Experience the best of Fraser Island

Fraser Island, or K'gari, is a World Heritage island off the Queensland coast, about 120 kilometres long and made entirely of sand. Rainforest grows tall on the dunes, and around a hundred freshwater lakes lie among them, including Lake McKenzie, whose white silica shores and clear blue water are the island's best-known sight. There are no sealed roads, only sand tracks that link the lakes, creeks and settlements.

Seventy Five Mile Beach runs down the east coast and doubles as the main highway, passing the rusting wreck of the SS Maheno, the clear stream of Eli Creek and the coloured sand cliffs called the Cathedrals. Lake Wabby, a green lake hemmed in by a slowly advancing dune, lies inland, and Indian Head, a rocky headland on the beach, is a place to spot turtles, rays and sometimes sharks. Dingoes roam the island.

Fishing from the surf for tailor and whiting is part of island life, and meals tend to be barbecues, camp-oven cooking and fresh seafood. Humpback whales rest in Platypus Bay, off the island's north-west coast, from July to November, and the seagrass beds of the Great Sandy Strait on the western side feed dugongs and turtles. Barges and ferries link the island to Hervey Bay and Rainbow Beach, and winters are mild and dry.