Constant Nomad: Fraser Wanders

The end of another rotation, that means another one-week break. What's a guy with itchy feet like me to do? How about finally getting over to that island a stone's throw from Hervey Bay - the World Heritage-listed Fraser Island?

Being the world's largest sand island, the network of roads on Fraser consists entirely of sand tracks. The only way to get around the island is by four-wheel-drives, which is how most people visits the island. Not owning a four-wheel-drive myself, renting one would be the only option; but I was looking to see the island on the cheap. Looking for a less cash-intensive way to do it, I found the Fraser Island Great Walk. The walking trail connects a few of the fresh-water lakes and camp grounds. Perfect! It was odd, though, when I told people I was going on a hike to Fraser, I got some funny looks.

With minimal planning, James, a mate of mine from Brisbane who was also interested in doing the walk, and I caught the ferry across to Kingfisher Bay Resort on Fraser. Within forty minutes of leaving Hervey Bay, we were walking up the trail with our backpacks laden with camping gear and food supplies for five days.

The tranquil trail cut through the jungle-like forest; sunlight streamed through the canopy, darting around on the thick undergrowth. The compacted sand underneath our shoes gave way slightly as we pushed up the slopes and down the gentle hills. Around us, the rustling leaves and birds calling played in stereo. The cool air blowing in from the Pacific, filtered by the forest, lost its salty heaviness and felt refreshingly clean.

The inviting water of Lake McKenzie

Lake McKenzie

A miraculous phenomenon on Fraser are the perched fresh-water lakes dotting the island. Sand-filtered, the lakes are so low in nutrient that very little grows in them. Without any organic debris in the lakes, they make the perfect swimming holes. We camped by Lake McKenzie for a night, arguably the most famous of the perched lakes. With crystal-clear fresh water fringed by the whitest powdery sand, Lake McKenzie is one of the biggest draw cards on the island. Hordes of backpackers and package tourists arrive on four-wheel-drives in the middle of the day. The beauty of camping right by the lake was that, in the early morning and late afternoon, the lake was all ours.

Dingo warning sign on campground fence

Campground by Lake McKenzie

Dinner time

James and I soon developed a routine: breakfast, swim, hike to the next lake, set up camp, swim, cook dinner, have tea and shoot the breeze. Repeat the next day. We had the good luck of full cooperation of the weather: clear skies with a daily highs of 25 degrees Celsius and lows of around 12. At the end of the four-and-half days, we completed a round trip of 75 km, and the blisters on my feet could testify to each meter - nothing a little bit of prophylactic taping wouldn't be able to prevent the next time.