You need a decent 4x4. We went in a Nissan Patrol and would not have wanted to go in UK style 4x4. You need maxtrax to unbog yourself. My sister's fiance lost his car in the sand 10 years ago so it does happen! You will have an amazing time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 I have been there recently but not camping. The dingoes seem to hang around the beach areas and didn't seem to be a problem at all. You are not allowed to feed them of course and I had the sense they had been heavily culled. The roads are not crash hot and I wouldn't want to take my own vehicle personally. There is not much in the way of food, I would take most of my own. Actually, to be honest, I found it a bit disappointing, would rather go to Magnetic Island but that is me. I quite liked Fraser, but then its the only one I've seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bound4Tassie Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Fraser was great. We camped in the fenced off bit. Dingoes didn't come around our camp but probably not worth encouraging them. We hired a Toyota Hilux and that coped fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy1 Posted August 13, 2015 Share Posted August 13, 2015 Just back from 3 days and used frasermagic4wdhire and rented a "battered" landrover that included all the camping gear necessary basic but did the job. They gave us a suggested route which more or less matched what we wanted to do, which we more or less did and took all their advice. Watch the tide times. Everything went well, never drove a 4wd before, or on the beach etc. Read up on hi box and low box etc and understand it. Be careful crossing the creeks can see how easy it is for accidents but no problems on our trip. Get them to really go through the gear box with you ours was a little tough to deal with but once we got the hang of it, it was fine. Cold at night at the moment so be prepared. If you are in fenced area bring wood for the firepits at night, wish we had :-). Camped both nights at Dundabarra? which was a good idea as we had thought of moving, but it made the second day more relaxing knowing where we were coming back to, showers are great ..... Take your time and dont try to do too much. Loved the champagne pool area and the boardwalk at Central Station is a must. Swam in the lake and Watched a beautiful Manta ray from the lookout boardwalk on the way to Champagne pools. Just 10m off the beach. Saw loads of whales also from there. Dropped tyre pressure from 30 to 26/27 to get up the track to Champagne pools as we got stuck initially and tried it a few times. Once we dropped the tyres we made it up. Bought our own tyre gauge and needed it... If you get stuck do not try to force it, just reverse out and try again no need to get completely bogged down and needing to dig yourself out even though they provided sand traks and shovel etc we never needed them. Saw one dingo out for a trot on the beach, king of his island he was............. Think if i had kids definitely a fenced area. Some nice beach camping sites but no facilities. Get the HEMA map for Fraser from BCF store. Would love to drive a newer 4wd to see the difference. Ours was bouncy but thats half the fun. Spoke to one asian man with his wife and young kid who had got stuck and as he said with a smile...."its an adventure" ............. Pumped the tyres back up at Cathedral station. Spoke to a few drivers for the tour companies all said not to go below 26 on tyres and back up to 30 for better driving. Just our experience anyway. Get to the fenced campsite early if using it be there by 3pm to give you time to setup etc and get a good spot, was busy even at this time. Would not go in summer after being there, maybe Sept/Oct for a bit more heat. Would not go in kids holidays either must get mad when its busy. Three days was just enough to get a taste would not be worth it any shorter. So glad we did not do one of the bus trips. If you like fishing seems to be the place, loads of serious looking fishermen on the beaches........... Most of all enjoy it and take the time to savour it all. No rush once you get there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumpingjellybean Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 We are starting to plan our next holiday and have decided on a camping holiday to Fraser Island. Has anyone tried this? Did you go to the fenced area or did you brave the dingos? Did you hire a 4x4 or take your own? Yes I have done it twice. It was excellent. First time we hired a 4WD and the second time we took our own. There was no fenced area when I went. So we just camped on the side of the road, in the forest areas, on the beach dunes. Or at the designated camp site - which was very basic with one drop toilet. Probably changed quite a lot since I was last there. Saw one dingo on the beach otherwise that was it. Do NOT feed the dingoes or leave food out where they can scavenge (pretend you are camping in grizzly bear country!) to minimize risk of attack. Remember they are a wild animal and should not be petted. Most incidences seem to stem from human to animal interaction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 Just restarting an old thread, wondering if anyone thinks it’s worth going across on the ferry to Fraser Island for a day? We have a 4x4 that should easily handle the conditions, just depends on whether the driver can handle it (me...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferrets Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 If you are nearby then would.give it a go, we are doing Moreton for our exploratory trip 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted June 23, 2018 Share Posted June 23, 2018 12 hours ago, CaptainR said: Just restarting an old thread, wondering if anyone thinks it’s worth going across on the ferry to Fraser Island for a day? We have a 4x4 that should easily handle the conditions, just depends on whether the driver can handle it (me...) We have been for a day, but we didn’t take our 4x4 over, just went on an organised outing. It was great fun. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainR Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 14 hours ago, Ferrets said: If you are nearby then would.give it a go, we are doing Moreton for our exploratory trip We are driving up to Noosa from Lake Macquarie and looking for some ideas. It would be a long day driving up and catching the ferry and coming back, but looks possible. 5 hours ago, ramot said: We have been for a day, but we didn’t take our 4x4 over, just went on an organised outing. It was great fun. We have he right car for the job, just not sure whether I have the driving skills. Some of the online material seems to go from it being easy and straightforward to hell no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 10 minutes ago, CaptainR said: We are driving up to Noosa from Lake Macquarie and looking for some ideas. It would be a long day driving up and catching the ferry and coming back, but looks possible. We have he right car for the job, just not sure whether I have the driving skills. Some of the online material seems to go from it being easy and straightforward to hell no. We have driven from the Sunshine Coast for the day, but only went whale watching that time. Other time when we went round Frazer we spent the night in Hervy Bay, You get the ferry I think from Rainbow beach? so not so far to drive. You can stay on Frazer Island and take an organised tour. The driving will probably depend on the weather, wet and muddy might not be much fun. The island is interesting and fun to visit, but avoid the dingoes!!! To be honest I think you are pushing it. Lots to do on the Sunshine Coast, but I’m biased. The zoo, under water world are recommended if you have children. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metoo Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 (edited) If you drive up the night before, you can get a cheap air b n b for the night in Hervey Bay and then catch the early ferry in the morning at river heads. We stayed on Fraser last Christmas for 3 nights at the Kingfisher resort and had a great time. We never saw any dingos but there were plenty of warning signs. Take warm clothing with you, it can get pretty nippy at night time and Fraser has its own micro climate, they say it's always raining somewhere on Fraser. First pic is Kingfisher resort and then the ferry unloading on Fraser Edited June 24, 2018 by Metoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieRoo Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 On 23/06/2018 at 10:33, CaptainR said: Just restarting an old thread, wondering if anyone thinks it’s worth going across on the ferry to Fraser Island for a day? We have a 4x4 that should easily handle the conditions, just depends on whether the driver can handle it (me...) Aussies love to intimidate us Poms with all sorts of horror stories, but don’t be put of by this. Driving on Fraser for the first time will be a lot easier that you think. A day trip is no problem if you get an early start and I think the barges starts running from 6am. Although you wouldn’t have time to seen the top half of the inland. But to be honest it would be a waste to not stay overnight (three days is ideal). A few tips courtesy of my husband, Get to know your vehicle before you set out, especially if you haven’t done much off-road driving before. You will need to know how to select low range and you may need to read the handbook for instructions. Often you need to turn off traction/stability control and even lock the front hubs (if fitted). Also buy a cheap tyre pressure deflator with gauge. If you are getting the barge from Rainbow Beach, make sure you lower your tire pressures before driving onto the sand at Inskip Point. There is a notorious stretch of soft sand between the road and the barge. This is probably the trickiest part of the any trip to Fraser. Momentum is everything in soft sand, so try and keep your speed steady and don’t drive too slowly. There are always lots of people around who will be very willing to help if you do get bogged, it’s all part of the fun. (Although never accept a tow if the other 4x4 has the strap fastened over a tow ball, it is very dangerous). When driving on the shoreline, keep to the speed limit, you may find a policeman with a speed gun standing in the middle of the beach. Also look out for washouts, these are like steps in the sand and are easy to miss. Try to get to the freshwater lakes for a swim as early as possible (they can get very busy in the afternoons). Don’t be put off by the dingos, they are not really a problem. Just don’t feed them and I would be carful if you have smaller children who may try to pet them like a domestic dog. If you camp away from the fenced areas, you will get visitors in the night looking for food, so you just need to take sensible precautions with rubbish etc. Do not to drive in the surf, its very tempting but saltwater is very corrosive and can be expensive to wheel bearing etc. Also there are special car washes after returning to the mainland, with under body jets to remove the salt. There may be lengthy queues but it is very important wait if you care about your vehicle. You can also re-inflate your tires here. I’m sure you will have a wonderful experience and don’t let anyone talk you out of going in your own 4x4. There is nothing quite like the feeling of driving on a seventy-five mile long beach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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