Fraser Island

How good is this place? We couldn’t pick the tide or the weather but the island delivered to us in spades with its beauty and variety.

Ocean Beach, Fraser Island
Ocean Beach, Fraser Island

High tide forced us inland along a necklace of sandy tracks which threaded numerous beads of blue and orange lakes. Lake McKenzie with its corona of powdery white sand and ice blue iris was busy with brown backpackers.

Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island
Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island
Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island
Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island

Lake Allom’s orange waters are home to numerous long necked tortoises and on our approach, they glided towards us crocodile like, with their heads barely above the surface while small fish nibbled at our toes.

Lake Benaroon, Fraser Island
Lake Benaroon, Fraser Island
Fraser Island strangler fig
Fraser Island strangler fig

 

 

A strangler fig had squeezed the life from a forest giant which succumbed to time and returned to the earth leaving the fig to circle a void like a roll of fencing mesh.

 

 

 

Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island
Lake McKenzie, Fraser Island

The island surprises. Nutrient poor sand grows forest giants and purple water lilies exist in freshwater streams on the beach washed by salty king tides.

Ocean Beach lilies, Fraser Island
Ocean Beach lilies, Fraser Island

The 80 year old Maheno wreck is now a rusty hulk yet some decking timbers remain. Lashed by years of tides, storms and cyclones like the one that left the ship stranded, these remaining teak boards are testimony to their durability.

Maheo, Fraser Island
Maheo, Fraser Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove around Indian Head where backpackers dipped in the deep holes of the Champagne Pools.

Champagne Pools, Fraser Island
Champagne Pools, Fraser Island

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch with the giants of Pile Valley then onto the barge at Kingfisher Bay.

Satinay forest, Pile Valley, Fraser Island
Satinay forest, Pile Valley, Fraser Island

 

 

 

 

Central Station palms, Fraser Island
Central Station palms, Fraser Island

 

 

 

 

Kingfisher Bay, Fraser Island
Kingfisher Bay, Fraser Island

20150203 Fraser Island Kingfisher39

I think we’ll be back.

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