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Fraser Island, lying off
the Queensland coast in the northern section of
Brisbane, is an island built of
sand and a popular tourist attraction. There are beaches and dunes of golden sand
along its shores, and in places the one hundred
and twenty four kilometers long island has
cliffs of yellow, red and brown formed of sand
and carved by the elements into spires and
pinnacles which creates an astonishing view. As
the largest sand island in the world, this
unique island forms the Great Sandy Region
together with Cooloola. Fraser Island takes its name from the woman who
brought it to the world's attention. Eliza
Fraser was among a group of shipwrecked
Europeans who struggled to the shore and after
being rescued two months later, her accounts of
her experiences on the island have been the
subject of a film and several books.
Photo: The sand island of Fraser Island
A varied canopy of
vegetation can be seen behind the beaches and
cliffs. Sand piled up to two hundred and forty
meters supports dense and sometimes luxuriant
forest. Piccabeen palms and paperbark trees can
be seen growing in wetter areas together with
cypress pines, tall blackbutts, hoop pines and
kauri pines in the surroundings. Fraser Island
formed million of years ago when mountains on
the mainland to the south were eaten away by
wind and rain. Swept into the ocean were fine
debris and were subsequently carried northwards
by currents and then started to accumulate on
the ocean floor. So, when sea level falls, the
sand became dry land and was blown into massive
dunes. When sea level rises, more sand are
brought in by ocean currents. After the Ice
Ages, plants started to grow on the sand and
when they died, they formed a layer of humus in
which larger plants could put down roots, and
therefore stabilizing the dunes.
 There is a ferry
which takes passengers across to the island and
once you are there, a four wheel drive is
required in order to move around on the island
which is the best way to admire this sand island.
You can relax at the numerous campsites found
here that have excellent views but driving along
the beach and on the sand roads is recommended. The high rainfall on
Fraser Photo: Lake Wabby Island supports a cycle of growth and
decay on the sands. Arrow-straight satinay trees
and scribbly gum trees can be seen growing on
the island's shrubby heathlands. Fraser Island
fame also came about about its magnificent
softwoods. When loggers started to come here,
the Aborigines who lived here, the Butchulla
people, suffered and later moved to the
mainland. The Aborigines call this place K'gari
meaning paradise.
 There are over forty
lakes found among Fraser Island's forests and
scrublands. Although this island is made up of
sand, it is far from being a giant,
free-draining sandcastle. Under the island the
sand has cemented together with humus and
minerals to develop a watertight pan that traps
the island's plentiful rainfall. Beautiful lakes
such as Lake Wabby are created when the ground
surface drops below this water table and some of
the cleanest freshwater lakes are found here on
the island. Lake McKenzie, near Eurong, is a
popular spot for swimming. Surrounding the lake on three sides are forested
dunes while the fourth is a huge wall of
wind-blown sand which is advancing into the
water. Seen on the upper section of the dunes
are Fraser Island's many perched lakes where
rainwater is trapped in depressions by an
impermeable bowl of bonded sand, humus and
minerals.
The lakes and
streams found here provide watering holes for
animals such as the wild horses called brumbies
and wild dogs known as dingoes.
Bird lovers will surely enjoy the different
species of birds found here such as the
pelicans, sea eagles, kingfishers and lorikeets.
Classified under the UNESCO World Heritage List
in 1992, Fraser Island has become one of the top tourist
destinations in Australia and its beauty and
charm will mesmerize you forever.
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