| Fraser Island, situated adjacent to
Hervey Bay, Queensland is the largest sand island in the world.
Fraser Island, named after shipwreck
victim Eliza Fraser this World Heritage listed sub tropical island has a truly
amazing array of natural wonders including beautiful rainforests, pristine
lakes, endless surf beaches, immense sand blows, cliffs of coloured sands,
crystal clear streams and vast stretches of mangroves.
The Island is 125km long and over
160,000 hectares in area. It was formed during the ice age when the prevailing
winds transported the vast quantities of sand from New South Wales and deposited
it along the coast of Queensland forming the island as we know it today.
In this fragile eco system the
rainforest consists of huge satinay and brush box, kauri pines, piccabeen palms
and the rare angiopteris fern which is one of the largest ferns in the world.
All this growing in pure sand ! There are some wonderful walking tracks through
these areas to enable visitors to appreciate the unique beauty of the
island.
There are a number of lakes on the
island each with their own individual character - from lakes stained red with
tannin to others with pure white sand and crystal clear water. Swimming in these
lakes is memorable experience.
Fraser is also home to over 200
species of birds along with a variety of mammals, wallabies, snakes, possums,
turtles and flying foxes.
Now listed as a World Heritage site,
Fraser joins the ranks of the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru and Kakadu National
Parks as being of universal significance as the largest coastal dune system and
sand island in the world and for its special environments. As a precious part of
Queensland's natural and cultural heritage, it is protected for all to
appreciate, enjoy and respect.
PRISTINE LAKES AND CRYSTAL
CREEKSIf sand is the key to
how Fraser Island was formed, then water has been the reason it has become so
special. The combination of environments, particularly the rainforests, have
established through Fraser's wealth of freshwater sources.
CREEKSCrystal clear creeks and streams flow through the cool,
shady forests and out into the sheltered waters of Hervey Bay on the western
side of the island. Along the ocean shore, hundreds of streams punctuate the
smooth, sandy beach. But of all the creeks and streams on Fraser, two stand out
as exceptional. Wanggoolba Creek at Central Station flows silently over white
sand along the floor of a thick rainforest. A major port of call for visitors,
Wanggoolba's creekside walkways pass the angiopteris ferns, an ancient species
boasting the largest single fern fronds in the world. Eli Creek on the eastern
side of the island, is the largest of the freshwater streams flowing into the
ocean. Eli is popular with visitors and walkways allow you to appreciate its
beauty. Stop for a while and spot the kingfishers as they dart amongst the
pandanus and casuarinas.
LAKESIt would be hard to imagine lakes clearer than those on
Fraser Island. The water is so pure that the 40 or so lakes support relatively
little life. There are three types of lakes on Fraser, window, barrage and
perched lakes. Window lakes occur when the ground drops below the water table.
The fine white sandy base acts as filters, giving the water its clarity. There
are several window lakes including Yankee Jack, Ocean lake and Lake Wabby. Lake
Wabby is also termed a barrage lake, which is formed by the damming action of a
sandblow blocking the waters on a natural spring. Wabby is relatively close to
the ocean side of the island and unlike the other lakes it supports several
varieties of fish. It is also a good example of the sandblow phenomena,
gradually encroaching on the deep green waters of Wabby as the sandblow makes
its gradual progress westward across the island.
Swimmers in the lake should not run
and dive off the sandblow - the water is very shallow close to the edge of the
lake. Perched lakes occur above the water table. Saucer-shaped depressions with
a hard, impervious base of organic matter and sand, form a catchment for the
rain eventually creating the lake. The peat-like base generally stains the water
the colour of tea. In the northern half of the island, Lake Bowarrady is the
highest of the perched lakes being some 120 metres above sea level. In the
southern part of the island there is Lake Birrabeen and the popular Lake
McKenzie. Lake Boomajin approximately 190 hectares in area is the world's
largest perched dune lake.
Each of the lakes has its own
particular character. Mysterious, moody and beautiful, they are excellent
subjects for photography, great places to see birds, other fauna and flora and a
welcome oasis for the hot Summer days. Scenic 4WD circuits and walking tracks in
the southern half of the island take in some of the largest of the lakes
including McKenzie, Birrabeen, Benaroon and Boomajin, There is a walking track
to Lake Wabby from the beach.
ENVIRONMENTAL CODETo maintain the natural beauty of the lakes on
the island, please ensure you observe the following guidelines:
- Do not pollute waterways with soaps
or detergents.
- Power boats and vehicles are not
permitted in the lakes.
- Do not feed dingoes or other native
annals.
- Boil all water taken from natural
sources on the island.
- Respect the peace of the other
visitors.
- Take only photos. Leave only
footprints.
NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS &
SANDFraser Island is part of
the Great Sandy Region, the section of coastline stretching from the north shore
of the Noosa River below Lake Cooroibah and Cooloola National Park, to Sandy
Cape at the northern tip of Fraser.
About half of Fraser Island is
currently national park. The Great Sandy National Park occupies the northern
half of the island. The southern half is almost entirely crown land and state
forests, proposed for national park, subject to resolution of Aboriginal land
interests.
ISLAND
RESORTS
|
Lady
Elliot Island Resort |
Magnetic
Island
|
Orpheus
Island Resort |
Heron
Island Resort
|
Wilson
Island Resort
|
| Green
Island Resort
|
| Lizard
Island Resort
| Great
Keppel Island
Resort
| Hamilton
Island
Resort
| Hayman
Island
Resort
|
Daydream
Island
Resort
|
|
Kingfisher
Bay
Resort
|
Fraser
Island
Beach
Houses
| Sailfish
on
Fraser
|
South
Molle
Island
Resort
| Long
Island
Resort
|
| Dunk
Island
Resort |
Bedarra
Island
Resort |
Fitzroy
Island
Resort
|
Brampton
Island
Resort
|
Tangalooma
Resort
|
| Couran
Cove Island Resort
| Hinchinbrook
Island Lodge
| Club
Med Lindeman Island
| Haggerstone
Island
|
| Whitsunday
Wilderness Lodge
| Peppers
Palm Bay Resort
|
WORLD HERITAGE LISTING
Fraser Island attained its
World Heritage Listing in December 1992 in recognition of the island's
exceptional sand dune systems, its rainforests on sand and its pristine
freshwater lakes.
Fraser Island is the tenth World
Heritage listed site in Australia, joining the ranks of the Great Barrier Reef,
the Wet Tropics of Queensland, Uluru National Park (formerly Ayers Rock) and
Lord Howe Island. The listing recognises Fraser's combination of environments as
having outstanding universal value and its protection for future generations as
a global responsibility.
World Heritage Listings began almost
twenty years ago under the auspices of the United Nations with establishment of
the World Heritage Convention, to which Australia is a signatory. 127 countries
are party to the convention, established to identify, protect and preserve
properties which qualify for World Heritage Listing.
The two criteria against which Fraser
Island was judged eligible for listing as a natural site were as follows: if it
was an outstanding example representing significant on-going geological
processes, biological evolution and man's interaction with the natural
environment; and if it has superlative natural phenomena, formations or
features.
While the World Heritage Committee
does not have the power to dictate how the listed site is managed, signatories
to the convention, such as Australia, have an obligation to observe the ethic of
the listing. The purpose of World Heritage Listing is to recognise Fraser Island
as having unique and precious natural environments of universal value that
should be protected.
Fraser Island has emerged from a
century of exploitation of its rich resources - timber, sand minerals and fish.
Logging and sand mining have ceased after many years of campaigning by
environmental groups. The challenge for the island in the future will be in
managing the growth in tourism.
A detailed management plan has been
developed by the Fraser Implementation Unit, part of the Queensland Department
of Environment and Heritage, for Fraser Island and the Great Sandy Region which
sets a strategy to the year 2010.
The responsibility of protecting
Fraser for future generations, however, belongs to all visitors in respecting
the island's environments.
The unique qualities of Fraser Island
make it a destination you must see! |
