HOLIDAY DESTINATIONS IN THE SUN - FRASER ISLAND: THE MAGNIFICENT
Wayne Kampe.

WHEN I set out to pen this article on Fraser Island, the sheer magnitude of the task hit me; darned near as big as the island! The drive up the beach on the east side of this, the world's largest sand island, is over one hundred and thirty kilometres, so help me! It's a beach angler's Walhalla, with good fish holding beach formations over a kilometre long in places. Besides the beach fishing, there's rock-fishing and, for those who tow a boat to Waddy Point, some terrific oceanic fishing for pelagics and prime reef fish.

If that isn't enough, there is the western side of the island as well, with tremendous flats-fishing (trevally on fly a la Peter Morse) and jacks in the creeks plus the attractions of Kingfisher Bay resort as a kick-off point. Further north, usually accessed via Hervey Bay, there is great game-fishing as well.

To do the whole thing justice, there is only one option. I'll divide the island into two parts and elaborate accordingly. In this article, we'll look at the southern half of the island from roughly south of Happy Valley resort on the eastern side.

To begin at the beginning, let's first understand just what Fraser Island is. World Heritage listed since 1992, the island is an enormous sand mass, accessed via four-wheel-drive vehicle. To get onto the island, one must first obtain a permit ($30) from the Department of Environment, Queensland. Their head office is at 160 Ann Street Brisbane or they can be reached on (07) 3227 8185 or by mail via PO Box 155, Brisbane Albert Street, Queensland 4000.

For the first-time visitor, the island is easy to find on a map but it isn’t quite so easy to access via road. First, one must turn off at either Maryborough or Gympie and travel to Rainbow Beach, the mainland exit point. The turn-off at Gympie is the most direct route to the island and, on the outskirts of town, a sign indicates that the town of Rainbow Beach, and Fraser Island, are accessed from that point. Further signs en route direct the visitor to Rainbow Beach.

This is a busy little town. It's usually wise to fuel up fully here (all fuel on the island is around a dollar per litre), let the tyres down a tad and then take the short, twenty-kilometre drive out to Inskip Point to catch the barge across to the island. Fifteen minutes later, and around fifty dollars less, one should be engaging four-wheel-drive and heading north along the sand.

A word to the wise on the beach. Although Fraser's wide, flat beach is renowned for easy vehicular travel, the narrow area around Hook Point on the southern-most end of the island is darned near impossible at anything other than a couple of hours either side of low tide.

A by-pass route on a quite reasonable, sealed track (it's signed, just near the barge landing area) is the move. One can travel via this road and then access the beach further north if the ebbing tide is still fairly high.
That said, the huge seas of May and June have damaged the beach in places, to the point where a lot of rock is now exposed and low tide travel just makes it all so much easier. Even at low tide, detours may be necessary around Dilli Village and Poyungan Rocks. Remember, an eighty-kilometre per hour speed limit applies on the beach and police do enforce it - and conduct random breath tests - from time to time.

It's wise to slow down for the creeks that traverse the beach from time to time. The out flow from them tends to cut deeply into the sand and to hit a half metre drop-off at eighty clicks will do more than just jar a few fillings from the old teeth! It will re-arrange the front of the car! Never be tempted to stop in a freshwater flow to wash a bit of that nasty salt-water from the pride and joy, either. It's a recipe for disaster as the car will sink like a brick as the sand sneaks away from under it.

On the east side of the island, Dilli Village is the first location where private accommodation, as well as fuel, ice, etc, can be purchased. Comfortable camping is possible at this location. The beach nearby will have formations that can turn up a feed of tailor, bream, whiting, swallow tail, or all of them, on the day! Four-wheel-drive tracks access Lakes Boomanjin and Benaroon as well as Lake Birrabeen nearby.

Further north along the beach is Eurong, with its information centre, where accommodation and excellent camping facilities are available. As well, there is access to the Department of Environment Ranger Station at Central Station. Most visitors to Central Station also visit the very attractive Lake Mackenzie nearby. Understand, if you will, that there are some beautiful forests on this island and the drive to Lake Mackenzie (and other inland venues) will see the car passing through some very tall timber. Bush walks are part of the Fraser Island scene.

Happy Valley is a neat little village set among trees and with easy access for the visitor. Again, accommodation and camping facilities are on hand and fuel, ice or food may be purchased. It's a resort style village and is well set out. Most of the stores on the island carry mainstay food items and some have tackle and bait as well. Pillies are usually available. A wise angler will bring enough spares and back-up gear, just the same.

The visitor will find camping at the places I've mentioned to be very enjoyable. All have excellent facilities, shade, sufficient supplies in the way of food and personal items to satisfy most needs and, as mentioned, bait.

The Department of Environment also has some well set-up camping grounds at the freshwater lakes. Water and firewood are available at most, but no soap or shampoo in the lakes, please.
On the western side of the island lies Kingfisher Bay resort. It has its own barge service for vehicles (departing Hervey Bay) and may also be accessed by boaties as well as visitors traversing the island from the east side through the quiet inland. Tracks are quite OK, although one must pull off and give way in the narrow sections. Kingfisher Bay is a jumping-off point for anglers searching for trevally on the flats, a fishery made famous by Peter Morse in the Wildfish series of videos. Nearby creeks can also offer excellent fishing if the flats are shut down because of adverse weather. Accommodation at Kingfisher Bay is available and varies in accordance with one's needs. The resort is very well set out.
Fraser Island is renowned for beach camping and many anglers enjoy the unique experience of camping on the beach and waking up to go straight down to the surf and catch a fish. Along the east side one can set up camp in the shade of a pandanus palm and stroll down to wet a line when it suits. Some of the beach is closed to camping for rehabilitation purposes but a lot of it is still available, nonetheless. Understand that absolutely no facilities exist other than rubbish collection bins, which are serviced regularly. One will need water for drinking (Eli Creek has megalitres of it running straight into the ocean) but the numerous small freshwater creeks crossing the beach will supply ample water for having a wash at end of day. The Glind Aussie shower unit set up in the 4X4 is never more appreciated than on Fraser Island!

Now for the beach-fishing. The section of the island south of Happy Valley will offer beach-fishing of very generous proportions. Tailor are a winter and spring mainstay and, as the weather warms in late August and September, the fish really come on strong. It's very common to see a gutter hundreds of metres long being fished by anglers standing virtually shoulder to shoulder and, as the fish move along the gutter, the rods bend one by one.
Whiting and dart (swallowtail) are available throughout most of the year but are very much sought after in spring and summer. Beach worms and pipis are almost the universal bait and the angler who can pull a few worms, of which there is no shortage, is assured of great fishing. Almost any reasonable gutter will hold both whiting and dart and a look around at low tide will reveal the required bait.

Flathead, bream, tarwhine, stargazers and trevally are all part of the Fraser Island beach-fishing scene and are par for the course when fishing a gutter or a patch of exposed rock.

A couple of words to the wise on the ecology. Rubbish should be disposed of properly. It's criminal to litter a place so beautiful and, with the ample collection bins provided, there is really no excuse for spoiling the place as thoughtless visitors do. Fish offal should be buried below high tide mark so that the worms and other widgets can eat it a their leisure - and so the dingos don't dig it up.

On the subject of dingos, never, but never, feed them. A sad legacy of human food dependence is that the dogs become cheeky and outright aggressive, and some have had to be destroyed as a consequence. To admire one from afar is the smart move, but don't get too close or attempt to give it food.

Next month, a look at the fishing north of Happy Valley and the tremendous opportunities this area offers for the rock-fisho and boatie. Reckon you've seen some big macks and wahoo? Just wait!!