  Fraser Island, Australia
Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. It is located along the southern coast of Queensland, about 300 kilometers north of Brisbane, Australia. Fraser Island was named by Eliza Fraser, who was shipwrecked on the island with her husband Captain James Fraser, who had died when she was rescued from the island. The island was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1992, following the 15th session of the World Heritage Committee which was held at Carthage, Tunisia, from 9 to 13 December, 1991. The uniqueness of Fraser Island makes it an exceptional site and attraction.
What to See in Fraser Island
Fraser Island measures 120 km in length, and has an area of 1840 square kilometers. The depth of the sand deposits on Fraser Island allows scientists to study the changes in climate and sea level over the past 700,000 years. The dunes in Fraser Island reach a height of 260 meters above sea level. As a result, it supports a variety of vegetation ranging from coastal heath to subtropical rainforest. Some of the trees here are as tall as 50 meters. The beaches have colored sand cliffs as well as over 100 freshwater lakes, the second highest number in Australia after Tasmania.
Photos of Fraser Island
Fraser Island freshwater lake
Author: Ingvard Pedersen (public domain)
Fraser Island
Author: Sensenmann (public domain)
Wreck of S.S. Maheno on Fraser Island
Author: Fabian Chaveriat (public domain)
Fraser Island Wildlife
Fraser Island has some of the last remaining population of pure dingoes in Eastern Australia. To maintain the purity of the dingo stock, dogs are not allowed to be brought onto Fraser Island. The number of dingoes on the island has dwindled considerably over the decades, and is estimated to be around 120-150 today. Sighting is becoming rare, however feeding or luring them are illegal.
Fraser Island support over 230 species of birds, including the endangered ground parrot, which is already extinct in other parts of Australia. The island also has numerous mammals such as the swamp wallabies, echidnas, possums, sugar gliders and flying foxes. It also host different types of reptiles including goannas, snakes, lizards, skinks and frogs.
Location
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Location: S 25 13 0 E 153 7 60
Inscription Year: 1992
Type of Site: Natural
Inscription Criteria: VII, VIII, IX
Visiting this Site
Your base for visiting Fraser Island is Brisbane. You should first get your accommodation in Brisbane and then make arrangements for visiting Fraser Island. There will be more tour packages and options to choose from in Brisbane than any other city in Queensland.
Here's a list of Hotels in Brisbane with online booking facilities. Booking is provided by HostelBookers, so there is no booking fee involved.
So far, I have only found one accommodation provider on Fraser Island with online booking facility: Fraser Island Backpackers.
Getting there
There are regular ferry services to Fraser Island. Fraser Venture (tel: 07 4125 4444) operates a vehicle barge between River Heads and Wanggoolba Creek. Fraser Island Ferry Service provides a link between Inskip Point, near Rainbow Beach, with the southern tip of Fraser Island.
The only form of vehicle on Fraser Island are four-wheel drives. You can bring them with you, or hire one from any of the companies: Fraser Magic 4WD Hire, tel: 07 4125 6612; Aussie Trax, tel: 1800 062275; Bay4wd.com.au, tel: 1800 687178; Safari 4WD, tel: 1800 689819.
You can also join a Fraser Island tour package. One of the operators is Fraser Island Tours, tel: 1800 171616
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