It's already the second week of our trip to Australia. After exploring Western Australia and then getting to know Sydney and its main attractions, we flew north to the town of Hervey Bay, located almost in the center of the East Coast. From there we took a ferry to famous island Fraser and for the first acquaintance we flew around it in a helicopter.

The island is famous for being the largest sand island in the world. We will spend three days there and see how Australians greet New Year. Tourists arriving on the island spend the night there in different ways. Some of them, who usually rent jeeps on the mainland, prefer to travel in these cars and live in campsites. For those who like comfort, there are several different hotels on the island. We stayed in one of the largest and most comfortable - Kingfisher Bay Resort. It had two pools which was great as swimming in the ocean is unpleasant due to the poor muddy shoreline.

The hotel administration did everything to ensure that tourists did not get bored and offered tourists several excursions. The most worthless ones are to look at the “night” and “morning” animals. Their cost is 5 AUD, duration is an hour and a half. We bought it on the night ones. The guide walked with us after dinner through the wild territory of the hotel without even leaving its boundaries (the hotel is surrounded by a metal fence to keep out wild Dingo dogs). She showed some bugs and spiders and with that everyone went to bed.

We didn’t go on the morning excursion (we didn’t get our money back) because we had to get up at 4 am. And what should I watch? Will you surprise us with some spiders? The singing of birds could already be heard in the thick foliage from the window of the room. In general, there are no special animals on the island. So, one little thing - different mice.

True, there are also famous wild dogs Dingo on the island, but we were never able to see them. True, I remember in my youth there was a film of the same name by Yuli Karasik about a pure but bitter first teenage love.

1

Dingoes are similar to domestic dogs. Actually, they are re-feralized domestic dogs. But they are not at all tame, and therefore you need to be careful when meeting them. We were advised to follow the basic rules of behavior - do not walk outside the hotel alone and do not feed anyone (for this a fine of 1500 aud!), do not run away and do not turn your back on them, but wait until they leave. In general, they advised not to leave the hotel alone, either day or night.

After the helicopter flight, another of the most educational excursions offered was a 4WD bus ride across the most interesting places islands (70 AUD/person).

Fraser Island Overland Tour

Early in the morning we gather at the four-wheel drive buses and split into cars. Each car is driven by two people - a driver and a guide, who take turns. The guide talks continuously, spouting figures and facts from the history of the island’s development. It turns out that before the European colonization of Australia, several thousand aborigines of the Butchulla tribe lived on the island and in their language it was called K'gari. Which in our translation meant “Paradise”.

And his modern name associated with the surname of Captain Fraser, whose ship “Stirling Castle” was wrecked here in 1836. The captain and his crew were killed and eaten by the natives, and his wife Eliza was captured. After her release by escaped convicts, from whom she also suffered, Eliza ended her life in a psychiatric hospital from everything she had experienced...

This incident gave rise to hostility and aggressiveness in relations between Europeans and aborigines for a long time. Like this sad story was on this island.

On the issue of the formation of numerous lakes on the sandy island, the guide noted that all lakes are replenished by rainfall, which falls up to 1,500 millimeters per year. Water flowing from lakes or seeping through sand forms streams (here they are called Creeks), which, flowing down, disappear into the ocean.

The bus makes its way along a rutted sandy road, made many years ago by timber trucks. Now this road has sunk more than a meter into the sand. Once upon a time, forest was cut down on the island and the wood was transported to the continent. There is thick forest cover on both sides of the road. And if two cars meet on such a road, then the drivers see who is more comfortable sliding onto specially made spots or backing up even 100 meters. Everyone part ways politely and thank those who gave way. The “steepness” of the cars is not taken into account here.

After half an hour of driving like this, having driven about 10 km, we stop at Lake McKenzie. This is the most famous lake on the island. A large turquoise spot against the backdrop of the green jungle. Crystal pure water! I have only seen such clear water on the famous Shatsk lakes in Ukraine.

3

And although it is large, people only hang out on one beach. Everyone is lying in the coastal water area on the white sand and having fun. Almost no one swims. It feels like taking a bath. The lake is deep - this can be seen from the dark blue water about 20 meters from the shore, but no one was visible there.

1

All the women are in bikinis, and all the men are in long pants, down to the knees and below. Nobody swims in the swimming trunks common in our countries. We also had to put on the same pants, otherwise, they say, they might misperceive us based on our orientation. To be honest, this is an uncomfortable form of clothing for swimming (I completely forgot - they don’t swim!). I'm not even talking about leaving the water in this form in cold or windy weather. Various inflammations are 100% guaranteed. Fortunately, it’s hot here, and the water was +30.

1

After an hour of relaxation on the lake and tea and coffee with traditional Australian buns and cookies prepared by our guides, we drive further into the island. After a few kilometers we arrived at the Central station - a former lumberjack base. Now there is a scientific station for studying the flora and fauna of the island.

A short excursion with a story about these places. Wood usually doesn't grow well in sand. But here, thanks to the abundance of moisture, there is a lot of greenery. Fraser Island is one of the few places on earth where lush forests grow among the sand.

4

Indeed, the forest was once so dense that loggers lived here for 100 years. Some trees, such as syncarpia, were even harvested for the construction of the Suez Canal.

We pass through dense forest with its prehistoric ferns and huge silk trees along the clear Wangulba Creek.

3

Here we saw how much they love tourists in Australia. And not only healthy ones, but also those with the so-called. " disabilities" There are no disabled people in Australia - there are simply people whose physical capabilities are limited in some way - some cannot see, some cannot hear, or cannot walk. Just think! Everyone is just happy to see such a person and help him!

Here in the forest there were signs and descriptions of trees everywhere!, written in Braille for the blind! This is how Australians care about people!

4

5

After a few kilometers there is another stop. We crossed the island and arrived on its Pacific side - in Eurong Beach Resort. There is a hotel, a shop, a car repair shop and a small airstrip for small planes connecting with the mainland. By the way, they can also land on the surf.

After lunch, we get back into our cars and drive out to the ocean surf. At the exit there is a barrier, and a grate is laid along the ground with threads of wire stretched over it under the electric power. electric shock - this is from wild dogs Dingo. The entire territory of this hotel, as well as ours, is surrounded by a high mesh fence.

The ocean shore is impressive! Amazing sight! A strong wind raises whirlwinds of sand, and they mix with foam falling from the oncoming waves. The watery dust of the ocean surf hangs in the air. And then - thousands of kilometers of the Pacific Ocean! Cars leaving are visible along the surf. A real training ground for thrill-seekers! A sandy strip 70-80 meters wide goes in both directions - left and right - and disappears far beyond the horizon.

3

However, it is too early to rejoice for fans of high speeds - on the coast, regularly, especially at low tide, police officers with radar pistols stand and catch everyone for exceeding the limit of 80 km/h. Moreover, they measure ppm for alcohol. The fines are the same as on the mainland - for exceeding the limit even by 1 km - a fine of $133 + 1 penalty point! For exceeding 20 km - a fine of $333 + 4 penalty points, for exceeding 40 km - $933 + 8 penalty points. Each fine is entered into the computer and the police officer can clearly see how many times this driver has violated the rules.

1

Exceeding 40 km/h is considered “exorbitant” and for this your license (including foreign ones) is taken away right in the middle of the bush. Moreover, the unpleasant thing is that if there is no companion or he does not have a license, the car is seized and delivered to the rental office on a truck, which is paid for by you. Maybe that’s why, having driven hundreds of kilometers along the roads of Australia, we have not seen a single, even the smallest, accident!

3

We were lucky - the weather was great. Our route was towards the northern tip of the island. To the right, the ocean was steadily rolling in long turquoise waves, but almost the entire way, and we drove about 50 km, there was not a soul on its shore.

Only occasionally, near small streams flowing out of the forest, were there sites with tents and jeeps in the shade of trees. The few daredevils who wanted to plunge into the ocean went no deeper than knee-deep. Whenever driving along the shore, traffic was on the left.

2

Jeeps were racing towards us, right along the surf, moving away from the oncoming waves and, as if playing with them. On the way back, our driver did the same. An hour later, having traveled about 50-60 km, we stopped approximately in the middle of the island at Colored Sands - colored sands and turned back.

Along the way, in two places the beach line was crossed by stone ridges. These were Pinnacles weathered rock formations like the ones we saw in Western Australia. Of course, they were not so interesting and similar to the phalluses of the Pinnacle desert. But they are interesting in their own way. We drove around them from above, and on the way back - when the ocean receded - we calmly drove along the very strip of sandy surf.

4

While we were standing there, a small airplane flew over us, almost touching the roof of the bus, and deftly landed on a strip of sandy surf.

5

There were a couple more of the same here. aircraft and their handsome pilots in snow-white shorts and shirts with ornate shoulder straps offered everyone to fly over the island. Well, we flew yesterday and saw everything.

On the way back we stopped to examine the remains of the ship Maheno, which sank in 1936. The skeleton of the ship is corroded to the limit by rust. Frames protrude from the sand, looking like the ribs of a beached whale. Everyone wants to be photographed against this background.

1

3

4

Fraser(eng. Fraser Island or Great Sandy Island) - a sandy island near east coast Australia.

History of discovery

In 1770, English explorer James Cook discovered the east coast of Australia. About 150 kilometers north of modern city He passed Brisbane big Island with a sandy coastline, which today is visited by up to 300,000 tourists a year. But then Cook did not pay any attention to him. He and his companions believed that this was not an island, but a peninsula. Finally, after several years on this Sandy shore the explorer stepped Matthew Flinders. He wrote: "Nothing [could be] more barren than this peninsula".

If Cook and Flinders had ventured a few kilometers of golden beaches and dunes, their opinion of the island would have changed completely. They would discover a world of pristine tropical rainforests and clear lakes, sandy cliffs of every shade and hundreds of species of animals. In 1992, the world's largest sand island, known as Fraser, was listed world heritage.

Geography of the island

Fraser Island stretches 120 kilometers in length, its width is 25 kilometers, and its area is 160,000 hectares. The sand hills rise almost 240 meters above sea level, making it the world's highest sand island. It is believed that the huge masses of sand from which the island was formed were washed out of the Great Dividing Range, a mountain system that stretches along the entire east coast of Australia. For a long time, heavy rains washed away particles of rock from these mountains and carried them into the rivers and then into the sea. Ocean currents turned stones into sand and gradually carried it north. Sand grains accumulated on rocky areas seabed, and over time Fraser Island appeared in the sea. Since then Pacific Ocean continues to wash new sand onto the shore. The winds carry it deep into the island, forming dunes. The dunes, in turn, “creep” further, a meter per year, covering everything in their path.

Freshwater lakes of the island

Surprisingly, there are 40 freshwater lakes on the island in the hollows of the sand dunes. Some of these bodies of water are called "suspended lakes" because they are found in large depressions at the top of high dunes.

Why doesn't water seep through the sand? It is retained by organic deposits, or peat, the remains of rotted leaves, bark and branches. The island also has "window lakes", which form when a depression in the sand falls below the water table. Seeping through loose rocks, water, filtered by sand, accumulates in transparent lakes. The lakes on the island are replenished by rainfall, which falls up to 1,500 millimeters per year. Water flowing out of the lake or seeping through the sand forms streams that rush into the sea. One of these rivers carries more than 5 million liters of water per hour into the Pacific Ocean.

Forests

Thanks to the abundance of moisture, Fraser Island has a lot of greenery. Tropical rainforests do not typically grow on barren sand. But Fraser Island is one of the few places on earth where lush forests grow among the sand. Indeed, the forest was once so dense that loggers could manage there for 100 years. Eucalyptus, agathis and tallow were the special pride of foresters.

In 1929 one of them said: “Travelers see a living wall of huge trees up to 45 meters in height. The trunks of these forest giants reach 2-3 meters in thickness.”. Some trees, such as syncarpia, were cut down for the construction of the Suez Canal. But these days, logging on Fraser Island has ceased.

The tragic story of Fraser Island paradise

The island received its name in connection with the tragedy that occurred there. In 1836 Captain James Fraser and his wife Eliza were shipwrecked on the brig "Sterling Castle" and landed on the island. Obviously, James was killed by the natives, but Eliza still managed to escape. In memory of this event, the island was renamed from Bolshoy Peschany to Fraser Island.

A difficult fate also befell the indigenous inhabitants of the island. More than 2,000 Aboriginal people used to live here. These were strong, strong people. They called their island Kgeri, or Paradise. As the legend about the creation of this island says, it was the most beautiful place on earth. Unfortunately, many islanders died from diseases introduced by Europeans. In addition, at the beginning of the 20th century, most of the remaining Aborigines were sent to reservations on the mainland.

Fauna of the island

Today the island is a wildlife sanctuary. Its most famous resident is the dingo, an Australian wild dog. Fraser Island dingoes are considered the most purebred in eastern Australia because they do not interbreed with domestic dogs found on the mainland. Dingoes are similar to domestic dogs, but they are not tame at all, and therefore you need to be careful with them.

More than 300 species of birds can be seen on the island. Brahminy kites and white-bellied sea eagles soar over the beaches, and iridescent blue forest kingfishers soar over the lakes. Frequent guests are migratory birds such as Mongolian plover, which hatch their chicks in Siberia and fly south for the winter. They stop at Fraser Island before continuing their journey. More than 30,000 grey-headed flying foxes - the name given to bats the size of crows - fly to the island when the eucalyptus trees bloom to enjoy the flower nectar.

The waters around the island are also teeming with life. Here you can meet humpback whales, sailing from the frozen Antarctic to the Bolshoi Barrier Reef for mating and birth of young. Before setting off on their return journey, the whales put on an amazing show: they jump out of the water and fall noisily, raising columns of spray that are visible several kilometers away - as if they were giving a farewell salute to the beautiful island.

When translated from the local language, Fraser is translated as "Kgari-rai". Indeed, there are not many places in the world with sandy beaches, clear water, flower meadows and blue skies above. Why isn't it heaven?

More recently, Fraser Island was recognized as the largest sandy place in the world. Coastline extends over a distance of 110 kilometers. The main highlight of the island is its sand dunes. Some of them reach a height of up to 250 meters. Combined with emerald forests, they look very much like snow.

The name of the island was given by a family of Europeans who were shipwrecked off its shores. It cannot be said that at that time relations between the population of the island and civilized Europeans were hostile. And of course, few people were happy about this addition. For a long time, the Frasers were even held captive by local residents.

In 1992, the island was added to the World Heritage List and a nature reserve was created on its territory. But regardless of such important events in Fraser’s life, the island has always been popular with tourists.

What is surprising is that, despite the ocean surrounding it on all sides, the island abounds in fresh water bodies. Scientists nicknamed them “hanging” because they seem to hang between the salty ocean water. In total, there were 100 such reservoirs on the island. The most famous was Lake Mackenzie. It's all his fault extraordinary beauty and fresh waters. The lake is fed only by moisture from precipitation, and the water in it is practically distilled, which affects its animal composition. It is completely devoid of organisms, even germs and bacteria. But most importantly, it is surrounded by a snow-white sandy beach.

The biggest freshwater lake called Boemingen, and it extends over 200 hectares. Despite the tropical hot climate, the water here is always pleasantly cool. This is what made the lake famous among tourists. The numerous eucalyptus trees growing on the coast give a special highlight. There is also a small rain forest nearby.

Throughout the history of the island, the population has constantly changed. There are currently just over 400 people living on the Fraser, of whom only 11 are descendants of the Aborigines who held the Fraser family captive. After that crash, some time passed and colonialists poured onto the island to establish settlements here. Naturally local residents opposed this, and the war began. There were much more Europeans, so the aborigines were almost completely exterminated. These days the island is tourist place with numerous parks, hotels, entertainment programs etc. You can get here by plane, but the best option would be to cross on a barge with your own car.

Fraser Island is very different from the continent of Australia primarily due to its comfortable warm climate. That is why it has such rich flora and fauna. Due to the wide variety of vegetation, the island is rich in animals. In fresh water bodies you can find turtles, in the forest - bats, as well as endemics - kangaroos, opossums, etc. To get closer to the animals, tourists are invited to take a canoe excursion. Well, how can you do without birds? The island is simply a paradise for birdwatchers. More than 350 species live here, including rare specimens.

Since Fraser Island is considered entirely tourist center In addition to excursions and relaxing on the beach, there is a wide selection of sports and extreme entertainment: surfing, bodyboarding and many others. Some people even come here just to ride around the island on a yacht and look at the marine life.

Well, of course, if you don’t want to think through the route yourself, you have the opportunity to use different sightseeing tours. Each of them necessarily includes a visit to Happy Valley, where the remains of a liner washed ashore during the First World War are located.

Since there are a lot of tourists, the population is very worried about the environmental situation on the island. Therefore, in our time is running active promotion of tourism under open air in tents or campsites. It is assumed that in this way it will be possible to preserve the well-being of the environment.

Fraser Island is located along south coast Queensland, Australia, approximately 200 kilometers north of Brisbane. Stretching 120 kilometers in length and approximately 24 kilometers at its widest point, it is believed to be the largest sand island in the world.

The island has outstanding natural beauty with rainforests, woodlands, eucalyptus trees, mangrove forests and peat swamps, dunes and coastal heaths. The region has over 250 kilometers of clear sandy beaches with long, uninterrupted stretches of ocean, including more than 40 kilometers of strikingly colored cliffs. Inland are the majestic remains of a tall tropical forest growing on high dunes - a phenomenon unique in the world. Half of the world's freshwater dune lakes are found on Fraser Island. The world's largest unconfined sand island aquifer was also found here.


The sand on Fraser Island has accumulated over approximately 750,000 years on a volcanic base that provides natural drainage for sediment. These dunes move across the island, often covering forests and other vegetation. The rate of movement of the dunes each year depends on factors such as wind strength, amount of humidity, and, in fact, the plants themselves in the sand. These dunes gradually stop moving when they reach areas protected from the winds.

The young dunes along the eastern beaches are covered with grass and other coastal plants adapted to harsh salt and wind conditions. In the sheltered central areas of the island, where the dunes are stable and there are more nutrients for growth, diverse plant communities and rainforests thrive.


Unlike many dunes, plant life is abundant here due to the natural fungi that exist in the sand. They release nutrients in a form that can be absorbed by vegetation. Fraser Island is home to a small number of mammal species, as well as a wide range of birds, reptiles and amphibians, including the saltwater crocodile. The island is part of the Fraser Coast region of the Great Sandy National Park.


Fraser Island has been inhabited by people for as long as 5,000 years. Explorer James Cook sailed here in May 1770. Matthew Flinders landed near the island's northernmost point in 1802. For a short period the island was known as Great Sandy Island. He became known as Fraser because of the story of shipwreck survivor Eliza Fraser. Today the island is a popular tourism destination, one of the most prominent natural