Fraser Island (K'gari)

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Fraser Island (1992), Known To Its Butchulla Traditional Owners As K'Gari. The Largest Sand Island In The World, With Rainforest Growing Straight Out Of Dune Sand, Perched Freshwater Lakes And A Stretch Of Beach Long Enough To Count As A Highway · Eurong, Queensland

Fraser Island, known to its Butchulla traditional owners as K'gari, is the largest sand island in the world, stretching 120 kilometres off the southern Queensland coast and reached by vehicle barge from River Heads or Inskip Point. Rainforest grows directly out of the dune sand, fed by perched freshwater lakes that sit above the water table rather than in it, the clearest of them, Lake McKenzie, rimmed with silica sand as white as the Whitsundays'. Seventy-five Mile Beach runs the length of the island's eastern side and doubles as a sand highway for four-wheel-drive traffic, past the rusted hull of the wrecked Maheno and the coloured sand cliffs of the Cathedrals. The island carries its own resident dingo population, genetically distinct from the mainland and the subject of strict rules against feeding or approaching them. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, K'gari is remote, entirely sand-based and unsuitable for an ordinary two-wheel drive car - every road on the island is sand, and most require a genuine 4WD and a permit.

A sand island off the southern Queensland coast, reached by barge from River Heads or Inskip Point, Eurong, Queensland, Australia

There are no gates or fixed hours for the island itself, which is open at any time, though barge departures from River Heads and Inskip Point run to a timetable that thins out in the evening and stops overnight. Camping and vehicle access both require a permit booked in advance through the Queensland parks system, and permit numbers are capped, particularly over school holidays and Easter. Ranger stations and the main visitor information points keep standard daytime hours. Lake McKenzie and the beach have no closing time but are unlit and unsafe to navigate by vehicle after dark.

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