The south-east coast of Queensland is spoilt with the four largest sand islands in the world. The largest of them is a few hours drive and accessed from Inskip Point or Hervey Bay – Fraser Island or K’Gari. This brown sign destination is placed at Inskip Point before getting on the barge.
The other three of the four largest islands are near each other, can be seen Redcliffe in Brisbane’s north. They are fairly close to K’Gari too, in comparison to the Queensland eastern coastline. Bribie Island is the smallest of the four islands at 148 square kilometres. Fraser Island is more than 11 times larger at 1,655 square kilometres and 6 times larger than the second largest, North Stradbroke Island at 275 square kilometres. Moreton Island is the third largest at 186 square kilometres.
K’gari
The island’s name by the Butchulla people is K’gari, pronounced ‘gurri’, meaning paradise. The name K’gari and Gari were added as alternate names in the Queensland Place Names register in 2011.
The K’gari name is being adopted as the official name over time and can be seen in changes to various names. In 2017, the island portion of Great Sandy National Park () was renamed to K’gari (Fraser Island) National Park. In 2021, The World Heritage Area, including parts of the nearby mainland, were renamed K’gari.
The Butchulla dreaming story tells of the creator Beiral sending his messenger Yendingie to create land and sea for the people. Yendingie’s helper Princess K’gari, a beautiful white spirit, created the shores and the land. K’gari persuaded Yendingie to let her stay on their creation but she had to be changed into an island. Yedingie created lakes, begetation, animals and people to keep her company where she remains as a paradise.
K’gari was named Great Sandy Island after European colonisation. It was later renamed as Fraser Island, after Eliza Fraser told of her stories about her shipwreck on the island in 1836.
Places To See
K’gari is a place with many places of interest. In entirety it is a place itself, as well as a sum of many places that you are unlikely to see all of with a single visit. We have visited the island, as Fraser Island and as K’gari, several times. Some places we visit again, and some new places that we haven’t reached in times before. As such, we have been to a few but there are still plenty of places we haven’t yet been to. The list below includes both visited and unvisited locations.
Lake Mackenzie
Lake Mackenzie is one of the most famous and popular locations on K’Gari, certainly the most popular inland of the island.
Eli Creek
Eli Creek is a popular feature on Fraser Island, drawing a crowd to cool off in the summer months, and just the few brave people to float down during the colder months.
The Maheno Shipwreck
Indian Head
Lake Wabby
The Pinnacles
Central Station
Champagne Pools
Valley of the Giants
90km Great Walk
Kingfisher Bay Resort
Eurong
The Pinnacles
Red Canyon
Waddy Point
Orchid Beach
South Ngkala Rocks
Lake Boomanjin
Lake Birrabeen
Bogimbah Airstrip