Fraser Island... more information
Water has meant the creation of exceptional rainforests, growing in sand and surviving on nutrients from the breakdown of other plants. Towering satinay and brushbox are among the forest giants, some over a thousand years old. The variety of vegetation on Fraser is exceptional, ranging from mangroves to 200 year old kauri forests and wallum heathlands that fill with wildflowers in the early spring.
The island is home to more than 230 species of birds - one of the largest and most varied bird communities in Australia. Along the beaches, you can see dotterels, pied oyster catchers, pelicans, tern and gulls while overhead skies are prowled by magnificent birds of prey - brahminy kites, white-breasted sea eagles, ospreys and peregrine falcons. The island's heathlands are home to one of Australia's rarest birds - the ground parrot, as well as honey-eaters, kingfishers and cockatoos. The lakes and wetlands are the habitat of curlews, jabirus and brolgas.
There are 25 species of mammal present on the island. Isolation has ensured that Fraser's dingoes are the purest breed in eastern Australia and consequently no domestic dogs are permitted on the island. Other native mammals include wallabies, possums, flying foxes and echidnas. Dugong feed on the seagrass beds, turtles breed on some island beaches as well as the mainland and each year tailor make their annual migration to Fraser's rocky headlands to spawn.
The annual migration of humpback whales from Antarctica to the warm waters off Queensland brings many of the magnificent whales into the sheltered waters of Platypus Bay, on the western side of Fraser Island. After calving in the waters further north, many of the whales retreat to Platypus Bay with their new offspring before returning to the rich feeding grounds of the Antarctic.
Fraser Island has only very limited stretches of bitumen and access around the island is generally on the beach or inland sand tracks. Consequently, access to Fraser is restricted to vehicles with four wheel drive. 4WD vehicles can be hired from Kingfisher Bay Resort and training is provided in how to drive on Fraser's sand conditions. Walking tracks are one of the best ways of appreciating Fraser Island's natural splendour. Without the rumble of engines, the bird life can be seen and heard and the beauty of Fraser's wildflowers, its forests, lakes, creeks and sand formations seem all the richer.
Australia
Fraser Coast Region
