Fraser Island, the Largest Sand Island in the World

19:18 Steampunk 0 Comments

If you’re looking for a world heritage site with a difference, do not miss Fraser Island off the east coast of Australia. Located due east of Maryborough in Queensland, and north of Brisbane, it is separated from the mainland by the Great Sandy Strait that extends from Hervey Bay to the north-east of the island.

It isn’t surprising that Fraser Island is also called the Great Sandy Island, because it is the world’s largest sand island, stretching 123 km or 76 miles in length and 22 km or close to 14 miles in width at the widest point.

A World Heritage Site of Note

Fraser Island is an Australian treasure which was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1992. According to UNESCO, the island’s nomination as a World Heritage Site was largely due to its “exceptional natural beauty”, and indeed this is the case. The long sandy beaches, which total some 250 km/155 miles in length, seem to go on forever, while the blue ocean laps up onto the never-ending shore.

There are also more than 40 km of intensely interestingly colored cliffs that rise above the ocean, and incredible “dune blowouts” formed by the ever-moving sand that has formed on volcanic bedrock.  The dune systems, which are still evolving, are said to illustrate the most complete “age sequence” of any coastal dune systems that exist. The highest dunes reach as high as 240 m or 788 feet above sea level.

What makes this island even more extraordinary is that, unlike most of the world’s sand dunes, the dunes on Fraser Island are full of nutrients, and support a wealth of plant life. In parts of the island, tall rain forests stretch majestically into the air, defiant of their sandy origins. There are also mangrove forests and swamps, and around 100 dune lakes, some with white water, some brown, and others with mysteriously dark, black water. As UNESCO states in its official citation, all these features combine to create a spectacular “mosaic landscape”.

Without a doubt, Fraser Island has a global significance in terms of its geology and biological development and the ecosystems that have developed over time.

Most of the island is part of the Great Sandy National Park, and as such, is protected by both Australia’s Nature Conservation Act and the Recreation Areas Management Act.

Flora and Fauna

There is a remarkable diversification of plant life on Fraser Island, taken that it is largely comprised of sand and stone. The centuries-old rain forests probably rate top of the list, but there are also fascinating coastal heaths, lovely fossil ferns and birds’ nest ferns, elkhorns, kauri and hoop pines, palm trees, various creepers and even orchids. Tea trees, which are native to Australia, are also common as are various boronias, at least one of which is only found in this Great Sandy region.

There are hundreds of species of bird that nest and breed on the island. There is also a surprisingly wide range of animals (some 47 species of mammal), from dingoes to swamp wallabies and small-eared mountain possums. There are even a few brumbies (wild Australian horses) in the northern part of the island.

And there are even more types of reptiles than animals, with 19 snake species and about 60 other types of reptile including sand and lace monitors, which are large lizards that are commonly spotted. While you may not see them, there are numerous quite rare frog species on the island as well, that breed successfully in the swamps.

Then there are many marine species, including dolphins, whale-like dugongs, humpback whales, rays and turtles. In fact Hervey Bay is regarded by many as the Whale Watching Capital of the World because more than 1,500 humpback whales regularly visit the bay between August and October every year when they migrate to the Antarctic.

The History of Fraser Island

Legend has it that Fraser Island was named K’gari (or paradise) after a spirit that was instrumental in creating the idyllic environment of the island. And the indigenous Butchulla people who live on the island still call it by this name.

It is believed that the Butchulla have lived on Fraser Island for at least five and a half thousand years. Foreigners, on the other hand, are thought to have first discovered the island in the 16th century. While it was probably Portuguese explorers who first found it, it was Captain James Cook (who was the first to charter most of Australia and its islands) who named the island the Great Sandy Peninsula – thinking it was attached to the mainland.

The name Fraser Island came from Eliza Fraser, wife of Captain James Fraser whose ship went down on Swain’s Reef in 1836. There were several survivors, but only Mrs. Fraser lived long enough to return to the Australian mainland.

Getting to Fraser Island and Staying There

There are various ways to get to the island. You can catch a ferry, or take a barge, or you can fly in from nearby Brisbane or from Sydney or Melbourne. If you want to stay awhile, there are several resorts on the island, including Kingfisher Bay Resort, which is certified by Ecotourism Australia, and the Eurong Beach Resort right on Seventy-Five Mile Beach, which offers various types of accommodation including self catering apartments and backpacker dormitories.