Tips for Fraser Island ?

[BillsGU]

I am a member of a 4WD club in Victoria and we are heading up to Fraser in October. We have rented a house at Orchid Beach form 8th to 15th of October. I have never been on Fraser before - but I have done a fair bit of sand driving. Other than tyre pressures - are their any tips or secrets to Fraser? It would be good to get some insider info from people who drive on Fraser regularly. Maybe even a forum meet up?

[04OFF]

Ok this turned out longer than expected, so i put some in pics to break it up a bit.





Check conditions report before you travel Conditions report , be aware of tide times.



Fraser is pretty easy going, make sure you plan to hit Hook point within 2 hours each side of LOW tide, there is a inland rd, but it is usually very very corrogated/pot holed and should be avoided unless you don't like your car.


You need to plan smart, imagine you where travelling to fraser this week.................as you are going to Orchid beach, you will need to go through Indian head, this is usually easy, but currently is advised as "passable close to low tide", so to get to your holiday house, you will need to travel the whole lenth of 75Mile beach to get to Indian head, then a bit further to orchid beach, so you need time to pass Hook point ,travel 75Mile beach, then have time to pass Indian head while "still" on a lowish tide.

As it is such a long way you need to travel up the beach, and speed limit is 80kph, id suggest you don't let your tyres "right" down straight away, low tide it will be easy going, and high speed in a loaded rig with flat tyres is not a great idea (and its dead easy to let more air out at any time you wish)

If you have the right pressure to get throught the soft sand at inskip point to get on the barge, you will get up Orchid Beach.






As you are going in Oct (not that soon), id bet Indian Head will most likley be easy passable again, Hook point however, is always best hit around low tide.(again check conditions report)







Now thats out of the way....


Orchid beach is great (well all of fraser is really) the orchid beach trading post (name of the shop/servo) sells great pies, fuel was cheapest here and eurong (allthough no fuel now at happy valley anyway) you can also get a beer at the bar next to the shop.


Based at orchid beach you will be in great range to do a trip up to sandy cape lighthouse, check conditions of Ngkala and brown rocks, they can be very slippy , the Ngkala rocks south bypass track can be very soft, so expect to have to give it some to get through



Near Orchid Beach






















Im sure you've heard of Lake mckenzie, its a great spot to visit, but if you find heaps of people there (as you normally do) lake birrabeen is almost identical, but will have much less people.



Lake Birrabeen










Personally, I wouldn't bother with anything on the western side of the island (eg Moon point, Eastern Beach) ....except Kinfisher Bay resort, it has a great bar/diner/pool area (you don't need to be a guest to go in) you can walk the boardwalk, and catch a great sunset if you stay later.....



Kingfisher Bay













Watch for small plane landings on 75mile beach, normally up near the wreck of the maheno.



SS Maheno











Make sure to take some aerogaurd, the flys can be HUGE and if they are out will annoy and bite the hell out of ya.







Thats all i can think of at the moment that you may not already know, most of the places on the fraser map are worth a visit (except the west side) we found a Hema map of fraser is very good and shows more than most ive seen.

[AB]

That's a great reply 04off...

As already mentioned tides are very important to keep an eye on up there. I personally got caught out one time and couldn't make it back to camp and slept on the beach.

King Fisher Bay is a great place to stop in for the day too.

Careful leaving all of your food out at night with the Dingoes too. Way too many tourists feeding them and they are not afraid to come into camp at night. Well this was 10 years ago so not sure what It's like now.

[Bigrig]

And don't stop in flowing creeks for a photo opportunity - your car will sink to the axles in literally a minute or so, to the sills in less than 10 minutes and completely written off in about 30 minutes ... More common a mistake than you'd think, but obviously easily avoidable!

[Airstrike]

I go every year for 3 weeks in September to chase the Taylor. Everything advised previously is on the mark and as Bigrig said if you want a photo just walk there not worth writing off the vehicle. I don’t like personally risking too many trips to Orchid I usually camp 2 clicks north of the Maheno.

If there is any hassles that aren’t usually there this year I will post it for you.

Further to what 04OFF said for the love of god watch the tide times. I have been stuck overnight its borig and lonely lol.

Ryan

[04OFF]

Thanks AB,

To avoid attracting dingos when camping, you are required to have NON see through food storage containers that may be stored in a visable area, staying in a house this wont be a problem tho, you just need to be aware not to leave fish scraps around outside, or bits of food on the BBQ etc.

You should be given a pamphlet when you obtain your vehicle permit that outlines all the do's and dont's with regard to fraser dingos. (HERE is some info it outlines anyway)




And i mean it about those HUGE fly's, they are amazing, and can bite you through a T-shirt, i found them most common early mornings or evenings, but when one will find you, the rest will follow, the thing is, the majority (about 50-60) of them will just go wait for you ON or in your car, just as if they know that is where you will go, and then they are ALL waiting for you when you step out, plus they know you will drive them to other victims.

They don't fall off when you drive either, i drove very fast (well ill say i only got up to 80kph, cos its the legal limit) and i think "one" fell off !

[Airstrike]

Thanks AB,

To avoid attracting dingos when camping, you are required to have NON see through food storage containers that may be stored in a visable area, staying in a house this wont be a problem tho, you just need to be aware not to leave fish scraps around outside, or bits of food on the BBQ etc.

You should be given a pamphlet when you obtain your vehicle permit that outlines all the do's and dont's with regard to fraser dingos. (HERE is some info it outlines anyway)




And i mean it about those HUGE fly's, they are amazing, and can bite you through a T-shirt, i found them most common early mornings or evenings, but when one will find you, the rest will follow, the thing is, the majority (about 50-60) of them will just go wait for you ON or in your car, just as if they know that is where you will go, and then they are ALL waiting for you when you step out, plus they know you will drive them to other victims.

They don't fall off when you drive either, i drove very fast (well ill say i only got up to 80kph, cos its the legal limit) and i think "one" fell off !

Mate I love the pics what camera do you use?

[04OFF]

Mate I love the pics what camera do you use?

Thanks Ryan, i use a Canon 50D, a few more pics (inc more fraser) can be found in my pic thread........... HERE

[Silver]

agree with above. March flies come in in the other 11 months too. Mosquito coils help a bit. It is fun to smack 'em.

It is quite a busy place. Lots of backpackers, some cute, some less so (blokes) :-)

Since you have a house dingos and crows + rubbish are less of an issue.

A big % of drivers on the island are new to the job, and /or are pissed. They don't often know how long it takes to climb out of the ruts, and can be reluctant to lift the right foot = stopping to leave plenty of passing room for oncoming traffic on the inland tracks

People on the beach often do not hear vehicles. This includes you when you are on the beach. Especially kids

Use your indicator when overtaking, and also when approaching vehicles head on on the beach.

Beware creeks crossing the beach= wash outs. the closer they are to the breaking waves, the shorter the drop off and jump up.

Lovely place, have fun!

[AB]

Also, watch out for idiots fishing on the beach with their rods anchored halfway up the beach and not on the shore.

Common problem back when we went and saw a few cars take a line or two...lol