The Fraser Island (or K’Gari, its indigenous name) Great Walk in Australia holds a special place in my heart. My first true multi-day hike, back in 2020, took place here. Situated off the coast of Queensland, the World-Heritage listed Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. However, this does not mean the island is one vast expanse of sand. Lush rainforest, mangroves and impressive sand dunes cover the surface of Fraser Island.
A tiny number of residents (less than 200) live permanently on the island, concentrated in three villages on the east coast. These settlements are Orchid Beach, Happy Valley in the centre of the island and Eurong. Additionally, some people live in the Kingfisher Resort on the west coast, where the ferry from Hervey Bay arrives.
Fraser Island also happens to have a great hiking trail!
Map
More detailed maps are available here
Preparation
There is no permit to hike the Fraser Island Great Walk itself, but you do need to acquire permits for the campsites (called walkers camps) where you plan to stay. Campsite bookings for national parks in Queensland go through the Parks and forests service. Campsites for Fraser Island can be booked 6 months in advance and I would recommend to do it as early as possible. Most of these sites book out fast.
Camping permits: Parks and forests service camping bookings
Access
Fraser Island lies a couple of hours driving north of Brisbane. We drove up ourselves, but I’ve heard from a couple of friends that it’s not impossible to hitch there from Brisbane should you prefer.
The only way to get to the island is by ferry from either Hervey Bay or Rainbow Beach. On the island itself, there are 4WD tracks and for those lacking a car, there is a taxi service that can transport you from and to the trailhead.
Hervey Bay ferry from River Heads to Kingfisher Resort on the west coast: Sealink Ferry
Rainbow Beach ferry from Inskip Point to Hook Point: Manta Ray Barge
Transport on the island itself: Fraser Island Taxi Service
The first way to get to the trail (and what my group did), is to take the ferry from River Heads in Hervey Bay to Kingfisher Resort. From there, you can hike the Lake McKenzie Walk to the trail (note that this way you start the hike sort of in the middle of the trail and you’ll need a taxi from Happy Valley to Dili Village or the other way around if you want to hike all of the trail).
Alternatively, take the other ferry from Inskip Point that takes you to Hook Point. From there you can take a taxi to the south trailhead, Dili Village. Depending on the time you get to Dili Village, you might need to camp the night there (more on camping further down).
Duration
The hike itself is 75 – 90 km long (depending on how you get to the actual trail) and takes around 6-8 days to complete. Although if you’re really fit, you could definitely do it in less. Officially it runs from the south trailhead in Dili Village to Happy Valley in the north.
Difficulty
Since the hike is entirely on a sand island, the terrain is fairly flat, but also, well, sandy. In most places, leaves and undergrowth cover the sand and give enough traction to not be noticeable, but there are certain more open, sandy sections which can be more straining. Overall, I’d say this hike isn’t too hard. On average I think I did around 5-6 hours of hiking per day. When I did it, I wasn’t in great shape and I was hauling a backpack that was heavier than I needed and still it didn’t feel terribly hard.
Season
Hiking season for the Fraser Island Great Walk is between March and October, this to avoid the brutal summer humidity in Queensland. I myself did it in the first half of June, when temperatures were not too hot to hike, but not too cold to swim. There was quite some rain in the week I was there though.
Is this worth my time?
Absolutely, doing the Fraser Island Great Walk means immersing yourself in a unique ecosystem with natural wonders you’ll be hard pressed to find elsewhere in the world. The hike falls a bit short on views in the traditional sense. This because the sandy underground of the trail does not allow for much elevation and you stay under the treeline all the way through.
However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything interesting to see. Far from it. At regular intervals, you’ll come across pristine lakes to take a swim in, wonder at sweeping sand blows in the middle of the forest and gaze up at massive trees that somehow managed to grow in such sandy soil. Even the parts where the trail is on sand have plenty of variation. One day you’ll hike along desert-like dunes while the next you’ll be threading on rainbow coloured beaches. When it comes to wildlife you’ll mostly be sharing the island with dingos and kookaburras with the occasional spider thrown into the mix.
As I’ve mentioned in the intro, there is only a small population of people living on the island. Because of this, there are very little signs of human settlement barring the occasional 4WD track that you cross. This gives hiking here a real wilderness feel, without being too far from civilization.
Highlights along the trail
Lake McKenzie
Of all the lakes on the trail (and there are quite a few), this one was by far my favourite. Lake McKenzie boasts impossibly clear, blue water perfect for a swim to wash the sweat and dirt after a long day of hiking. And after sunset it’s a perfect lake to stand on the shore of and stare contemplatively into the distance.
Valley of the Giants
In the center of Fraser Island lies the heart of the rainforest on the island. The Valley of the Giants is a place where towering tallowwood and satinay trees swallow the sunlight with their wide-spanning canopies. If you can, take some extra time to wander amongst these trees, some more than a 1000 years old and soak it all up. Beware of the leeches though. They like to hide under leaves, attaching themselves to hands and arms when you brush past.
Hammerstone Sandblow
It wouldn’t be a sand island without some dunes, now would it?! Every now and then, smooth, expansive sand dunes interrupt the forest on Fraser Island. The Hammerstone Sandblow was the one that stayed with me the most, as it was the first one I saw. Situated besides Lake Wabby, the Hammerstone Sandblow breaks up the forested landscape in an unexpected way. There is something very dissonant about seeing this much sand right next to lush vegetation.
Offshore winds hit the sandblows on the island causing them to gradually migrate, giving them their undulating surface and killing all vegetation that tries to grow on them. This keeps on going until at some point the sand is sheltered from the wind and the migration ends. Hammerstone itself is slowly but surely moving towards Lake Wabby, until it will one day cover it completely. Markers in the sand keep track of the sandblow’s progress.
Wildlife
Dingo’s
The iconic Australian wild dog, dingos are abundant on Fraser island (they even outnumber the amount of human residents). While it is absolutely beautiful to see these furry creatures here in the wild, they can be aggressive and hikers should not engage with them in any manner. Especially not by giving them any food or leaving any food out for them to steal. They are the reason certain campsites are fenced in. The ones I encountered didn’t much care for us and just went about their day a little distance from us. If you leave them alone, you’ll be fine.
Possible Humpbacks
To my regret, I didn’t see any, but it is very possible to see humpback whales on the western side of Fraser Island. If you’re entering Fraser from the western bay in Kingfisher Resort, it’s more than worth it to keep a lookout for these majestic creatures.
Kookaburra’s
These curious and colorful birds are present all through the hike and will approach you if you let them. Don’t let them come too close though. Their hungry, beady eyes were fixed on our food and they left no doubt as to what their intention was should we let our guard down.
The first night camping I jolted awake hearing a loud cackling laughter coming from multiple places around me. Only later did I realize that this was the kookaburra’s call (or laugh, as it’s also referred to). A very unexpected and startling sound if it catches you unaware.
Soldier Crabs
On the beaches at the start or end of the hike, you’ll likely encounter light-blue soldier crabs. The small crustaceans curl up into a ball when threatened and dig their way into the sand with a rolling motion. When I saw them, there were literally hundreds of them, scurrying in front of us in a big wave of blue.
Camping
You’re only allowed to camp at dedicated campsites.The campsites are well-managed (something I found to be true of all the Great Walks I did in Australia) and most contain picnic tables, toilets and water taps. In addition, the sites at Lake McKenzie and Central Station are fully enclosed in wire-fence to keep the wild dingos away. Inside the enclosures there are sturdy metal boxes to put food in.
We always filtered or boiled our water during our stay (as the signs near every water tap tell you to do). Our taxi driver told us the few permanent residents drink it without filtering so it’s probably safe.
Watch out for spiders in the toilets, they like to nest there, ready to scare whatever innocent soul dares to enter. On one occasion, someone in our group fled the toilet, terror-stricken and yelping, after finding a massive spider that had made a web across the toilet walls.
Pro-tip, the toilet area is usually roofed and makes a good emergency cooking spot if it’s raining buckets.
Resupply
Depending on how you tackle the hike, there is a possibility to do some resupply at Happy Valley. Happy Valley is a tiny resort village with a convenience store. Expect nothing spectacular, but they have plenty of snacks to fill up on. I was there when Covid was only just slowing down in Australia and there was almost no one on the island. Maybe there are more food options now.
Equipment
Nothing special besides regular backpacking gear I’d say. Don’t forget your rain jacket! I’d also definitely recommend to bring ear plugs. The kookaburra’s like to start their laughing party early in the morning, dashing any hope of falling back asleep.
Closing thoughts
I had a great time on the Fraser Island Great Walk. It offered a lot more variation in landscape than I thought with plenty of things to see and do to break up the hiking. I wouldn’t say it’s the best hike I’ve done in Australia though (that award goes to the Thorsborne trail on Hinchinbrook). Weather-wise I didn’t have great luck with it being quite rainy over the course of the week. However, I’ve read that it can be a lot better in that period of the year.
It also helps if you don’t have arachnophobia on this hike. It’s not like you’ll come across a spider around every turn, but as I’ve written above, they were very much a presence.
All that being said, the sights and wildlife are world-class and offer something very different and unique compared to a hike in the mountains. I hope I have convinced you to go to this very special place!