Fraser Island Great Walk

A superb hike truly deserving of the Great Walk name.

The track is sandy but firm underfoot, generally covered by leaf litter, and snakes its way through rainforest and along lake shores.

Parking at Inskip Point, we took the barge across to Hook Point where we were met by Steve and his 4WD from Fraser Island Taxi Service. After driving along 75 mile beach for half an hour, during which time we spotted a dingo, we arrived at the trailhead at Dilli Village, which is set back a couple of hundred meters from the beach.

After the first side trip involving a short scramble up a sand dune to gain views of the Wongi Sandblow (an expanse of undulating sand), we arrived at Lake Boomanjin - the largest perched lake in the world. After a quick lunch in the dingo-fenced picnic area, we continued onto our first night's campsite at Lake Benaroon.

The following day we made our way past Lake Birrabeen to Central Station, which has several displays attesting to the history of the former logging operations on the island. The large clearing and few remaining huts are evidence of the village that once existed there, which included 30 houses and even a school for the children of loggers.

Wanggoolba creek (traditionally a Butchulla woman’s area) is then criss-crossed several times on raised boardwalks, giving a good vantage point of the crystal clear water running below.

Skirting around Basin Lake, we arrived at Lake Mackenzie at the same time as a huge influx of tour buses. However, by continuing on the track past the large picnic and bus parking area, we were able to descend to a private section towards the end of the white sandy lake shore, and enjoy a dip in the cool water.

The track then leaves Lake Mackenzie and continues towards Lake Wabby and our second night's campsite. As with all the Walkers' Camps on the Great Walk, this has large metal boxes mounted next to the platforms to safely store food overnight to deter dingos. Note also that the toilet facilities, and more importantly the the water tanks, are sometimes located a short distance from the campsites on nearby 4WD tracks.

The following morning we set off to Lake Wabby, which proved to be an idyllic spot well worth the short detour over the sand dunes. It is a very deep lake for its size (a barrage lake apparently), and only a few meters out from shore the lake bed was well out of reach. The steep sand dunes descend straight into the water, where to our surprise and delight spotted some small fish and even a foot-long catfish in the shallows.

Turning back into the rainforest, we pushed on towards our third and final night's campsite in the Valley of the Giants. En-route were three detours, the first to the Badjala sandblow which had views out to the ocean, the second a foray down a 4WD track to an impressive old Satinay tree, and a final one to another giant tree, this time a Tallowwood. After this it was time to make camp, rest and refuel, ready for the final day's hike to the Great Walk's finish.

Due to 4WDs only being able to safely drive on the beach at or around low tide, we had a necessity to reach the end of the walk and our arranged transport by midday on the final day, lest we be stranded by the tide for an additional unplanned night. For this reason we started early, hiking in the dark for the first hour. The historical site of Petrie's camp was little more than a sign indicating such, but a deeper investigation yielded a pair of upright timbers with notches cut into the tops, presumably to hold rafters of a hut that has long since disappeared.

Lake Garawongera is the final lake on the walk, but due to time constraints and a desire for a cooked meal and cold drink at Happy Valley before our taxi arrived, we decided not to linger. Sure enough we arrived at the Satinay Bar & Bistro with time to spare, and were able to have a well-earned beer after a very memorable and rewarding hike on Fraser Island.