Fraser Island January 2012

[Richoson Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Richoson]

Driving up from Melbs for NYE this year, so excited! keep and eye out for a white VIC plated GXL accompanied by a blue Navara and come say hi....

I went last year and no where was closed to the general public so should be OK for this year.

Hi Don't forget your passport to get into Qld, this can be avoided by donations left in brown paper bags left at a predetermined site

See ya on the tracks, Richo.

[Sozjot Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sozjot]

The bride and I headed out of Adelaide last week via a few relly stops and ended up at Fraser for a few days this week. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience! My (first Fraser timer) advice is to enter and exit Fraser via Inskip Point rather than wthe 60 minute barge ride from Hervey Bay. Our very stock 150 GXL with Pirelli Scorpions at 20 PSI just ate the place up from top to bottom. Got bogged once due a lack of momentum and a shovel had us free within 5 minutes. Lots of great folk around and we ended up helping 4 other people out of scrapes (navara, xtrail and a couple of hire suzi's). Even met another Prado driver from the next burb in Adelaide. We stayed at Kingfisher Bay (as the brides idea of camping is a 3 star pub) and the trip across the Island was interesting ESP after cyclone Fina stared dumping a fair bit of rain on the tracks - all good fun. Hope you enjoy the island as much as Lana and I did. Merry Xmas to all.
Sozjot.

[wooley Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close wooley]

Sozjot, must have missed you!
I was also staying at kingfisher bay this week!
Probably saw your prado, I was looking out for them.
Mine was the white 150 with two huge aerials hanging off the front.

[Sozjot Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sozjot]

No doubt Wooley. We were in the metal storm GXL parked out the front of unit 509 at the resort. I did see your rig. Enjoy the trip?
Cheers, Soz.

[QLD4505 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close QLD4505]

Hi Guys I'm heading over to Fraser for a quick trip on Wednesday. We're staying from 28th Dec - 31st Dec will be camping up around ocean lake entrance on the beach drop in for a beer if you're up that way. Silver 150 GXL.

[Richoson Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Richoson]

At Steaddie at the moment an with the low depression and 2.6mt tides there is no beach apart from after half tide, so plan your traveling accordingly.

See ya on the tracks, Richo.



Sent from Richos iPhone using Tapatalk

[Monty234 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Monty234]

fraser island in march 2012

Hey guys looking to get some info for Fraser Island in march, going with a big group
most are all first timers, looking at towing a pop top van similar to this one from resort barge to central station campground any info would be great,been getting mixed
opinions from people who have never been or towed there?

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Monty, if u are first timer and towing that van across to central station that is a pretty big call? Why? The van would be well over a tonne, is your car lifted? If u r going to central station I woul travel up the beach to Eurong and go inland from there, the beach at the right tide time should be no issue, getting into central is a lot harder as the track can be soft and boggy at times with some up hill climbs. At most I would only tow a camper trailer into central. I towed a camper trailer over to the island and into catherdal but it is only 200 meters inland. I had tyres down to 15 and was in low range to exit off the beach, if they have had rain well then the tracks are very different, as they get hard and compacted. Also the track from Eurong to central gets a fair pounding from the big tourists buses that really cut the tracks up. Monty I have been their 5 times in the last 8 years and every time it is different. If you want to take the trailer I suggest that you camp somewhere closer to the eastern beach ie just off the beach, there is heaps of good options like cathedral beach was great.
The other issue with central is you have to drive out to the eastern beach each day to go most places. Cathedral was really central to most places that u would visit.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

Hi Monty. I've been there many times and I'll tell you now it's going to be a rough trip from King Fisher Bay to Central Station and very slow going. It'll take you ages to reach the camp grounds taking this route. I'd recommend you take one of the barges from Rainbow Beach to the southern tip of the island. 10 min barge ride. If you arrive on the island at low tide you can drive straight up the eastern beach until reaching Eurong and then take the track from Eurong up to Central Station which is about 10km long. You're main issue apart from that track from KFB being particularly rough and slow going even when not towing anything is the many multitudes of pull over bays.... It'll be a bit of an issue when having to rip the car & trailer up into small pull over bay after small pull over bay to allow others through. Given that you've got a large group you technically should have right of way but some people who drive Fraser Island are impatient and rude and will at times refuse to back up into a pull over bay to let your group past if they're unnaware of how many cars you have with you. Take the easier route to get to the camp ground to drop your trailers off trust me. The KFB track does have some boggy sections in hot dry weather but nothing too difficult that feathering the accelerator in low range won't fix when towing. The Eurong to Central Station track has a notorious uphill boggy section that snags many drivers towing boats and trailers and can during busy times cause lengthy delays with cars backing up on both sides of the bog very quickly.

Have a nice trip
Let me know if there's any further detailed info you'd like to know of anything on Fraser.

Regards,
Brett.

[Hutch Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hutch]

Yep just re read, if r coming from KFB I wouldn't tow that van, it is hard going from that side of the island, as Brett said up the eastern beach from rainbow would be easier but still hard work on the uphill climbs.
You may need a re think of your plans.
We followed a van from KFB across the island once it was a 3 hr trip as he was bogged numerous times. Also as Brett said traffic can be an issue but in a large group u will normally have right away except for the buses they give way to no one !!!


Hutch- 2007 V6 GXL.
2012 V6 GXL on order.

[Brains Find all posts View Profile Close Brains]

We went in September with 6 other cars all towing camper trailers and one car toeing a Jayco Outback Swann. We stayed at Cathedral Beach Caravan Park, and while not the worlds most glamorous park it certainly provided us with what we needed. We went over the barge at Rainbow and straight up the beach to Cathedral. I also would recommend using this route. Even when going into the caravan park the vehicle with the Swann got bogged but with a bit of forward and reverse managed to get out. Like the guys have said Central Station gets quite boggy and we encountered a number of vehicles that got stuck on the inclines and without towing anything.

[spitfireslw Member Find all posts View Profile Close spitfireslw]

hi guys,
i will be heading their sometime time next week for a day trip/possible overnighter. wheres the best place for a swim and some views that can all be done in a day trip? cheers

[rags Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rags]

I did tow a stock jayco with 13" wheels and all, thru from KFB and around via central station to lake mackenzie being towed by my v6 triton many years ago.The track didn't need grading for a while after this,but we got thru without any boggings etc. i wouldn't go this way again and as others have said straight up the beach and stay at Cathedral beach camp and see the sights from here.

On another relevant topic,when are the parks and enviroment mob going to have a 1 permit suits all island/beach permit available as a maybe a yearly pass instead of individual passes for each destination. Was up on home on the sunny coast last week and got the day pass for teewah beach but would buy a year pass if available and price was ok,so could venture down to one of the other beach drives.

[Richoson Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Richoson]

I did tow a stock jayco with 13" wheels and all, thru from KFB and around via central station to lake mackenzie being towed by my v6 triton many years ago.The track didn't need grading for a while after this,but we got thru without any boggings etc. i wouldn't go this way again and as others have said straight up the beach and stay at Cathedral beach camp and see the sights from here.

On another relevant topic,when are the parks and enviroment mob going to have a 1 permit suits all island/beach permit available as a maybe a yearly pass instead of individual passes for each destination. Was up on home on the sunny coast last week and got the day pass for teewah beach but would buy a year pass if available and price was ok,so could venture down to one of the other beach drives.

Hi Rags

Unfortunately the beachs are administered by differing authorities, eg local councils and then the values are different, Nth Stradbroke Is for instance is only available as a yearly pass and it around $37.00 great value compared to Bribie Is at around $121.00 and then the others at $204.00. Does sound like a bit of a money grab by DERM doesn't it

See ya on the tracks, Richo.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

hi guys,
i will be heading their sometime time next week for a day trip/possible overnighter. wheres the best place for a swim and some views that can all be done in a day trip? cheers

The best place for a swim by far is Lake Mckenzie. You won't see much of the island in a day or even two days really. The inland tracks are slow going and you'll average 15km/h on them. If you head up the beach to walk up Indian Head and look further beyond, the tide has to be in your favour and you can lose a whole day doing this if returning to camp at Central Station for example. If you want to see anything allow 3 days as a bare minimum.

But I'd recommend swimming at Lake Mckenzie, then drive up the beach as far as the Maheno shipwreck which is on the eastern beach. To see this, you'll pass Eli Creek which is the island's largest creek. It pours out into the sea and many people stop here for a swim and to see it every day. The Maheno is a little further up the beach. Indian Head is a little further up the beach than this again but you may be cutting it fine for time if you want to get back to the barge with time to spare by seeing and walking up Indian Head. The barges generally run from 5:30am to 5:30pm. If the tide is half way up and the winds are strong it can be a slow drive home along the eastern beach in soft sand and into a head wind. Make sure you enter the island with full tanks of fuel to allow for any unforseen circumstances with these conditions that'll chew up your petrol. Fuel on the island if a rip-off so you don't want to buy it there. If you leave the island late the servo's in Rainbow Beach may be closed. This is one place where the 2 tanks in the Prado do come in handy, especially when staying for a week. I quite often fill both tanks and carry an extra 50L of fuel in jerry cans when going there for a week as we drive to King Fisher Bay a few times for some lunches/dinners. We head to Lake Mckenzie everyday for a swim and usually try the challenge of driving to the northern tip every time we're there if conditions permit.