4 Wheel Driving on K'GariFraser Island

4 Wheel Driving on K'GariFraser Island

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Posted 2023-05-26 by Roy Chambersfollow
4 Wheel Driving on K'Gari/Fraser Island

One of the best ways to enjoy the K'Gari World Heritage Area on Fraser Island is by 4-wheel drive. This lets you travel independently around the beaches and sandy roads to the best attractions available. Here is how to 4-wheel drive K'Gari in the best way, see the most interesting locations and avoid the biggest mistakes.



The name of the Island

I have been trying to work out the exact naming rules around K'Gari and Fraser Island. As far as I know, K'Gari has been adopted as the official name for the world heritage area, which covers almost all of the island, while the locality is still known as Fraser Island. You can essentially use either, with a shift to the use of the word K'Gari happening slowly, with some businesses adopting the new name.



K'Gari, which is pronounced "gurri" is the name given to the island by the Butchulla People who are the traditional custodians of the area. The name means happy, but in the context of the name of the island, it is aptly translated as paradise, and anyone who has visited the island would agree with this translation.

The need for 4 wheel drives on the island

The are 3 ways to get around the island. You can walk and there is the K'gari Great Walk which is 90 kms and takes between 6 to 8 days. This walk links some of the best locations on the island through fairly easily walked tracks. You can join a tour, which can include day tours from the resorts or multi-day tour groups. Or you need a 4 wheel drive vehicle to navigate the beaches and very sandy roads of the island.

Before anyone asks in the comments, not you can't use an all wheel drive SUV. These cars have slightly higher clearance than a normal car and have a drive system that can apply power individually to each wheel. But this is designed to optimise grip when driving on slippery roads, while a true 4 wheel drive combines higher clearance, constant power to all 4 wheels and low range to allow it to get through some of the deep and difficult sandy patches on the island. They will turn you back if you try to bring an SUV to the island.



If you don't have a 4 wheel drive, then you can hire one. There are specialist operators located at Hervey Bay and Rainbow Bay where you can not only hire a 4 wheel drive, but you can also hire all the camping gear you might want as well. Some people choose to bring their own gear though or prefer to stay in the various accommodation on the island.

Other gear you need

You should also load your 4 wheel drive up with recovery gear. This consists of at least recovery boards, tow rope and a shovel. You will probably also need a tire pump, gauge and deflator as it helps to reduce or increase your tire pressure as needed for different situations.



It also helps to leave as much other gear at home. Lots of 4 wheel drivers bring everything but the kitchen sink when they go 4 wheel drive camping, but that is okay, they will bring a dedicated camping sink with them. The lighter your vehicle the better, though even loaded 4 wheel drives will do well. But of course, you will see little Suzuki Jimnys floating over the patches of thick sand while big 4 wheel drives will struggle. If you are loading stuff into roof racks as well, it can make your vehicle top heavy and more likely to roll over.

Prepping your 4 wheel drive

Before driving on the beach you have to remember that the salt water and spray will damage your vehicle and can cause it to corrode or rust faster than normal. You can apply protective coatings to the underside of your vehicle before you go. Don't forget to wash the car all over, especially underneath the vehicle, with fresh water after a beach or island trip.

The other thing is tire pressure. For Fraser Island, there is almost no hard surface driving on the island, except car parks at some of the resorts and places like the Ngkala Rocks. Basically before getting onto the ferry, stop and deflate your tires to at least 20 PSI, with many people recommending 16 PSI. Should you get bogged or are trying some of the more difficult track sections, you might go lower to 12 or 10 PSI. The more you deflate your tires, the more surface area you get on the sand, so the more grip you get.

Convoys

A good choice to travel is to go in a convoy. You will usually see most people doing this. While it might just be because they have other friends with 4 wheel drives, there is an advantage to going in a group. It is good to have a friend to help you get out of the sand if you get bogged. While you can dig your way out, often being pulled out is quicker and easier. Mind you, the typical 4 wheel drive owner who sees someone bogged is likely to come and help, partly for altruism, and partly for the smugness of pulling the other person out.



Services on the island

You can buy diesel on the island if you need it, but always fill up before you go unless you love paying super high prices for fuel. If you are planning on staying more than a few days and driving a lot, consider bringing some extra fuel in cans to fill up.



They also sell various recovery gear and parts on the island. This is good in an emergency, but again the price will be much higher than if you brought them with you.

There is a recovery service if you are really stuck on the island. Again, the price is pretty high. There are police on the island but they will really only help if it is an emergency. Otherwise, they will just stand around and laugh as you dig yourself out of the sand. I know that doesn't sound that good, but there are there to make sure you are okay, not solve all your problems for you.

Getting to the island

There are two departure points for ferries to K'gari, with the one leaving from Inskip Point at Rainbow Beach to the southern end of Fraser Island being the closest the Brisbane, takes the shortest route across the island and is the cheapest. It also has the advantage of dropping you off on the beach, and beach driving at low tide is much more pleasant than driving on the roads. Though if it drops you off at high tide, you have to take the inland road instead.



Alternatively, there are 2 ferries from Hervey Bay, with one going to the Kingfisher Bay Resort and the other to Wanggoolba Ferry Landing. These trips are longer and more expensive, and you can't drive on the beaches on that side of the island. But both have good quality roads to drive on to cross the island.



Beach driving

Most of the eastern side of the island can be driven on, but generally you want to plan to drive on it at low tide. The wet sand below the high tide mark is generally hard packed and easy to drive on and much of the area has a speed limit of 80 km/h. Above the high tide mark the sand is deep and lose, making it far less pleasant to drive on and you can be more easily bogged in this sand.



In addition, high tide gives you you much less room to drive. In the southern area near Hook Point, the tide can come up to the base of the cliffs making it impossible to drive at high tide. Plus, driftwood tends to be deposited at the high tide mark, making driving difficult. Then there are some rocks sections that you can go around at low tide, but require driving over the rocks at high tide.



The moral of the story is get a copy of the tide times, and the shops give these away for free, and plan your trips around the tide. Due the gently sloping nature of the beaches on the eastern side of the island, there really is only a small time period that you can't drive on most the beaches.

One other thing is that there are some roads you will have to use to get around some of the heads along the beaches. This usually means going up a road that could be deep sand and back down. They are not too much of an issue, but you really can't just rely on beach driving on the island.



Driving on the roads

Roads crisscross the island. They are regularly graded, but not to the point that they are always smooth. So the roads I experienced as good quality were rough only weeks beforehand. We even struggled up one road that was being graded, and then in the afternoon we had a smooth drive down the freshly graded track. Some of the roads are just sand and others have exposed tree roots. Watch out for those, as I know someone who punctured a tire taking a less used road.



Roads are pretty much all single lane and surrounded by vegetation, including rainforest or eucalypts. So watch out for other drivers and if someone is coming the other way, pull over in the various sidings to let them pass.

Ngkala Rocks

This one spot deserves a special mention because it is the most challenging place to drive on the island and if you want to get the far north of the island, it is the only way to get there. It is the narrow path carved through the Ngkala Rocks.



But that isn't really the challenge. Beyond the rocks is a not much travelled road which is often in poor condition. Experienced 4 wheel drivers, and people driving well fitted out vehicles with lifters to give them extra ground clearance, will be able to get through. Less experienced drivers may struggle or get bogged. So check out the road before trying it, as if you get bogged it will hold up everyone else trying to get through. There was 1 bogged car for every 3 that go through when we were there.



4 wheel driving safety & etiquette

Most of this is common sense. Yes, there are speed limits you should stick to, but you should also slow down around people and animals. You should pass other cars on the left, except where it doesn't make sense to do so. It also helps to be patient and polite on the roads, which are narrow, but also don't block the roads for other drivers. Simple, sensible stuff like that.



When it comes to safety, probably the biggest issue is driving on beaches right after big storms. While it is not that common, the rain and wind can turn sections of the wet sand into basically soft quick sand or open up sinkholes. For the casual 4 wheel driver, my advice is just drive where others are driving, then you will know if the beach is okay to drive on or not. Other safety issues include not overload your roof rack, as this increases the chance of tipping, and not driving like a maniac.

Some highlights on the island

The beaches themselves are a highlight. You can just stop pretty much anywhere, setup a shelter, have a swim, go fishing or just relax. When choosing a spot to stop though, make sure that the beach is wide enough for cars to get past, and also avoid some of the narrower beaches that will become inundated at high tide.



Along the east coast of the island, starting at the south, the first attraction you would come to is Lake Wabby . This is the deepest lake on the island with a beautiful green colour. It is 4 km walk from the beach to the lake including a section over a sand blow. It is not that well visited so you often get a quiet time there. The highlight here is sandboarding down the dunes into the lake.



Eli Creek is popular for kids and the young at heart. The fast flowing stream is a nice place to float down on a floatation device. Though you can walk the creek as well and swim in some deep corners of the creek.



The next place of interest as you head north along the east coast of the island is the Maheno Wreck . The boat was built in 1905 and it was washed up onto the shore on the island in 1935 while being towed in a storm. Highly recommend visiting here for sunrise.



The Pinnacles are a cool place to stop to admire the colourful sand cliffs. What looks like sandstone is actually just compacted sand.



Further up the beach is Red Canyon, which is an area of red sand cliffs with a path between them. These colours were formed in a 700,000 year weathering process, but really it is only worth a short stop for a photo.

The Champagne Pools is a great place for kids to swim, though it seems everyone enjoys them. These 2 pools are best enjoyed close to high tide when the water is high while the rock walls keep the waves at bay.



Driving inland there is a lot to see. Central Station is worth visiting for the walk down by the creek and to learn a little about the logging history of the island. It is also a popular place for camping.



Lake McKenzie (Booranoora) is the most photogenic lake on the island and the most popular to visit. But the sandy beach and clear waters provide plenty of space for everyone and it doesn't feel overcrowded.



It is also worth driving to Kingfisher Bay on the west coast of the island to visit the resort's cafes, bars and restaurants, or the 2 other cafes nearby. There is the short Commando Walk on the trail used for by the Commando school on the island. It is also fun to jump off the jetty in the bay.



While there is a lot more on the island, the one other place I have to recommend also visiting is the Valley of the Giants. This location is where there was little logging, so it is where you find most of the old large tress on the island.

Also don't forget the dingo spotting. They can turn up anywhere, but they are safest observed from your vehicle as you drive down the beach. They are curious and often come up cars, possibly hoping for some food. Remember, they are wild animals so you should be careful around them, and never feed them, as this will make them more aggressive towards people.



Overall

Not only is 4 wheel driving K'gari is one of the great Queensland experiences, it is world famous. It isn't that hard, and many people hire 4 wheel drives for the first time when visiting the island. Unless you are hiking, it is really the only way to get around the island and see all the highlights. When you are on the island, you will really want to see as much as possible during your trip.



#adventure
#beaches
#escape_the_city
#national_parks
#near_brisbane
#outdoor
#tourist_attractions
%wnbrisbane
205521 - 2023-06-16 05:42:06

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